Get Set, Go: Creating Successful Grading and Reporting Systems

by Thomas R Guskey

Make school a better experience for students by ensuring grading and reporting practices are honest, accurate, meaningful, and fair. A companion to the best-selling and award-winning On Your Mark , this practical guide details how to successfully lead lasting grading reform. Dr. Thomas R. Guskey simplifies the transition by guiding educators through six essential steps--from developing a coalition devoted to change to creating a systematic plan. Use this resource to develop a new system of grading in your school or
About the Author
Introduction
Chapter 1: Learn From Failures
Chapter 2: Form a Coalition for Change
Chapter 3: Understand the Change Process
Chapter 4: Clarify the Purpose of Grading and Reporting
Chapter 5: Report Multiple Grades for Cognitive Outcomes
Chapter 6: Report Multiple Grades for Noncognitive Outcomes
Chapter 7: Get Assessment Policies and Practices Right
Chapter 8: Develop a Systematic Plan for Implementation
References and Resources
Index

Genres: Teaching, Nonfiction, Education

248 pages, Perfect Paperback

Published March 6, 2020

Reviews

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of several SBG books I have read in the past couple of years. As with the others, I fear the focus on changing the format of report cards is a distraction from the work necessary in prioritizing standards, articulating success criteria, designing engaging instructional activities, using formative assessments effectively and efficiently, using and giving feedback to create corrective and enriching instructional activities, and then giving a quality summative assessment. That's the meat of improving instruction and what the report card ultimately looks like isn't as important to me.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the good fortune to attend a two day conference with Guskey, and I read his book On Your Mark which resonated with me. This follow-up book is in the same vein. (Just look at the titles and you can see their progression. In fact, the introduction explains the connection between the two books.) Guskey is brilliant, but he writes his books in a clear and understandable manner.

What I like about this book is that he provides the research and follows it up with practical strategies and practices. Guskey lays the process out perfectly - moving from creating a coalition (don't call it a committee!) to understanding the change process to clarifying the purpose of grading and how and why we report grading. All of this is important to do BEFORE the decision to change the grading system occurs. AMEN! His chapter on policies and practices is very helpful along with his observations about the software we use for grading.

I would love to read this book with colleagues and administrators. We still have so much learning to do around grading. I appreciate that the two schools I have most recently worked in are trying to use learning progressions, competencies, and formative and summative assessments to grade learners on what they know, but we still have a lot of learning to do as educators. This book could help us get to where we want to be.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of good things to consider in this book. While I don't think I will be tackling a building-wide change in grading, there are definitely some things I will adjust in my personal classroom. There is also good advice about how to approach a systematic change in an institution. It speaks directly to grading and reporting, but I can see applications for all sorts of change that needs to be tackled. I read this on loan from a library. I will be purchasing a copy, so I can highlight and refer back to it.

[K]

Leaves me with more questions than answers. Especially with how to do this with fidelity across the whole school / district and get parents to buy in. Bc if they aren't reading this (which the book focuses on) how is that helping them reinforce what we're doing in school .

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

He spent a good part of his time explaining why other education texts don’t use appropriate research and then (1) cites research over 20 years old and (2) cites his own research 10x as much as any others.
Hard to take his conclusions seriously.

[Kara Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great philosophical and practical guide into mastery learning.