Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work »

In Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work, Robert J. Marzano provides an in-depth exploration of what he calls "one of the most powerful weapons in a teacher's arsenal." An effective standards-based, formative assessment program can help to dramatically enhance student achievement throughout the K-12 system, Marzano says. Drawing from his own and others' extensive research, the author provides comprehensive answers to questions such as these:
*What are the characteristics of an effective assessment program?
* How can educators use national and state standards documents as a basis for creating a comprehensive, topic-based assessment system?
* What types of assessment items and tasks are best suited to measuring student progress in mastering information, mental procedures, and psychomotor procedures?
* Why does the traditional point system used for scoring often lead to incorrect conclusions about a student s actual knowledge?
* What types of scoring and final grading systems provide the most accurate portrayal of a student s progress along a continuum of learning?

In addition to providing teachers with all the tools they need to create a better assessment system, Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work makes a compelling case for the potential of such a system to transform the culture of schools and districts, and to propel K 12 education to new levels of effectiveness and efficiency.

List of Figures
1. The Case for Classroom Assessment
2. The Role of State Standards
3. A Scale That Measures Learning over Time
4. Designing Classroom Assessments
5. Assessments That Encourage Learning
6. Final Scores and Grades
7. Report Cards and the Future of Standards-Based or Topic-Based Schooling
Technical Notes
Appendix A: Half-Point Scores Contrasted with Whole-Point Scores
Appendix B: Score Descriptions for a Sample Measurement Topic from Language Arts
References
Index
About the Author