Assessment and Grading in Classrooms

Summary: Assessment and Grading in Classroomsis focused squarely on the needs of classroom teachers, emphasizing sound approaches to gathering both formative and summative information about student learning, to interpreting standardized tests for classroom purposes, and to using information from multiple sources to help students learn. Clear and concise, this truly practical book keeps readers focused on fundamental, foundati...onal concepts while providing a wealth ofrealclassroom examples and stories to illustrate these core concepts. A Focus on Key ConceptsTheKey Conceptsthat begin each chapter are at once the summaries and the outlines of the chapters, making clear the 5 to 8 major ideas that are the focus of each chapter. These concepts serve as the major headings for the chapters, helping to keep readers oriented and clear about what precisely they should take away from each chapter. (See, for example,Key Conceptson p. 47 and then the major headings on pp. 47, 49, 54, 60 and 60.) A Wealth of Examples and GuidelinesEvery chapter begins with concrete examples that give readers practical applications and real-classroom understanding of what to do. Guidelines provide a complete list of steps for assessment procedures, making high-quality assessment practice easier for novices to achieve right away. (See pp. 89, 158, and 164-165 for a few examples.) A Chapter on Formative AssessmentChapter 6 explains what formative assessment is, what benefits for student learning and motivation are associated with formative assessment, andimportantlyhow to do formative assessment in the classroom. Balanced Treatment of Assessment for AccountabilityThis text presents information about No Child Left Behind and other accountability requirements, discusses standards-referenced interpretations of scores (as for state accountability testing), discusses accommodations for individuals with disabilities, and explains how to interpret various kinds of scores from large-scale assessments. All of these are presented and explained from the point of view of the classroom teacher (See pp. 9-15 for one example.) [read more]