On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting (A book for K-12 assessment policies and practices) (Essentials for Principals)

Create and sustain a learning environment where students thrive and stakeholders are accurately informed of student progress. Clarify the purpose of grades, craft a vision statement aligned with this purpose, and discover research-based strategies to implement effective grading and reporting practices. Identify policies and practices that render grading inaccurate, and understand the role grades play in students' future success and opportunities.

K-12 teachers and administrators will:

• Question traditional grading and reporting practices, and seek more accurate practices.
• Identify the purpose of grading, and ensure school and classroom visions, practices, and policies support it.
• Implement research-based grading and reporting practices that promote accurate, useful accounts of student learning.
• Understand why traditional practices, such as grading on the curve and offering plus or minus grades, don't fully report student academic performance.
• Examine grading and reporting policies, and make sure they support students, parents, and other stakeholders.

Contents:
Chapter 1: Define the Purpose of Grades
Chapter 2: Challenge the Use of Percentage Grades
Chapter 3: Challenge Plus and Minus and Half-Grade Increments
Chapter 4: Challenge Bell-Shaped Grade Distributions
Chapter 5: Challenge the Computation of Class Rank
Chapter 6: Challenge the Use of a Single Grade
Chapter 7: Challenge the Use of Mathematical Algorithms
Chapter 8: Challenge Practices That Confound the Meaning of Grades
Final Thoughts