3 Strategies to Put The Power of Grading Into Students' Hands

Traditionally, grading has been a top-down process, with teachers assigning grades to students based on their own criteria. If we want to create a more effective and equitable educational system, we need to put the power of grading into students' hands. This approach, known as self-grading, gives students more control over their own learning by allowing them to assess their own work and set their own goals. 

There are several benefits to self-grading. First, it can help students develop self-awareness and self-regulation skills. When students are responsible for assessing their own work, they are forced to think critically about their own learning and identify areas where they need to improve.

Second, self-grading can help students develop a growth mindset. When students see that their work can be improved, they are more likely to view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.

Finally, self-grading can help students take ownership of their learning. When students are responsible for their own grades, they are more likely to be motivated to learn and achieve their goals. When students are motivated to learn and achieve their goals they may begin to practice progress monitoring. Read a similar article about engaging students in progress monitoring

There are a number of ways to implement self-grading into the classroom:

1. Standards-based grading. Standards-based grading focuses on whether or not students have mastered the material, rather than on their relative performance compared to other students. This can help to reduce competition and stress in the classroom. 

When students know what they need to learn and how they will be assessed, they are more likely to focus on mastering the material. This can lead to deeper learning and improved academic achievement. In standards-based grading students are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate their mastery of each standard, and their final grade is based on their overall progress.

2. Self-assessment. Self-assessment allows students to evaluate their own work and to set their own goals. Self-assessing can be a challenging process for students, but it can also be a very rewarding one. When students are given the opportunity to assess their own work, they are forced to think critically about their learning and to identify areas where they need to improve. This can help them to become more self-directed learners and to take more ownership of their own education. 

3. Learning freedom. Another way to put the power of grading into students' hands is to give them more control over their own learning. This can be done by giving students more choices about what they learn, how they learn, and when they learn. This can help students to become more engaged in their own learning and to take more ownership of their education. 

Giving students more choices about how they learn can help them to develop their own learning style. By giving students choices about how they learn, we can help them to find the method that works best for them. When students have a choice in what they are learning they can better evaluate their progress. 

Read more about self-grading in Hacking Assessment Second Edition. 

Here are some additional tips for putting the power of grading into students' hands:

  • Talk to your students about the purpose of grades. Make sure that they understand that grades are not a measure of their worth as a person. Grades are simply a way to measure their progress in learning.
  • Give your students opportunities to set their own goals. This will help them to take ownership of their own learning.
  • Provide your students with feedback on their work. This will help them to improve their learning.
  • Celebrate your students' successes. This will help them to stay motivated and engaged in their learning.

Putting the power of grading into students' hands makes grading more equitable and effective. Students will develop an understanding of how they are being evaluated and use that understanding to improve their learning. 

Main post image by Ketut Subiyanto via Pexels
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