Critical thinking (CT) is widely viewed as an essential skill for college students. Nevertheless, the use of CT skills in the classroom often varies across disciplines. This article summarizes perceptions of CT, including various definitions and constructs as well as barriers to its implementation in higher education. Faculty members from various…

The problem of Computer Science students' cheating in their homework assignments so far has been handled mainly through administrative punishment of the cheaters. The success of such an approach depends to a large degree on the ability of the instructor to recognize the fact of cheating, which is a complicated task. With a large number of students…

This study sought to describe the prevalence of Standards-based grading (SBG) among practicing music teachers and report the rationale teachers provided for or against its use. Participants were music educators (N = 96) responsible for grading students. Most participants (52.08%, n = 50) indicated that they were not familiar with SBG. Many…

Education has a long-standing practice of turning worthwhile learning goals into lists of bits. One might even say that this practice is the original sin in curriculum design: take a complex whole, divide it into small pieces, string those together in a rigid sequence of instruction and testing, and call completion of this sequence…

Assessment is critically important to education both for accreditation and to support learning. Yet the literature dealing with formative and summative assessment definitions and terminology is not aligned. This article reports an empirical small-scale study of lecturers in Education at an English university. The research posits that these…

The teacher's task of assigning letter grades to students and the public's interpretation of them can be perplexing. Does the student's grade represent the level of achievement, the gain in achievement, or some combination of the two? Is the student's effort included in the grade, or are high achievers given good marks regardless of effort? Are…

Because of a wide diversity of grading practices and policies among California community colleges, its impact upon students, and the need for compliance with state minimum standards, a study group was appointed to examine existing regulations and make recommendations to promote commonality among grading policies. Issues such as local autonomy,…

Principals are responsible for improving the grading and marking systems in their schools. School administrators should provide leadership for designing, revising, and validating grading systems that meet sound measurement principles, are applied uniformly, and match local needs. This article reviews definitions, operational principles, legal…

Australia's "strange confusion in tertiary education" is discussed with regard to the difficulty of defining distinctions between universities and colleges of advanced education (CAE's), diplomas and degrees. The author proposes that all tertiary institutions be called universities and all degrees and diplomas abolished and replaced by…

What is the role of "zero" in grading? According to several authors, giving students a zero lets them too easily off the hook, seldom serves as a motivator for them to do better and is not an accurate reflection of what has been learned. While students do need to be responsible and accountable for their work, assigning a zero skews the grade and…

Background information and a discussion of major issues accompany recommended state minimum standards for grading as presented by an ad hoc Grading Policy Study Group to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. The report first notes the diversity of grading policies among the colleges and then outlines the Group's…

The term "rubric" refers to a scoring guide used to evaluate the quality of students' constructed responses (written compositions, oral presentations, or science projects). Although educators rave about rubrics, the vast majority are instructionally fraudulent. Problems arise when rubrics are too task-specific or general or lengthy and…

Attempts a definition of terms and a brief analysis of the philosophical considerations surrounding grading followed by a detailed discussion of specific techniques for assigning grades. (Author/RK)

College faculty have a responsibility to help students unveil some of the mystery of professional judgment in student assessment, both to help explain instructional practices and to create a model for students' use when they become professional evaluators. Teachers can use a variety of methods to ensure that subjectivity in assessment is not…

This book gives middle school and secondary school teachers a comprehensive look at assessment, from definitions and history to practical suggestions and political implications. It explores the theory behind student-centered assessment and examines practical strategies teachers can use to bring about student-centered assessment in an educational…