Rethinking Letter Grades A Five-Step Approach for Aligning Letter Grades to Learning Standards By Caren Cameron & Kathleen Gregory Imprint: Portage & Main Press Categories: Education, Evaluation, Professional Development, Elementary, Secondary Show edition details Paperback : 9781553795377, 64 pages, October 2014 Ebook (PDF) : 9781553795384, 72 pages, October 2014 Paperback $23.00 Ebook (PDF) $17.00 View Table of Contents Share: Table of contents ContentsIntroduction Who Is This Book For? What Is This Book About? Why Use a Different Approach? Why Now? How Is This Book Organized? What Are Our Intentions for Writing This Book? 1. Arriving at Letter Grades: Focus on Numbers Some Key Research Findings Changing our Focus 2. Arriving at Letter Grades: Focus on Learning The Five-Step Process 3. Arriving at Letter Grades: Focus on Working It Through Step 1: Identify Three to Five Big Ideas for One Subject Area Step 2: Write Three Levels of Performance for Each Big Idea Step 3: Identify Evidence that Shows Student Performance Step 4: Highlight Descriptions of Learning on the Learning Map Step 5: Determine a Letter Grade (and a Percentage if Necessary) 4. Arriving at Letter Grades: Focus on Questions Frequently Asked Questions 5. Rethinking Letter Grades: Focus on Personal Findings Three Reminders Seven Findings Appendix 1: Example of Conversion from a Letter Grade to a PercentageAppendix 2: Big Ideas for Different Subject AreasAppendix 3: Descriptive Language for Learning MapsAppendix 4: Parent BrochureAppendix 5: Conversation CardsAppendix 6: Article: “Arriving at Letter Grades: Get Closer to the Learning” Description Authors, Caren Cameron and Kathleen Gregory, offer a practical five-step process for arriving at letter grades that moves away from collecting a string of marks and calculating a grade. They offer an alternative assessment method by examining a wide variety of assessment tools (rating scales, scoring keys, rubrics, test scores, observation records, discussion notes, symbols, portfolio collections, and more) and match the student evidence with a description of achievement. Reviews The cover promises “A Five-Step Approach for Aligning Letter Grades to Learning Standards”, and it is deceptively small, at 72 pages, and is a quick read at about an hour. Despite its small size, this book changed everything as far as my assessment process is concerned. Ignite Language This concise book is an ideal resource for bachelor of education programs and professional learning communities. Canadian Teacher Magazine