This session will provide the opportunity for discussion of the fifteen fixes for broken grades described in "A Repair Kit for Grading; Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades." Why should they be implemented and what issues arise when implementing the guidelines? As part of the session, participants will be invited to share their experiences with the guidelines and how they worked or didn't work for them.

This session will provide the opportunity for discussion of the eight guidelines for grading described in "How to Grade for Learning." Why should they be implemented and what issues arise when implementing the guidelines? As part of the session, participants will be invited to share their experiences with the guidelines and how they worked or didn't work for them.

In this session the presenter will share the most significant personal and professional transformations that have happened in his life and invite participants to consider their own transformations. Then the fourteen transformations necessary to make communication of student learning more effective will be presented and participants will be invited to consider where they are on each of the transformations.

Grades can provide important information for students, parents, teachers, and others but to be useful grades must be meaningful, accurate, consistent, and supportive of learning. Sometimes grades are "broken" and do not meet these standards. The session will begin with introductory ideas and activities to activate thinking about grading. The main section of the workshop will be the presentation and discussion of fifteen fixes for grading, fixes that will make grades consistent, accurate, learning-focused, and meaningful. Each fix will be introduced and then there will be opportunity for questions and discussion about each fix.

Grades can provide important information for students, parents, teachers, and others but to be useful grades must be meaningful, accurate, consistent, and supportive of learning. Sometimes grades are "broken" and do not meet these standards. The session will begin with introductory ideas and activities to activate thinking about grading. The main section of the workshop will be the presentation and discussion of eight guidelines for grading, guidelines that that will make grades consistent, accurate, learning-focused, and meaningful. Each guideline will be introduced and then there will be opportunity for questions and discussion about each fix.

As schools move away from traditional grading practices toward more effective practices there are a number of "hot button" issues that cause difficulties and sometimes derail the implementation. These issues include zeros, reassessment, late work, academic dishonesty, and the role of homework and whether to "count" formative assessment in grades. In this session, suggestions will be made about how to deal with these issues and there will be opportunities for participants to describe and discuss their experiences with these issues.

How well are you communicating about your students as learners? When did you last review and revise your policies and practices? This session will provide opportunities to review the following:the purpose(s) of grading and reporting; the base for grading and reporting (subjects and/or learning goals); performance standards (points/%/levels); honoring the learning process (formative/summative and more recent); ingredients in grades and how you report behaviors; the determination of grades (calculation or professional judgment); how you handle hot button issues (late and missing work, academic dishonesty).

“Nothing really changes until the grade book and the report card changes.” Curriculum, instruction, and assessment have increasingly become standards-based but parallel changes in grading and reporting have been slow, especially in middle and high schools. This session will focus on guidelines for non-traditional reporting. Issues that will be addressed include purpose, content standards, performance standards, learning skills/work habits, and student and parent involvement. Examples of non-traditional reporting will be shared and participants will have opportunities to discuss the principles and practicality of moving away from traditional reporting.

After many years of implementation of standards-based curriculum, instruction and assessment, the time has come to say that traditional grading practices are no longer acceptable, and to demand changes, especially in secondary schools. In this session the six “Musts” to make grading effective will be presented as demands for school leaders to implement so their students become independent, self-directed learners and get the full benefits of high quality teaching and assessment.