Assignment Grading 101- Grading Tips for New Teachers

For anyone new to teaching, one of the most challenging aspects of the job can be grading student assignments in a way that’s fair to the student, upholds the integrity of the course and program of study, and contributes to the student’s mastery of the content. Balancing these priorities isn’t always easy, but there are some grading tips that new teachers can keep in mind to grade effectively.

Tip #1- Plan diverse graded assignments

The first time to think about your grading strategy is during your planning for the term. By creating a variety of assignments that appeal to diverse strengths and learning styles, you give all students the opportunity to be successful in your course. For example, some students might excel at writing assignments, while others might perform better in hands-on projects. A good mix of assignments gives all students a chance to succeed, and also helps you and the students avoid monotony in the course.

Tip #2- Use both formative and summative assessments

Formative assessments, according to the Tufts University Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, are “low-stakes opportunities to promote and measure student knowledge and skills”. Formative assessments are valuable for students because they provide a chance to apply recently-learned material to their work. When students can successfully apply new information, it can increase their motivation and confidence. Formative assessments are useful to you as a teacher, as well, because they allow you quickly see how effective your lessons have been at relating the course information and allow you to adjust, if needed. Some examples of formative assessments include pop quizzes, reflection papers, and short oral reports.

Summative assessments, on the other hand, are assignments which take place at the end of a learning unit or term. Summative assessments are typically higher point-value assignments, such as final exams and long research papers which are designed to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the course objectives.

Tip #3- Use points, not percentages, for older students

When I first started teaching at the college level, I occasionally had students who were unpleasantly surprised by their final grade at the end of the semester. The reason for their surprise was that they had earned relatively high grades on assignments which weren’t weighed heavily in the overall grade, and relatively low grades on assignments which factored into the final grade more heavily. By using points instead of percentages, students get a better sense of the weight of the assignment grade in the overall course and can easily keep track of how many points need to be earned on remaining assignments to get the final grade to which they aspire.

Tip #4- Assign appropriate point values to assignments

Another grading consideration to make at the beginning of the term is to assign appropriate point values to your various assignments. There are two factors to determining the point value of an assignment- the time required to complete the assignment and the relative importance of the assignment to the over learning in the course. A long research paper, naturally, should be worth a higher point value than a short pop quiz.

You don’t want to make any one assignment too large a part of the overall grade for the course, which would set up students to perform poorly for the term if that one assignment doesn’t go well. You also don’t want to assign too few points to an assignment, for fear that students won’t take the assignment seriously and devote sufficient time to completing it.

Tip #5- Use grading rubrics, when possible

Using grading rubrics has advantages for both you and your students. For you, a grading rubric can make grading more efficient by outlining the requirements of the assignment in a way that allows for quick evaluation. Electronic grading rubrics, like those you can create on SwiftGrades.com, can be even more time-saving than written rubrics.

For your students, assignment rubrics are a good way to make grading criteria and learning objectives clear and straightforward. When using grading rubrics for an assignment, encourage students to have the rubric in front of them and to consult it regularly while completing the assignment.