In How's My Kid Doing? noted educator Thomas R. Guskey has created a practical handbook for parents who have trouble understanding their school-age children's grades, report cards, and test scores. This down-to-earth guide will help parents make sense of school reports and offers a helpful resource that can open communications between parents and teachers.
Table of Contents:
Preface viii
1. Getting Started 1
What Do We Mean by Grading and Reporting? 1
Are Grading and Reporting Essential? 3
Why Are Educators Changing Their Grading and Reporting Methods? 4
What Are the Purposes of Grading and Reporting? 6
Why Should We Develop a Reporting System? 8
How Do We Develop a Reporting System? 9
How Do We Clarify the Purpose of Each Reporting Tool? 11
Summary 12
2. Perceptions and Responsibilities 13
Parents' Perceptions of Grading and Reporting 13
Parents' Perceptions of Teachers 16
Teachers' Perceptions of Grading and Reporting 17
Sources of Teachers' Grading and Reporting Practices 18
Students' Perceptions of Grading and Reporting 20
The Points-Driven Academic Economy of Classrooms 21
Summary 23
3. Challenges for Teachers in Grading and Reporting 25
Limiting Subjectivity in Grading 25
Balancing Instructional Concerns with Grading Requirements 26
Establishing Grading Criteria: Norm-Referenced Versus Criterion-Referenced Criteria 27
Clarifying Learning Criteria 28
Deciding What Sources of Evidence to Use 31
Relating Evidence to Purpose 38
Summary 39
4. Grading and Reporting Methods 41
Letter Grades 42
Plus and Minus Letter Grades 48
Categorical Grades 50
Percentage Grades 54
Standards-Based Grading 56
Narratives and Comments 63
Summary 68
5. Special Issues in Grading and Reporting 71
Grading on the Curve 71
Selecting Valedictorians 74
Setting Grade Cutoffs 76
Using Weighted Grades 81
Dealing with Grade Inflation 83
Summary 87
6. Developing Better Grading and Reporting Systems 89
The Importance of Purpose 89
The Challenge of Effective Communication 90
Tools for a Comprehensive Reporting System 91
Technology and Grading 106
Summary 111
7. Making Improvements in Grading and Reporting 113
Working with Teachers 113
Working with Children 118
Gradual Change Strategies 124
Conclusion 126
References 127
The Author 135
Index 137
About the Author :
Thomas R. Guskey is a professor of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky. He has taught at all school levels, worked as a school administrator in the Chicago Public Schools, and was the first director of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning, a national educational research center.
