An analysis of thousands of research studies demonstrates that accurate feedback is the most important instructional technique, observed Robert Marzano in his presentation New Advances in Classroom Assessment and Grading. "Yet grading is the most idiosyncratic thing we do," he maintained, pointing out how little agreement there is among educators on what should be included in a grade, whether the grade is criteria- or norm-referenced, and whether grades should motivate or communicate.
Noting that only 30 percent of U.S. school districts have grading policies, Marzano conceded that it is impossible to know how many teachers in those districts actually follow those policies. Grade inflation, he said, is a documented fact and does not always reflect achievement.
According to Marzano, the primary purpose of grading is to provide feedback that is as accurate and precise as possible so that students can improve their achievement. With this in mind, Marzano presented a viable alternative to progress reports that feature only letter grades.
In Marzano's model report card, each subject includes a standards rating section that represents progress in each standard along a four-point bar graph: 1=Novice, 2=Basic, 3=Proficient, and 4=Advanced. A student in Algebra II and Trigonometry, for example, receives feedback on mathematics standards in numeric problem solving, computation, measurement, geometry, probability, algebra, and data analysis. In this particular example, the student also received feedback on decision making and self-regulation, so that the final letter grade represented a composite of nine areas rated from 1 to 4.
Such a communicative progress report depends, of course, on an entirely different grade book than most teachers keep. In this system, each page of the grade book has room for only three students at most and records evaluations on a sampling of assignments according to the same four-point scale for each of several standards. "Precision of feedback is the name of the game," said Marzano, admitting that the task is easier when teachers use an electronic gradebook.
Along with providing more feedback to students, Marzano recommended that for each unit of study, teachers compose a letter to parents that outlines the performance standards parents should expect for that unit. The letter should also delineate what percent of the grade corresponds to each standard. For example, one standard might be to make an effective oral presentation that will count for 10 percent of the final grade.
Finally, Marzano encouraged the use of districtwide rubrics that evaluate six areas: vocabulary, details, organizing ideas, skills, processes, and behaviors. Said Marzano, "When teachers plan assessments for these types of knowledge, instruction falls into place."