TASK 5 - Grading and Reporting

FIELD WORK 5 - Grading and Reporting

TASK:

Describe how a teacher computes and reports grades. Provides suggestions on how the practice may be improved. Interviews may be conducted. But, if you are currently teaching, you may share your own practice. Photos may be added to help explain the process.

CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS:

Description includes criteria for grading and method of reporting. Suggestions are clearly anchored on sound principles. Photos (if included) are helpful in understanding the grading and reporting process.

OUTPUT:

School: Philippine Global School - Abu Dhabi

Address: Muroor Road, Abu Dhabi City, U.A.E

Date of Interview: November 5, 2019

Name of the Teacher: Ms. Daisy Pilipinas (not real name)

Subject: English      Grade: KG1

WHAT IS GRADING AND REPORTING?

Grading and reporting are foundational elements in nearly every educational system. Grading represents teachers’ evaluations — formative or summative — of students’ performance. Reporting is how the results of those evaluations are communicated to students, parents, or others. Because of their fundamental nature, educators must ensure that grading and reporting always meet the criteria for validity and reliability. And because of their primary communication purpose, educators must also ensure that grading and reporting are meaningful, accurate, and fair.

The picture below shows the final grades of the students for the first term shared by Teacher Daisy. The school is using a Philippine curriculum, wherein there is a grading system you can input all the students assessment results (assignments, quizzes, recitation and exams) that will automatically compute the final grade of the student. (Excell Grade Book)

Here are some of my suggestions to improved the practices:

1. DOCUMENTATION - when recording students grades, it is very important to have a personal record other than putting it on a system. Be sure to record all assessment fairly. 
2. BE ORGANIZED - a time will come when one of your parents, or an administrator wants to view a test or an assessment given out, it should not be missing, you need to be able to produce students records.
3. CONFIDENTIALITY - maintain confidentiality on all students work especially when it comes to classified students, remember a students grade is their business nobody else.
4. COMMUNICATION - we have to communicate not only to our students but also to parents. Communicating to Parents are very important, we have to inform them if we're afraid that their child is in danger of failing or even inform them if they're child is doing very well in your class. Remember parents wants to be informed all the time.
5. GIVE STUDENTS A BREAK - as teachers we can give a borderlines to meet the benefit of the doubt, we have to show them that hard work does payed off.
6. STUDENTS ARE EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED - just consider how student feel, only to received a poor grade. It's the same feeling a teacher gets when they get a form of observation or poor evaluation grade, some students do take grades very seriously. 
7. NO SURPRISES - a surprise failing grade is when you might experience a meltdown from parents and students, they fell as though they've been betrayed if they get a poor grade that came out of nowhere, student should have an idea of where they are and if they are failing.
8. PESTER STUDENTS - if you see that a student is missing an assignment and is having a really negative impact on their grade, keep bothering them until they turn that assignment in. Don't allow your student to take zero for an assessment.
9. BLIND GRADING - its a good tip to avoid looking at the names of your students on the paper as you are grading assignments. Blind grading does not allow for opportunities to be unfair, it is the best way to grade.
10. ASSESS HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS - rating should not simply be recalling facts and just remembering information. Student grade should reflect application and evaluation of knowledege.