Answers to essential questions about standards, assessments, grading, and reporting / Thomas R. Guskey, Lee Ann Jung.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I Standards 1 -- 1 What are Standards? 2 -- 2 Are Standards a New Idea in Education? 8 -- 3 Why Do Some People Oppose Standards? 11 -- Part II Assessments 15 -- 4 What is Assessment? 16 -- 5 What is the Difference Between Assessments and Tests? 19 -- 6 What is Formative Assessment? 23 -- 7 Why are Formative Assessments Important? 28 -- 8 What are Common Formative Assessments? 33 -- 9 What is Summative Assessment? 38 -- 10 What is High-Stakes Assessment? 43 -- 11 What are Instructionally Sensitive and Instructionally Insensitive Assessments? 47 -- 12 How Do Assessments for Learning Differ From Assessments of Learning? 51 -- 13 Do Formative Assessments Improve Student Learning? 54 -- Part III Grading 63 -- 14 What are Grades? 64 -- 15 What is the Purpose of Grading? 68 -- 16 Are Grades Essential to Teaching and Learning? 73 -- 17 Why are the First Grades Assigned so Important? 77 -- 18 Do Low Grades Prompt Students to Try Harder? 80 -- 19 Why is Setting Percentage Cut-Offs for Grades an Arbitrary Process? 82 -- 20 What is Wrong with Grading on the Curve? 88 -- Part IV Reporting 91 -- 21 What Criteria Do Teachers Use in Assigning Grades? 92 -- 22 What is Standards-Based Grading and Reporting? 98 -- 23 Why Do Some Parents Have Concerns About Standards-Based Grading and Reporting? 102 -- 24 If Schools Implement Standards-Based Grading, Will the Grades Assigned to Students Likely Go Up or Down? 106 -- 25 What is the Most Important First Step in Implementing Standards-Based Grading? 108 -- 26 What is the Best Way to Inform Parents About Moving to Standards-Based Grading? 112 -- 27 What is the Best Way to Encourage Parents to Make Comments on the Report Card? 115 -- 28 Will Standards-Based Grading Improve Student Learning? 118 -- Part V Grading and Reporting for Exceptional and Struggling Learners 121 -- 29 Who are Exceptional and Struggling Learners? 122 -- 30 How Do We Assign Grades to Exceptional and Struggling Learners Who Require Modifications? 127 -- 31 What is the Difference Between Accommodations and Modifications? 133 -- 32 How Do We Legally Report Grades for Exceptional and Struggling Learners on Report Cards and Transcripts? 138 -- 33 Do High School Students Requiring Modifications Receive Course Credit Toward a Diploma? Do Modifications Make a Student Ineligible for Extracurricular Activities, Such as Interscholastic Athletics? 141.