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[|Abstract (Ted):]
Chapter 8 of __Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction__ was about grading and reporting achievement. Grading serves two primary roles in our classroom: simplifying students’ work into a single summarizing letter and letting parents, students, and administrators know how students are doing in the classroom. The chapter contends that for grades to be useful, they must meet 6 guiding principles for effective grading and reporting: The chapter goes on to say that differentiating instruction is very important, so grading two different types of learning can be difficult. Therefore, it becomes important to report standards and differentiation rather than one or the other. The three items that the book suggests reporting are achievement of goals, progress towards goals, and work habits. The reporting systems the book endorses are ones that capture these three traits, although it concedes that many districts require report cards and more traditional practices.
 * Grades need to be based on learning goals and performance standards
 * Evidence used for grading should only measure the goals and standards being targeted, so avoid relying on extraneous variables
 * Grading should be based on an established criteria, ruling out grading on bell curves or mandatory grade assignments.
 * Grading and assessment should not be confused – while everything should be assessed for learning, not everything needs to be graded
 * Grading based on averages is a poor indicator of student learning
 * Achievement is the main item to report, so keep it separate from unrelated items in grading

**Synthesis:**
The entire class seemed to agree on the three items that the book suggests reporting: achievement of goals, progress towards those goals, and, to some degree, work habits. We were all focused on the student reactions to grades and trying to downplay the importance of grades relative to learning in our classrooms, which is one of the things that the chapter supports. I found a [|website] that mentions these same topics – downplaying the importance of grades in students’ eyes – along with offering valuable information on other practical elements of grading in our classrooms. It offers yet another six functions of grading, mostly ones that hadn’t been discussed in great detail in the chapter. The reporting of grades to students and parents was another topic we worried about when it came to our own classrooms. We mostly all supported the standards-based grading and reporting rather than mere activity-based grading. It’s clear that the rest of the country, at least outside the field of education, is on the fence about standards-based grading. I found [|a page] from an Iowa administrator resource site about a shift to standards-based grading encouraging administrators to have faith in the new system, reminding them that research will continue to support standards-based grading.

Cam
Chapter 8; Grading and Reporting Achievement Differentiated teachers find it confusing and discombobulating to teach students differently, and then try to grade them on one scale. Grading is seen as giving a student a letter or number for their products, and using these rankings to communicate with outsiders such as parents. When grading, teachers need to take the following principles into consideration; grades given determined by relativity to goals, valid grading evidence, grading pertained to criteria, stick to grading specifically, avoid means, and focusing on success. Teachers need to avoid competitive grading because it can stress out the excelling and struggling students combined. Students tend to compare and rank each other based on the grades they receive. Teachers need to grade based on a wide range and not just a particular focus. Importantly, when students that struggle make little progress, then the curriculum should be highlighted and reinforced. Not only are teachers suppose to be links between students and content, but also between assessment and student. This chapter impacts my future science classroom, judgment based on grades will not be tolerated at all. Everyone is highly expected to respect one another and notice each others completions. This impacts my future students because it makes the atmosphere of the classroom a comfortable one. No one is to be singled out or left behind.

Dani
Chapter 8 of UbD/Di is about grading. The chapter talks a lot about how to grade a classroom that integrates differentiated instruction in to the everyday learning environment. This important because as a teacher I will be required to put a grade on each of my student’s report cards. I need to be able to do so in a way that is fair and shows the amount of learning that students has achieved. It affects my classroom because if I want my students to learn they have to know where their grades are coming from. If they don’t then the only thing for them to assume is that the grades are arbitrary and in that case why should they try? Grading should be a summary of how much a student has learned from my class.
 * Chapter 8**

Jason
This chapter dealt with effective methods of grading students in a backwards design and differentiated classroom, like the room we will have when we graduate. Before reading this chapter, I wondered how to grade work that might be of different levels and styles; this chapter gave me some great ideas. I really liked the notion of the three-point grading system that includes “grades for achievement of goals, progress towards goals, and work habits” (Tomlinson 135). I think that students should get three different grades because it will convey to parents whether or not their child is getting good grades while also working hard to achieve them – some students get good grades with no real effort. On a personal level, I went to school with a few people who were very smart and coasted by through school by relying on their intelligence. They often would not study at all and wait until the very end to do projects instead of putting in real effort. That really bothered me because they would get the same grades without the effort I put in. I agree with Tomlinson that grading with a single letter can prevent lower learners from trying and lead to higher learners not working to their full potential. I would love to institute this three-prong system into my classroom because I think it is the best way of truly depicting a students work and effort in class.
 * UbD/DI Chapter 8: Grading and Reporting Achievement **

Jenna
Chapter eight of __Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design__ explains the enduring, problematic system of report cards and how effective differentiated (and/or backwards design) classes can transform grading into an authentic form of communicating to important audiences, giving high-quality feedback to support the learning process, and encouraging learner success. The chapter described that there are six key principles in effectively grading and reporting students' learning achievements. I found all six principles to be extremely valuable and they definitely helped in addressing my questions of how I could grade in a differentiated classroom. One of the principles stressed that teachers should use valid evidence when grading their students. This is very important for me to remember because I do not want my students' grades to be unfair because I allowed extraneous and insignificant details to influence their knowledge of the subject. For instance, just because a student forgot to put their name on a paper does not mean that the student has not mastered a subject and therefore deserves a "F". Principle three pointed out the flaws of norm-based grading and offered the alternative J curve. I found this to be extremely valuable to me as a teacher because the J curve will ensure that all of my students have the possibility of earning high grades based on achievement. Principle four explained the differences between grading and assessing. I need to remember that it is inappropriate to hold learners accountable for what they knew or didn't know before my instruction. Diagnostic and formative assessments should never be graded; they provide feedback about the progress of a student. Principle five described the problems of grading based on mean averages. I never liked this system as a student because I always felt like I knew the material; but just because I didn't learn at the same rate as my peers, I was punished for it. The final principle reminded teachers that factors such as effort, completing work on time, class participation, etc. should be reported separately from grading. I really liked this idea because as a student, I saw kids coast by with nothing but their intelligence. They never had to study for tests and they never paid attention in class. When factors such as these ones are taken into account separately, not only is the issue addressed, but also it can be improved upon with taking away the credit of the students' intelligence. All six factors, when exercised in a classroom, not only ensure the success of grading all students fairly in a differentiated class, but also motivate students to learn. I never want my students to have the impression that effort is not a precursor to success. If my students are willing to put in their effort, then I will certainly exert all of my effort to ensure that each and every child is graded fairly and is able to succeed in my classroom.

Marcy
Most teachers can see the need for differentiated instruction but when it comes time to dole out grades, questions arise. The biggest question is, “How does a single letter describe what the student has mastered or even the progress the student has made?” The answer is that it does not. This chapter answers the next question which is, “well, what do we do about that fact?” To understand how to move forward is also to understand that grades and assessment are not the same thing. Assessment is gathering information about what the students have mastered and using that information to improve the students’ learning. A grade is an end judgment of achievement. The purpose of grades is to effectively communicate a student’s achievement, growth, and mastery. Students’ achievement should be based on the specified, clearly outlined, and criterion based standards, that measure what we want it to measure. It should not matter when the student master the material. Penalizing a student for not learning the material in the time frame that we designate as appropriate does not help anyone. With that in mind, how functional is a zero in the grade book? The only thing it proves is that the student did not turn the work in on time or did not understand the material in time for the test. When the student eventually learns the material, the zero should change to reflect the mastery, too often it does not. A student’s work habits are important, but they should be reported separate from the achievement grade. If a student knows the material, but just has a hard time turning in papers on time, it should not affect the grade. The main point of this chapter is that grades should be reported in three segments, one to show the achievement or mastery of the material, another to show a student’s progress toward the goal, and the last to show a student’s work habits. Too often these are combined together in one grade and can lower a grade, which is an unfair representation of the student’s knowledge. This affects me as a teacher by making clear the problem with the current grade system. In the future, I plan to submit the single grade that the administration expects but also to include an attachment that elaborates on the student’s progress and work habits. This affects my students by their grades more accurately reflecting their mastery, progress, and work habits.

Andrew F.
This Chapter refers to what educators need to do in order to be effective in both their grading and their reporting. 6 principles are provided to help teachers better understand what to make sure they are doing in this process. Principle one is reinforcing what we have already learned through this book, making sure that we have specific content-related learning goals (stage 1) and that we have evidence that our students are meeting these goals. (stage 2) Principle two is making sure what we are giving the students assessments that are actually measuring what they are student's progress.) Principle 3 is making sure that students are being graded on provided criteria and specifically avoiding grading on a curve and stating we should be working towards a J curve where students earn high grades based on achievement being graded against clearly defined standards.

Principle four is making sure that educators know the difference between the definitions of //grading// and //assessment//. Grading is the end-point judgment about the achievement of students, whereas assessment is a tool to learn more about the student's achievement and educators can use it to make decisions based on what their students are learning. Principle five is making sure not to grade using mean averages because this process could make it so that a student that learned the material but did not pass in all the work achieved a lot less than a student who turned in all their work but did not learn as much. Finally principle six is making sure that a grade is a measure of the best that a student can do, things like completing work on time, effort, class participation, and attendance need to be praised outside of giving credit to the student for these behaviors. That way the students are motivated to do these things without being rewarded by a grade, and also so that we get a more accurate picture of the student's learning progress, not a mixed picture of a student.

This chapter gave me things to make sure of, and at the same time watch out for while grading students. It also helped me see a few things I didn't realize, such as principle six, where in my experience I had been given a class participation grade from as far back as I can remember. Also it helped me more clearly see the process of grading and I'm sure the tips provided in this chapter will help me within my own classroom.

Nicholas
**Chapter 8:** When grading and assessing student achievement it becomes difficult when trying to avoid harm to students’ motivation. Learning disabilities, language issues, emotional matters, amongst other things can have a negative impact on students’ learning. All students are full of potential to become successful learners and that is when it becomes crucial for teachers not to aid in discouraging struggling students. Within a differentiated classroom where safety, appropriate challenge, mutual respect, and community are all strong characteristics becomes an effective place for struggling students to succeed. Advanced students also suffer when using competitive grading systems focusing more on their A’s than their knowledge and deeper understanding of the material. Advanced students really need to focus on, “their persistence in the face of difficulty, the ability to take intellectual risks, and pleasure in their work.” As a teacher I hope to make sure that all of my students become engaged in the material and all of them become successful in their learning. I don’t want to focus on any one student, but make sure that all my students are learning and staying engaged in the material at hand.

**Andrew D**
This chapter is about grading and reporting achievement in a differentiated classroom. Grading is considered a two-part process. The first is assigning symbolic letters or numbers at the end of a specified time. The second is reporting the evaluation to students and parents. The chapter then goes on to discuss six principles they recommend to teachers when grading their students. Principle 1 is grades and reports should be based on clearly specified learning goals. Principle 2 is all about the evidence needed to give a valid grade. Principle 3 says grades should be based on established criteria and not arbitrary norms. Principle 4 is that not everything done by students should be included in grading. Principle 5 says to stay away from grading based on averages, and principle 6 says to focus on achievement and report other factors separately. This chapter impacted me because it taught me a lot about how I should grade my students. The goal for all teachers is to have their students develop a full understanding of what you are teaching them and not to want to fail them. This will impact my classroom because I will always do whatever I can to have my students develop that understanding and make sure they do all they can to not fail.

Ben
Chapter 8 talks about grading and reporting the students productivity in the class. First it talks about designing grading styles. The book interprets the 3 stages into the grading aspect. Using stage 1, teachers should establish the goals, which are clearly defined, that are necessary for a student to succeed. Next stage 2 says from these goals the appropiate evidence of how to meet these goals should be determined. Then preformance standards are created to show "how good is good," and "what constitutes as an A?" Stray from the norm-based teaching, like giving a student in high difficultly class a C because they can not keep up. This could create an unhealthly competetion that will create winners and losers, with mostly losers in the long run. Also assessment and grading are two seperate categories, don't combine the two. "Assessment focuses on gathering information about student achievement that can be used to make instructional decisions. Grading ia an end-point judgement about the student achievement." (132) I love these defintions. It helps show that assessment focuses on how to make it better for the student, while grading focuses on the actual product. The backwards design is used for teaching, it is only fitting to use backwards design for grading as well. Doing so will help me as a future teacher not fall to the curse of norm-based grading, or any other unfair grading.

Lindsey
This chapter focused on grading in a differentiated classroom and ways of ensuring fair assessment. A major focus of this chapter is upon breaking away from a single grade to represent a student’s achievement. While this may seem easier for the teacher, this does not determine student growth. Instead, assessment must occur at all times throughout the course of the semester, with grading occurring after students have worked through a lesson. While it is necessary to provide a final grade, I would like to include an attachment explaining student progress as well as a folder showing work along the way.

Ted
Chapter 8 of Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction dealt with grading and reporting achievement. It is perfectly reasonable for parents to want to know how their children are doing, as much as it is important for students to receive informative and helpful feedback on their work. The chapter emphasizes that it’s important, however, not to let the grade get ahead of the assessment. The purpose of assessment is to measure a student’s achievement. While reporting and recording this has value both when examining a particular individual’s development and looking at statistics about achievement, the main value of assessment (to teachers, anyway) is to know what needs to be done better. Of course, grading is the part of assessment that teachers face the most pressure about – it is grades, after all, that determine if a student goes to college. That is why the principles of grading are so important. Grading with valid evidence on established criteria is important so students can understand the fairness of grading, rather than succumbing to suspicions of favoritism or arbitrary randomness. The warning to stay away from raw averages is also valid. The emphasis on reporting systems that support standards and differentiation is good for students because they get assessment of their achievement that suits them, rather than judging a dog by horse standards, for example.

Lizzie
This chapter discussed how difficult it can be to teach to a classroom composed of so many different types of students and learning styles. This can cause difficulties when trying to grade and having to use only one grading scale. To many students, they place such a high pressure on themselves to achieve not an understanding of the material but a good overall grade. The emphasis switches from knowledge to a letter grade. However, as the chapter discusses, grading can be a way to communicate not just to the student and how they are progressing through the material and the class but to their parents as well. Some ideas that need to be considered when grading are to make sure that the grades given are determined by how they relate to the goal at hand, how valid the evidence is for grading it as such, how the grading relates to the criteria, and to avoid other obstacles that could hinder grading specifically allowing to focus on a better end result. Teachers do need to make sure that there is little to no competition between students who are succeeding in the class and who are struggling. Many are judged not based upon their knowledge but by the letter they have received, which is most times the only thing students’ peers view. I feel that making sure my students understand why I grade in the first place, why I grade the way I do and what I do, as well as why they received the grades they do is important. If students do not understand why I teach and grade the way that I do, they might reject not only my classroom but me as a teacher, at which point I may not be able to reach them. I do feel that finding a balance for all students so they can understand, succeed, want to succeed as well as be able to not just coast through my class or any others. The problem lies in how to be tough with the students so they are not able to coast through the course but being flexible enough to help them learn and grow. The chapter suggested that grades could be reported in three different segments, one to show the achievement or understanding of the material, one to show the progress toward the end goal, and another to show a student’s work habits. I do not know if I agree with these three categories but I do know that I need to find a way to balance what I want, what I can provide, and what my students want and need. Grading and assessing at several points throughout the class and the material at hand, being fair, tough, and flexible may be the best way to achieve my goal.