What We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next

by Thomas R Guskey, Susan M. Brookhart

Grading is one of the most hotly debated topics in education, and grading practices themselves are largely based on tradition, instinct, or personal history or philosophy. But to be effective, grading policies and practices must be based on trustworthy research evidence. Enter this a review of 100-plus years of grading research that presents the broadest and most comprehensive summary of research on grading and reporting available to date, with clear takeaways for learning and teaching. Edited by Thomas R. Guskey and Susan M. Brookhart, this indispensable guide features thoughtful, thorough dives into the research from a distinguished team of scholars, geared to a broad range of stakeholders, including teachers, school leaders, policymakers, and researchers. Each chapter addresses a different area of grading research and describes how the major findings in that area might be leveraged to improve grading policy and practice. Ultimately, Guskey and Brookhart identify four themes emerging from the research that can guide these

- Start with clear learning goals,
- Focus on the feedback function of grades,
- Limit the number of grade categories, and
- Provide multiple grades that reflect product, process, and progress criteria. By distilling the vast body of research evidence into meaningful, actionable findings and strategies, this book is the jump-start all stakeholders need to build a better understanding of what works—and where to go from here.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

236 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2019

Reviews

[Heidi Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not so much about grading strategies as it is a set of meta-analyses of what works and doesn't work in implementing grading reform. It is important reading, I think, for two audiences: leaders who are tasked with planning, implementing, and evaluating grading reform, and teachers who want/need to see research that undergirds or challenges different grading practices.

[Tomas Nilsson]

I didn’t finish this book. It wasn’t for me.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A passable summary of the current state of literature on grading and standards-based evaluation.

[Rachel Miller Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read and good summary of research up to 2019. This a collection of edited chapters on the theme, but are commissioned on these topics so it reads like one book.