University faculty and students completed surveys about their perceptions of the construct of grades and communication experiences related to grades. Results indicated that they differed in three areas: the importance and impact of grades on students' present and future, processes by which grades are determined, and bases for questioning the…

Neglected or abused/neglected children (N=420) were compared with matched, nonmal-treated children on measures of school performance. Differences between the sexes in timing of academic difficulties was found for both math and English. Grades of neglected and abused/neglected students paralleled that of nonmal-treated students but were lower at…

A review of British Columbia (Canada) Education Ministry documents and published research literature examined theory and practice regarding grading of special needs students undertaking modified programs. A lack of equity in reporting progress for these students was found despite professional consensus that students with special needs should be…

Dissatisfied with the mismatch between letter grades and their new (state-mandated) curricular emphases, the Tucson (Arizona) Public Schools began experimenting with rubric descriptions of student progress. The prototype progress report assesses students in two general categories: learner qualities and content areas. Frequent communication with…

This article attempts to introduce parents of gifted students to the basics of performance-based assessment, authentic assessment, and portfolio assessment. A list of suggested questions is provided for parents to ask educators in the areas of alternative assessment measures, evaluation criteria, grading guidelines, and other problematic issues.…

Grading profiles for formative and summative assessment in a British nursing school were designed with criterion referencing to improve validity and interrater and intercourse reliability. Assessment was conceptualized as an ethical activity that clarifies expectations through specification of criteria. (SK)

Discusses the four-week summer Memphis (Tennessee) Urban Writing Institute, during which a furor erupted over the dilemma of grading. Provide a number of approaches to grading students' writing, including minimalist grading, cassette grading, collaborative grading, and portfolio grading. Suggests that teachers consider the grading dilemma and…

In a study of criteria for and reliability of grading of college essays in introductory psychology, 16 essays were marked by 12 faculty and 20 graduate students. Analysis found that two content attributes (facts, examples) accounted for 82% of variance in grading by faculty, while five stylistic measures accounted for the remainder. Both faculty…

Compared semester grade point averages (GPAs) among students taking courses at an American university in Europe, where about half of students are degree-seeking, and the other half are study abroad students. Found that students taking the classes for a grade rather than as pass/fail have higher semester GPAs. This suggests that study abroad…

Investigated the effects of boredom/fatigue on Israeli junior high school teachers' evaluation of students' written compositions. Teachers graded 31 papers, placed in sequential order, which had received a grade of 80 percent from three experts. They graded the papers in one sitting. Scores teachers gave to papers they graded earlier were…

Examinations were analyzed using the Rasch model to determine differences in judge severity and grading period stringency for (1) essay examination (subjects were 12 judges and 32 examinees); (2) clinical examination (subjects were 18 judges and 217 examinees); and (3) oral examination (subjects were 46 judges and 270 examinees). (SLD)

Describes a composition course in which students questioned their placement in remedial instruction based upon holistic evaluation of a single essay. Notes that, when students were assigned to judge the same essays, results correlated closely with the earlier evaluations. Suggests that the exercise made students more open to peer response and…

The study found that use of the computerized Classroom Assistant Networking System to monitor and score student responses in an elementary special education resource room substantially decreased teacher time spent on record keeping. Addition of an electronic gradebook, however, did not increase efficiency over a conventional gradebook in this…

Friedman's (1987) immediate feedback, no return test technique was evaluated via student ratings. Students were enthusiastic in their assessment of the technique and believed that it facilitated their learning. (Author)

This study compared the reliability and validity indexes of randomly parallel tests administered under inclusion, exclusion, and correction for guessing directions, using 54 graduate students. It also compared the criterion-referenced grading decisions based on the different scoring methods. (TJH)