Changing the Grade: A Step-by-Step Guide to Grading for Student Growth

by Jonathan Cornue

Many educators agree that the 100-point grading model is not always a reliable way to evaluate student learning. But is there another way to more accurately and equitably grade students and provide high-quality information to parents while fostering student learning? If so, why haven't school districts across the country changed their practices? In Changing the Grade , author and educator Jonathan Cornue presents a detailed model for developing a more reliable, standards-based grading system— including 30 steps to guide you through the process . In addition to identifying and addressing the barriers to change—such as concerns about how colleges and employers will interpret an alternative grading model—Cornue offers a concrete structure for changing the grading system, providing guidance The book also includes helpful samples of standards-based gradebooks, homework assignments, rubrics, and report cards. If you are interested in making a systemic and systematic shift to a high-quality grading structure that is far less subjective than many commonly found in schools, consider Changing the Grade .

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2017

Reviews

[Eva Constantine Fiorentino]

This was good in theory and I’ll definitely be altering my rubrics to be more standards based, but I do think it’s a utopian idea no matter how good of an idea it is. If we could all shift to this concept as a system, that would be great. However it is a long and slow rollout (4-7 years to do it appropriately) and even more difficult to apply at the high school level (the report length stresses me out). However, he does include specific steps of an action plan after each chapter which would be super helpful if you got your district/building on board.

[Anthony]

Must-read for educators, administrators, college admissions professionals, and parents alike.

[Exavidreader]

Mainly about how to change the way we grade kids in schools.

[Jacquelin]

Gave me some guidance on how to implement standard based grading even tho geared to K-12 there is value in identifying and assessing standards in higher education.

[Marc Daly]

The subtitle of this book speaks to the purpose--"A Step-by-Step Guide to Grading for Student Growth." Instead of using the common grading system that averages student grades, this system looks at using the learning standards to show whether students have mastered a subject.

Cornue provides a guideline for moving to standards-based grading on the district and building level. He details a specific process.