This document discusses effective grading practices that promote student learning and development. It recognizes that some traditional grading practices can inhibit students' assessment capabilities. It describes grading practices that provide clear and meaningful feedback to students, such as embedding deliberate practice with teacher feedback into classroom grading. It advocates avoiding early grading and product-level praise, creating a culture that welcomes errors, setting clear success criteria, and promoting mastery-based grading over points/marks. The document provides examples of strategies like training tasks and challenges within tasks. It also discusses overcoming potential roadblocks to implementing new grading approaches through collaboration.

1. Grading Visible Learners:
Guided by Effective Feedback
Dave Nagel
#vlconf2014
#gradingvl

2. Recognize certain grading practices inhibit building assessment
capability in students
Understand grade reporting of mastery is not synonymous with
grading practices that foster student growth and development
Describe specific school and classroom level grading practices that
promote effective student feedback
Recognize the importance of avoiding praise as feedback in
student product or performance demonstration
Understand the importance of providing clear success criteria; both
process and product
Recognize that deliberate practice with teacher feedback must be
embedded into classroom grading practices
Learning Intentions
#gradingvl

3. Success Criteria
By the end of this session participants will be able
to:!
!
Apply Professor Hattie’s instructional model of feedback
through grading practices to increase student learning!
!
Cite specific school and classroom actions to apply feedback
through grading practices that increase student assessment
capabilities!
!
Apply 1-2 specific grading approaches in their school or
classroom immediately !
!
Determine potential roadblocks for implementing new grading
practices and approaches as well as actions to begin to
overcome them !#gradingvl

4. Do your
students
consistently
receive
feedback that
increases their
learning?
#gradingvl

5. 5
Grades
Effec,ve
Feedback
#gradingvl

6. Task!
Process!
Self-Regulation!
Model need not be abandoned because of grading
#gradingvl

7. Please
complete
the
feedback
reflec,on
#gradingvl
Which of the research statements on feedback did
you find the most interesting or compelling? Why? !
Do you give effective feedback to your students? How
do you know? !
How has your feedback, at any level been a
consideration for how grading is done in your
classroom or school setting? !

8. Do
your
current
grading
prac,ces
diminish
mind
frames?
#gradingvl

9. Reasons
for
a
lack
of
Meaningful
Grading
Tradi,ons
Trumping
Evidence
Teacher
Desire
for
Power
&
Control
Absence
of
Collabora,on
Around
Grading
False
Assump2ons
Grades
focus
on
process
criteria
#gradingvl

10. 10
“I
have
a
Masters
(or
doctorate),
and
I
know
what’s
best
for
my
students!”
Teacher
oQen
eschew
expected
grading
guidelines
(Raznov,
1987;
Tierney
2011).
#gradingvl

11. Determining
Our
Current
Reality?
#gradingvl

12. 12
Grading
Visible
Learners!
Avoid
Product
Level
Praise! Create
Culture
Welcoming
Error!
Success
Criteria
Clarity !
Goal
Setting
(Challenging!
Embed
Mastery
Grading!
Avoid
Grading
Early !
Promote
Deliberate
Practice !
Time is
NOT the
Variable!
#gradingvl

13. 13
Praise
ineffec,ve
feedback
for
product
or
performance
#gradingvl

14. 14
A
challenge
for
teachers….
…Some students prefer individual praise
(de Luque & Sommer, 2000).
#gradingvl

15. 15
Does
your
classroom
or
school
culture
welcome
error?
Cri,cal
Ques8on
#gradingvl

16. 16
Students
take
risks
based
on
their
percep8on
of
support
from
their
teachers
and
other
students
(Alton-Lee & Nuthall, 1990; Doyle, 1983).
#gradingvl

17. 17
#vlconf2014
Student commitment allows feedback to trigger internal
appraisal, thus improving reaction to feedback.
(Van-Dijk and Kluger, 2000;2001)
Build Student Commitment Through Goal Setting
#gradingvl

18. 18
#gradingvl

19. 19
Both
product
and
process
success
criteria
Success Criteria Clarity
#gradingvl

20. Grading
students
on
the
path
they
follow
towards
learning—
leads
to
confusion.
#gradingvl

21. 21
Student
Graphic
Organizer
Complete
Rough
Dra?
Final
Essay
Total
Points
Grade
Kristen
5
10
60
75
C
BriJany
15
30
45
90
A-­‐
Mark
0
10
60
70
C-­‐
Samantha
15
30
45
90
A-­‐
Gabe
15
30
25
70
C
Total
Possible
15
30
60
100
#gradingvl

22. Task—Please complete 1-4: Actions to Grade Visible
Learners
#gradingvl

24. 24
Grading
Visible
Learners!
Avoid
Product
Level
Praise! Create
Culture
Welcoming
Error!
Success
Criteria
Clarity !
Goal
Setting
(Challenging!
Embed
Mastery
Grading!
Avoid
Grading
Early !
Promote
Deliberate
Practice !
Time is
NOT the
Variable!
#gradingvl

25. Avoid
Early
Grading
When
graded
early
in
learning
process…Students
take
their
aJen2on
away
from
the
strategies
they
need
to
use
to
reach
the
next
level
in
their
learning
(Kluger
&
DeNisi,
1996)

26. Well
Below
Mastery
Significant
Progress
Work indicates
on track to
mastery
Mastery
Demonstration
Product or
Performance
Full Credit
(Points or Marks)
Minimum
Proficiency
Threshold
Students Receive
Feedback
—Not small amount of
points
Grade = IP
IN-Progress
Students & Parents
Aware
Students Receive
Feedback
—Can use and resubmit for
higher grade
Mastery
Grading
#gradingvl

27. 27
#gradingvl

28. #vlconf2014
Deliberate
Prac,ce
Must
Not
Be
Interrupted
for
Grading
#gradingvl

29. TIME
must
be
the
variable
&
learning
the
CONSTANT
#gradingvl

30. Subject
2007
‘Flex
Time’
Added
2008
2009
English
63%
91%
92%
Algebra
67%
86%
97%
Global
History
55%
74%
87%
US
History
76%
86%
93%
Living
Environment
70%
72%
94%
Spanish
82%
91%
92%
Charter
School
for
Applied
Technologies
(Buffalo,
NY)
%
students
passing
Regents
Exams

31. Charter
School
for
Applied
Technologies
Gradua2on
Rate
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
94%
100%
94%
100%
100%
#gradingvl

32. Task—Please complete 5-8 Actions to
Grade Visible Learners
#gradingvl

34. 34
Example
Strategies
1. Training Tasks
2. Challenges Within Tasks
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35. 35
#gradingvl

37. 37
Weigh,ng
Grades
Schools
had
commitment
to
defining
“excellence”
(Cognard,
1996)
Provide
student
with
extrinsic
incen2ves
(Lang,
2007)
#gradingvl

38. 38
Crea,ng
Challenges
within
Tasks
#gradingvl

42. Overcoming
Roadblocks
to
Implementa,on
#gradingvl

44. 44
Establish
Collabora2on
Expecta2ons
for
Grading
#gradingvl

45. 45
#gradingvl

46. Learn more about Visible Learningplus at
www.corwin.com/visiblelearning
Dave Nagel
Dave@davenagel.com
Davenagel.com
@davenagelvlplus