1.  Locate your grade-level standards and benchmarks and apply the Goldilocks rule

2.  Locate a gradebook, Excel or Word File (see technology tools)

3.  Organize benchmarks in gradebook (section/landscape or portrait)

• Sequentially
• By unit
• Separate the content benchmarks from

Homework (effort)
Participation (effort)
Self regulation (life-long learning or character ed)
Thinking skills (life-long learning or character ed)
Communication (presenting, etc. – lll or character ed)

4.  Populate with student names

5.  Decide on and use various scoring devices

• rubric-like is often useful with benchmarks
• points or percentages
• alpha scores or phrases

6.  Eyeball data for individual students and give benchmarks scores (share with students; have students track their own)

7.  Summarize Benchmark scores into Standard scores and those, in turn, into a Grade for the  subject area.  Convert, if necessary.

8.  Send Grades or Standard scores to parents/students on a report card.

9.  Calibrate test scores, common assessments and other external measures with classroom grades.  (match documents)

10.  Make changes to benchmarks, program, or instruction, as appropriate.