How to Grade for Learning, K-12

by Ken B. O'Connor (Editor)

This new edition of the bestseller demonstrates how to improve grading practices by linking grades with standards and establishing policies that better reflect student achievement.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 2018 fourth edition and not this 2009 edition, but this is all goodreads had available. I was shocked to see there was a version for the 1990s! What has taken us so long to realize that grades must be linked to standards?!

Wow, just wow. My mind is spinning from everything this book offers. This is a big book and may seem intimidating at first, but it provides clear explanations and many examples. What's the big theme? It's simple actually - grading should help students grow in their learning; it should not be punitive; it should be intentional and purposeful and offer a variety of opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do. Sadly, for 100+ years, we've used assessment as a means to categorize, to create a hierarchy of learners, to weed out those who (supposedly) are not trying hard enough, who are not smart enough.

I don't want to sound holier than thou. It has taken me 2 years, attending conferences and reading many professional articles and books, to wrap my brain around all of this. Sure, most ideas I embraced immediately because I've believed them for years, but a few I still struggled with (0 vs 50 for example), but I get it now. Yes, I drank the koolaid and I am all the better for it.

The author has certainly done his homework and includes information from other educators (Yay, for the spotlight on NH!) along with examples from schools across this country and other countries (Oh, Canada and Australia). If you've been reading about competency-based education or standards-based education, then much of this information will be familiar to you, but it's not all review. The author groups information in a logical way, offers clear guidelines, includes graphs and sidebars,templates, rubrics, and strategies. This is a comprehensive book. As I said, its size might intimidate some, but I hope this doesn't deter readers. I think it might be helpful to read a smaller, general overview of competency-based grading first such as Charting a Course to Standards-Based Grading: What to Stop, What to Start, and Why It Matters by Westerberg.

Oh, how I wish this could be an all-school read at my school.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for teachers! This book was a long haul for me to read, but that was because it gave me so much food for thought that I worked through it very slowly, thinking like crazy the whole time. I ordered the book because I had been increasingly dissatisfied with how I (and most teachers I know) grade, and I wanted to explore other options. I couldn't have picked a better book for that project, and I'm now rethinking what I want my assignments and assessments and grading to look like for next year.

One thing I particularly like about Ken O'Connor's approach is that he understands the constraints under which teachers work (districts, schools, other colleagues) and our different comfort levels with throwing out what we've been doing. This book is organized by his guidelines for grading, and in each chapter he is very clear about the principles involved, the challenges teachers may face, and different options for addressing any conflicts between the two.

He's also really done his research, and there are many sources listed at every step of the way, so that one could pursue any given idea further.

I've already recommended this book to a few colleagues and will continue to do so!

[Scott Pare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good foundational book on Standards Based Grading and best practices for assessment and grading policies.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew, this was a pretty boring read, but it sure had a lot of valuable info.

A few tidbits I'll take away include:
- Ditch formative assessments from my grade book; only summative assessments should be included
- Ditch zeros for missing/absent work; 0%=K- on the A to F scale. Using 50 to 60% is much better.
- Allow ANY interested students to retake tests, regardless of score. Don't average scores or limit how high they can get; give the students the score they earn
- Don't penalize for late work; simply note it in the comments section
- (Here's the BIGGEST change): Grade based on STANDARDS, not formative vs. summative assessments, not worksheets, not quizzes
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Well, stinkin' workshops start in two weeks AND I've finished all but one of my summer fun reads, so I suppose I might as well get this book out of the way now. All complaints aside, I'm kind of excited to see what this book's about and how it can help me be a more effective teacher.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our entire middle school staff read this and did small group discussion groups around it. The book encourages less dependance on traditional letter grades which can be subjective and greater use of standards performance objectives. I enjoyed the reading and felt the author's premises had enough weight to lead to interesting and thought provoking discussions that then lead to real, positive changes in some of our classrooms.

[Leanna Aker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm on the quest to change to SBG next year and this book gave lots of details about many issues with this method. I feel like I have some more ideas in my arsenal. This is an in-depth book, though, so I would recommend it more to someone who already has a general idea about standards-based grading and wants some more meat.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

good ideas...Though I feel like I can't implement it in its purest form, I'm definitely moving toward standard-based grading in the classroom.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book that provokes thought on the best means of assessment. A good resource for keeping teachers evaluating why they engage in the assessment practices that they do.

[Stuart Macalpine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a one stop shop for standards-based assessment. All the major arguments are covered in discrete chapters and with some useful discussion and summary.

[Deborah Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for the novice teacher wanting to learn about standards based grading.

[Gussy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh so much math and so many things to think about