Grading and Record Keeping Courses I – IV

The purpose of the Baldwinsville Staff Development on Grading and Record Keeping is to support teaching faculty as they work toward a standards-based program aligned with the New York State Standards and Assessment Programs.  These courses are a sequence of courses that can be taken independently after the teachers take the Curriculum Overview.  They can be taken before or after the Lesson Design courses.  Each course is 5 hours of instruction.

Grading and Record Keeping Course I

Participants will learn how to track student data by benchmarks instead of by the traditional methods of using homework, participation, quizzes, tests, and behavior.  This method improves feedback and other communications with students so that they improve their learning in the classroom.   Participants will learn about the importance and distinction between the gradebook, report card and external measure scores, such as state test scores.  The discussion is guided by the premise that schools are “improvement centers” and in order for a person to make improvement, he or she needs feedback on just-right criteria, and the opportunity to do it again and again.

Grading and Record Keeping Course II

Participants continue the discussion about grading and record keeping specifically addressing different kinds of scoring devices such as rubrics and rubric-like scoring, how to organize a gradebook, what to include in a grade, how to grade homework, how to turn a gradebook into a report card, and how to help students track their own data.

Grading and Record Keeping Course III

Participants will learn to adapt and use technology as they begin to track student progress by benchmarks.  The teacher will use an adapted Excel program to create an electronic gradebook specifically customized to meet their own grade level and content needs and preferences.  This course is taught by the instructional technology resource personnel.

Grading and Record Keeping Course IV

Participants will use technology to track student progress by benchmarks.  The teachers will use Excel along with Palm handhelds or Danas to make the electronic gradebooks work to their preferences.  In addition, teachers will learn to make charts and reports using the collected student data.