Educators-another plea for help

[katsmom]

I am begging here because I know there are so many of you in education. (what a great forum!)

As was expected by my professor, I didn't like my topic and switched directions. I've been on this for a good long time and think I've found a few things so I'm sticking with my new topic for a while-I find the thoughts come fast and furious and I have the added NEED to write them down. Always a plus when you are paying ridiculous fees to get a funny hat.

So here's my request. I need grading rubrics. See, I've designed one for our department and made a comprehensive exemplar booklet to justify all the grades-it's a blend of SLA, SFL, critical discourse analysis and genre theory. Right now I'm collecting as many different rubrics as I can, and would be thrilled if any here could help me out. In order to validate the usefulness of mine, I need to make comparisons to what others are using. It really doesn't matter if it is kindergarten or University. I'm not out to 'prove' anyone wrong, just really wanting to find similarities and differences in a variety of different marking schemes.

Thanks in advance for any help you can send.

('Tis a right shame my toys in the classroom idea didn't work!)

[MBH]

Since I've just needed to go off and Google "grading rubrics" I can confidently say I will be no help to you at all

These grids do look very similar to our Annual Appraisals answering questions of our ability at one of 4 levels, but since the answers are always 'Good' or 'Very good' I don't think many people take them seriously.

[giraffe]

What's a grading rubric?

edit:

A rubric is an explicit set of criteria used for assessing a particular type of work or performance. A rubric usually also includes levels of potential achievement for each criterion, and sometimes also includes work or performance samples that typify each of those levels. Levels of achievement are often given numerical scores

I even found a list of examples one of which was:

•Rubric to Assess a Rubric

[Bunnylump]

Well I'd never heard of a Rubric before either. But if I am correct in understanding that a Rubric is just a sheet of assessment levels and what you need to do to achieve them, then I could get as many as you want. Unfortunately I've just finished work for the Easter holidays and won't be back for weeks!!

You can see some of the kinds of things I mean if you look at our school website. This is an English page - look at the Homework assignments and at the end they have grade descriptors.
http://www.kingslangley.herts.sch.uk/de ... glish.html

[giraffe]

I have the ones for K+L's school reports, but you need to bear in mind that it is an extremely selective grammar and only admits the top 5% academically, so it is not representative of schools in general.

Attainment grade descriptors.
1. Achieving at the highest level for this school in all areas of the subject. Ability to take the initiative and extend work significantly.
2. Achievement usually at a high level in all aspects of the subject and in line witha good level of attainment at this school.
3. Achieving at a satisfactory level for this school and typical of a good national level of achievement. Some areas of weakness.
4. Achievemnet below the expected level for this school but at a national average level of attainment. Shows significant areas of weakness.
5. Achievement well below the expected standard for this school and below the national average level of attainment expected for this subject.

Effort grade descriptors.
A Consistently best effort. Enthusiastic participation or engagement in lessons. High level of commitment in homework. Consistently meets deadlines.
B. Usually good effort. Regular participation or engagement in lessons. Good level of commitment in homework. Usually meets deadlines.
C. Inconsistent effort. Intermittant particpation or engagement in lessons. In adequate level of commitment in homework. Misses some deadlines.
D.Little apparent effort. Lack of participation or engagement in lessons. Lack of commitment in homework. Deadlines frequently missed.


And Fernando's school, which again is selective, but nowhere near as much.

Effort grades.
A outstanding
B. Very good
C Good
D. Not always acceptable
E. Poor


Attainment grades
1. Excellent
2. Very good
3. Sound work
4.Has some difficulty with work
5. Has not coped with the work

I think they also have "rubrics " for individual subjects, as one of the teachers showed me one at parents evening, but Lally said they hadn't been given it until after they had done the work and that seemed to break down exactly what they had to do to get each grade.

Your post talks about similarities and differences and as I typed that out I was struck by how simple the one is and how wordy the other is.

[MBH]

Somewhere in your lists you've got to include:

Passing Grades

* O - Outstanding
* E - Exceeds Expectations
* A - Acceptable

Failing Grades

* P - Poor
* D - Dreadful
* T - Troll

Well someone had to say it

Alternatively, since eveyone seems to need encouraging and made to feel good about themselves how about grades

* Awsome
* Brilliant
* Classy
* Delightful
* Excellent
* Fantastic

... and hope that they don't notice the subtle coding going on or the odd fact that the lad Fantastic at maths can't add up

[katsmom]

Your post talks about similarities and differences and as I typed that out I was struck by how simple the one is and how wordy the other is.

Thanks you all so much, that is exactly what I was looking for! I've seen so many schools use this kind of thing it isn't funny. We do it in the department and it drives me bonkers. What's the difference between good and very good

wonderful wonderful wonderful people here!

[giraffe]

We get two reports per year from F's school and the first one the highest grade he gets in most subjects is a B2 and the second is almost entirely A1s I'm sure it's so they can say what value they have added during the year . The subject reports words rarely match th grade either They say he has worked extremely hard with excellent participation in class and scored 95 % in the end of term test and then give a B2 or that he must try to participate more in class and add more detail in his written work and give an A1. I don't take much notice of them any more, but they are usually hilariously funny, you could think the staff have been drinking sometimes when they write them. One german teacher started his comments with "F is a genius". How do you take anything seriously after that? (I'm not even sure he's particularly good at german)

[Bunnylump]

Sounds like the total opposite of the comments I used to get about my son. Things like
"He has an exceptional talent for this subject and a very able brain. However, he appears totally unable to engage either." Not that I can complain, having got comments myself such as

"Has she become mentally paralysed?" or

"It's a good job her pen is as effective as her mouth"

Although the most amusing one was from my MOTHER, who had the misfortune of teaching me biology for 5 years. I had achieved 98% in the exam,96% for overall year grades, so she had to put A for achievement A for examination but I then got C for effort. My comment (which she wrote on ther report she was sending to herself) was
"satisfactory"!!!!!! Mind you, I also got "satisfactory" for PE as well, and I bunked off it for 4 consecutive years.

[giraffe]

I sometimes wonder if they are writing about the right child. K's art report once told me that Sophie's work was good. Just proved my theory that they cut and paste the whole thing into all the reports. I did get a written apology about that. (They give a comments sheet, so I commented that i was unaware that she was known as Sophie at school)

[katsmom]

I had a girlfriend a few years back who got a report on her son. It said something about he would be better off focusing his attention on his studies than his deep olfactory excavations. (Mixed marriage-Chinese surname. I'm sure the teacher thought that would slip by. )

And don't tell me Bunny that you have never written "your child is an active member of the class" and really DIDN'T mean that the little bugger would never sit down and keep quiet....

I went to the bugs three way conferences this year and let her teacher tell me all about.....well nothing really. The "teacher talk" was really coming out. Lots of head nodding on my part until he finished. Then I hit him with "so what you are really telling me is she's a little wanker. I have been a teacher for 20 years and use the same empty language. Now tell me how she is really doing-no more of that teacher talk" Poor guy didn't know what to do.

I don't read her reports anymore either. I know that she has no problem understanding the gist of TESOL quarterly (although she does ask me to define way too many words) that her math is better than mine, that she's too lazy to do her mandarin writing, and that she still can't type. What more does a mom need to know about her young one?

[MBH]

Thank you for giving me my Friday laugh I enjoy visiting the 'children' selling computers in major chains of shops and doing similar things with their sales patter

Sounds like your Bug is higher on the Maths than the English - but if you keep defining words hopefully that will catch up. Is she a 'reader'? [I've forgotten how old she is] As for the Mandarin (which I always think of as a fruit) I'm not even going to guess what growing up bilingual does to the brain. She sounds like she's doing fine (and has a great Mom)

[SparkOut]

Mrs S had a school report once which included a comment for PE in the term they were doing tennis. She made absolutely no effort, and didn't move her feet. If the ball came her direction over the net and it wasn't within arm+racket reach without lifting the soles of the shoes from the floor, then she ignored it. Teacher-speak for her total lack of effort?

...lacks speed around the court

[Redfraggle]

It is written on my school report that 'I have a delightful sense of humour'. It actually meant I had the loudest laugh in the class

[Bunnylump]

You have the best laugh I've ever heard. It makes me laugh just thinking about you laughing!!!! (Such a shame I don't get to meet you in person, I miss that!!) I have great memories of sitting in that cafe in Euston and you dipping "Scurra's stick" in the tea. You were laughing so much that you had me virtually on the point of wee!