Synthesized Chapter 9 Assessing

Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter covered ten approaches to avoid when differentiating instruction and grading assessments. The author gives each approach within the text and then explains in depth why this “approach” should be avoided if you really care about differentiating your instruction or grading fairly. The first approach to avoid is incorporating nonacademic factors such as attendance, behavior, and effort into the final grades. The second approach is avoid penalizing students multiple attempts at mastery. Third is avoid grading practice such as homework which is meant as more of a study tool then an assessment although it can be used as a formative assessment. The next thing to avoid is withholding assistance with the learning when it’s needed, with and emphasis on when it’s needed. Teachers must realize when it is necessary. Next comes avoiding assessing students in ways that don’t accurately show their mastery. Avoid allowing extra credit and bonus points is the next approach. The seventh thing to avoid is group grades which are unfair to students that get paired with someone who doesn’t do their work. AVOID GRADING ON A CURVE is the next approach and one I completely agree with. Next is avoiding recording zeros for work not done, instead you should assume the assignment is incomplete. The last approach to avoid is using norm-referenced terms to describe criterion- referenced attributes.
How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
I thought this was a great tool for us as teachers and I really liked the idea of avoid grading on a curve, because it doesn’t make any sense! Aaron disagreed with #9 which said don’t put zeros in for incomplete work, and he made his case in class the other day. Mackenzie liked the chapter because she thought some of the points were controversial and made her think, as well as thinking the chapter was very reader-friendly. Renee loved the chapter and agreed with everything it said. She loved the idea of putting learning before grades.