DETERMINING A GRADE

This page offers some strategies, resources and ideas for thinking about determining a grade at varying points in a course.

Questions, comments or feedback can be directed to the Itinerant Coaches or members of the Secondary Teaching and Learning Consultant team.

UNDERSTANDING PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT

Teachers use their professional judgement to design instruction and assessment opportunities. They also use their professional judgement when determining grades to reflect students’ achievement in a course.

What professional judgement is ...

Is the informed and thoughtful consideration teachers use when determining a grade
Reflects the teacher’s professional knowledge of the curriculum
Is based upon evidence gathered from ongoing assessment of students’ learning
- TIPS:
  - Use data gathered earlier in the course to inform evaluation of some overall expectations as needed for some students
  - Continually assess and re-assess through multiple opportunities to verify student understanding
  - Provide opportunities for improved performance/demonstration
Takes into consideration the teacher’s knowledge of individual students (e.g., how best they demonstrate their thinking, their strengths and their areas for improvement)
Incorporates observations of, conversations with, and products created by the students, through both informal and informal opportunities
- Examples of informal opportunities: classroom activities, overheard conversations, small group instruction, etc.
- Examples of formal opportunities: performances, tests, interviews, projects, etc.
Considers the most consistent and more recent evidence of learning
- TIPS:
  - Consider holistically visualizing the student’s understanding in the course, adjusting for outliers and adhering to trends
  - Consider how the student’s understanding has evolved toward the end of the course

What professional developing allows a teacher to do...

Be flexible with how you gather assessment and evaluation data from different students, including evaluating some students entirely through observations and conversations
Value learning at any time and in any format I notice it, rather than waiting for evaluation events (tests, presentations, assignments) to let learning “count”
Wait until the end of a reporting period to decide what evidence will be considered formative and what evidence will be considered summative
Interpret 70/30 differently for different students
Ignore outliers in a student’s body of evidence

(This list was shared in a communication with WRDSB teachers.)

BL Day Slides - December 7, 2022

Refining Our Practice: Understanding and Applying Professional Judgement

Slides from December 7, 2022 Blended Learning Day

January 2023 - End of Semester AER Reminders.pdf

End of Semester Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting Reminders

Communication from January 11, 2023

DETERMINING A MIDTERM GRADE

When determining a student’s midterm grade, it is important to acknowledge that student learning is not finished but in progress. Determining a grade for the midterm point in a course relies heavily on all conversations, observations and products collected of students' current understanding.

Ongoing evaluation of students’ demonstration of their learning with respect to the overall expectations in the course should contribute to teachers’ professional judgement of students’ level of achievement.

For the midterm reporting cycle, teachers are encouraged to evaluate students’ understanding using benchmark numbers that correspond with the achievement levels identified by Growing Success (p.40) and further elaborated on in the WRDSB AER handbook (p.23). Benchmark numbers communicate overall progress in a course that is based on evidence gathered from a limited time period. They also communicate that learning is in progress.

When arriving at a benchmark number, teachers are encouraged to rely on their professional judgement of students’ demonstration of the overall expectations. Growing Success explains, “Teachers’ professional judgements are at the heart of effective assessment, evaluation and reporting of student achievement” (p.8).

MIDTERM BENCHMARK GRADE TOOL

Midterm Benchmarks

In cases where teachers are considering a grade below 50% or an I, these are some considerations to keep in mind:

“A student who [is achieving below level 1 at midterm] would not have even begun to reveal their understanding of most or all of the overall expectations whether through observations, conversations, or products.” (Secondary Teaching and Learning - AER Reflections, emphasis added)
“Students who are just emerging in their demonstration of the overall expectations, but are still a long way from the provincial standard would be considered [achieving] level 1. This may mean that they don’t get many, or possibly any, correct answers, but there is still evidence that their thinking is on the right track. For some students this emergent thinking isn’t evident in products at all, but is revealed while observing how the student works through a thinking task or while conferencing about their learning.” (Secondary Teaching and Learning - AER Reflections)

DETERMINING A FINAL GRADE

Determining a final grade to reflect a student’s achievement in a course

Relies heavily on all conversations, observations and products collected of students' understanding by the end of the course;
Considers the most consistent and more recent evidence of learning (Growing Success, pg. 39);
Adjusts for evidence at the end of the semester that is inconsistent with earlier demonstrations;
Rewards learning and does not penalize earlier not knowing; and
Focuses evaluation on overall expectations (not specific expectations).

CONSIDERING 70/30

Think of the 70/30 idea more conceptually than mathematically. The 30% final evaluation is intended to be an opportunity for students to confirm their achievement of the overall expectations or to demonstrate further growth by the end of the course. Teachers should continue to use their professional judgement to both triangulate and disregard outliers in final evaluation data. Certain final evaluation components may have a greater influence than others on students’ final grades.

The collection of evidence that makes up the term component (~70%) vs. the final component (~30%) may look different from the collection of evidence that makes up these components for another student. In this way, each student’s body of evidence is considered independently.

Teachers use their professional judgement to ensure a final grade is reflective of the student’s actual achievement of the overall expectations in the course rather than factors unrelated to the curriculum.

FINAL BENCHMARK GRADE TOOL

To determine a final grade, consider the assessment and evaluation guidance in the relevant course’s curriculum documentation as well as the tool below, which advocates for the use of benchmark numbers for final grades that correspond with the achievement levels identified by Growing Success (p.40) and are further elaborated on in the WRDSB AER handbook (p.23).

Midterm Benchmarks

* “Students who are just emerging in their demonstration of the overall expectations, but are still a long way from the provincial standard would be considered level 1. This may mean that they don’t get many, or possibly any, correct answers, but there is still evidence that their thinking is on the right track. For some students this emergent thinking isn’t evident in products at all, but is revealed while observing how the student works through a task or while conferencing about their learning.” (Secondary Teaching and Learning - AER Reflections) Teachers are encouraged to use their professional judgement to make determinations about how students have independently or with support demonstrated curriculum expectations, being attentive to overall instead of specific expectations.

** Students will show understanding verbally, visually, in writing, in gesture, in drafts, in practice, etc. They may apply and engage with concepts in a variety of ways. Teachers should provide students with choice in how they best show this understanding with a range of opportunities and modes. “Showing” understanding will likely look different for each student.

*** The WRDSB AER handbook uses 83, 90, 95-100 as benchmark numbers for Level 4 (p. 23). The tool above uses the additional 88 and 92 for teachers’ and students’ discretion.

For more subject-specific tools to help determine final grades, consider the following:

MTH1W Final Report Rubric

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why should I use benchmarks?

Dividing achievement into 101 categories (0-100%) is a difficult task. Clearly articulating the difference in achievement between a final grade of 77% and 78% is very challenging. Dividing achievement into benchmarks (the tool above uses 20 categories above 50%) allows for a more accurate evaluation of achievement.

Students tend to respond well when teachers are transparent about the benchmarks being used as well as the criteria used to determine a level or benchmark grade.

Further reading: Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman

I’ve been recording points instead of levels. How does that fit with this?

By looking at your point based data by overall expectation you can get a sense of trends or a picture of the understanding a student has demonstrated. These trends can inform which level or benchmark to use. Be aware that a student who has earned a mark below 50% on a points-based test or assignment may in fact have demonstrated at least a level 1 understanding as described above, and this should be taken into consideration when determining trends and final grades.

This approach may also help in disregarding outliers, it can help you notice improved demonstrations of understanding, and it can allow for a more holistic representation of a student’s achievement in the course.

Itinerant coaches and consultants are available to support teachers in re-examining a body of “points-based evidence” in determining a final grade. To make a shift away from recording events or points (aggregated averages) to recording a variety of assessment and evaluation data, reach out to your professional learning network, including the itinerant team, consultants and assessment leaders at your school.

Should students be a part of the determination of a grade?

When students are engaged in the decision-making process when determining a midterm or final grade, they are empowered to take responsibility for the learning that they have done throughout the course. While the decision rests with the teacher, involving students in a dialogue about their grade puts the responsibility for demonstrating their learning on students. A midterm and final conference with each student is a great way to celebrate and summarize the learning they have done.

Does a student need to demonstrate at least a level 1 understanding of each overall expectation to earn a credit in the course?

All overall expectations should be evaluated, but a teacher should use their professional judgement to determine a final grade. Remember that the way we define level 1 is as a beginning level of understanding, often with some teacher assistance/guidance. Defining level 1 is a part of a teacher's professional judgement when determining an individual student's grade. Discussions with course teams will also be beneficial in informing teachers’ professional judgement.

If a student has yet to demonstrate at least level 1 understanding of each overall expectation (through observation, conversation or product), every effort should be taken to address unfinished learning and then provide additional opportunities for the student to meet the expectation. Students earning a level 1 in the course should have demonstrated emerging or beginning learning in most of the overall expectations.

Consider this description that helps teachers "Get Clear about Level 1."

What happens if a student has not demonstrated level 1 in the course?

Consider this description that helps teachers "Get Clear about Level 1."

There are some cases where a student will not have demonstrated sufficient evidence to earn a level 1 in the course. Action taken will depend on the course the student is in as well as the specific student’s situation, and these decisions should include students’ caregivers, school administration, guidance and student success. (See the "Guide to Achievement Levels and Percentage Grade" in the WRDSB AER handbook, p. 23.)

ASSIGNING “I”:

If a student in a grade 9 or 10 course is assigned an “I,” the teacher is indicating that there is insufficient evidence of the student’s knowledge and understanding (gathered through observations, conversations as well as products), therefore a percentage mark cannot be determined.

ASSIGNING “45%”:

If a student in a grade 9 or 10 course is assigned a grade of 45%, this indicates that the evidence the student has demonstrated is determined to not even begin to demonstrate an emerging or beginning level of understanding of the majority of the overall expectations of the course.

NOTE: Students in grade 11 or 12 courses may be assigned a grade between 35-45% or 0%.