To see how all the pieces described throughout this chapter can be integrated into a single entity, here is the system that I used as a teacher.  Rather than an intricate structure that is built up of hundreds or thousands of points, this approach has, at its root, a collection of parts that are largely self-evaluated.  Since the student is actively engaged in this process, there is less need to be constantly computing and reporting, say, the exact percentage of homework she has completed this week.  There are also fewer disagreements or power struggles about grades in general.

Evaluating the learning process. 

Every time a student did any work, she would evaluate how well she did it.  Every kind of work — homework, lab write-ups, problem sets, worksheets, even class notes — had a simple 1 - 5 rubric, and students would evaluate their work as they completed it.  The unit contracts that I used gave them a single location for each student to summarize those evaluations in one place. Just before taking a test at the end of every unit, she would turn in the completed contract, along with her journal and all other evidence of work she had completed.  Then, while she was taking that test, I would also evaluate her work and agree or disagree with her assessment. If there was a significant disagreement (a very rare occurrence after the first contract or two), we would have a conversation to resolve it.

Once they became proficient at self-evaluation, the entire process of grading student work for the whole unit would be a matter of several hours at most; for shorter contracts, I was often able to complete it within the time it took for them to take the unit test.  After entering the grade for each contract in my grade book, I would hand back their journals with the contract itself serving as a cover sheet, and with all their loose work stapled to it. They then kept the collection of contracts organized in their portfolios so that they could be used during grade conferences at the end of the marking period.

Evaluating the evidence of learning. 

Evaluating this aspect of a student’s progress requires a compilation of all the assessments throughout the quarter.  In my case, that would consist of quizzes, tests, test re-submittals and other remediation, learning summaries, and projects.  In general, I would evaluate all such assessments myself and record each test grade as the number of questions a student got right out of the total number of questions.  In this case, points seemed to be the most sensible way to record such results, and they would be converted to a percentage which would be translated into a grade based on a standard scale.  

Evaluating personal outcomes. 

Because qualities like engagement and collaboration are more personal and subjective than, say, test scores, they are best evaluated by the students themselves.  I had students assess how well they did in three areas that I considered particularly important: Participation, Self-directedness, and Time Management/Organization of Materials.  

In each of the three areas I chose for them, they would answer three questions and then summarize how well they did in that area.  These questions are shown in the second page of the form below. When they had answered the questions in each area, they would summarize them as a single grade for each area and transfer it to the front of the form.  I would then review their assessment and evaluate them myself. Any discrepancy between their assessment and mine would serve as a springboard for a conversation during the grade conference.

Of course, deciding which personal outcomes are most important is subjective, and should reflect your beliefs about what character traits are most relevant and important for your students to acquire. The personal outcomes you choose to focus on should, of course, also reflect your own priorities as a teacher.

A sample evaluation form

Here is the form that I used in my physics classes to summarize students’ grades at the end of each marking period.  It provides an overview the entire grading system in a box-score format that helps make a student’s strengths and weaknesses visible.

No matter what course you teach, a summary of this nature can be a powerful tool both in deriving a grade and in stimulating meaningful conversations with your students.  While the content being assessed, the means of assessment, and the personal outcomes that you value can be quite different, the process will likely be similar.