Grading by Criteria

This is an excerpt from the grading section of my course syllabi this year. My new school is very good about letting each teacher choose an appropriate system for their own class. Two of my math colleagues saw this and thought it was interesting, so I thought that maybe it'd be interesting for some of you to consider as well. For me, this is similar to the grading system used in the IB Middle Years Programme. It also just generally makes more sense to me to be grading by criteria instead of by the type of assignments, especially because as a department we are trying to foster some of those important qualities in our kids.

Grading: Your grades are a direct feedback to you. They will speak to your areas of excellence, versus areas where I believe that you can still grow and develop your skills. They should, therefore, reflect the values that we hold in our course. To this end, your class grade will break down into grading criteria as follows:

Grading Criterion                       Assessed using…
Communication in Math 30%  All collected written explanations (classwork and projects)
Mathematical Approach  40% All collected “algebra work” (quizzes, tests, and projects)        
Accuracy and Precision  20%  All collected “algebra work” (quizzes, tests, and projects)
Reflection on Results      10%  On-going observation (class participation and written projects)

This might be different from what you are used to. Do not worry! You can always request a re-test or a re-quiz if there is something that you wish you had done better on. Also, grading rubrics will be provided in advance of project due dates, in order to clarify how these criteria will be applied specifically to the project.

Even though I still have a lot of things to prepare before the year starts, I am very excited! I think it's going to be a great year.