GRADING AND ASSESSMENT
Our Commitment: All Urbana City Schools grading and assessment practices will be used to support the learning process and to encourage the success of all students.
History
District-wide grading and assessment practices were identified as a district improvement initiative in the spring of 2009 for two main reasons: 1) the need to better link grading and reporting practices with district-wide curricular, instructional, and assessment philosophies and practices and 2) the need for consistent grading and assessment practices within and among grade levels and courses.
A 26-person K-12 Grading & Assessment Task Force, comprised of both Grading & Assessment committee members and additional key stakeholders, was organized in August 2009 for the purpose of developing and implementing district-wide policies and practices that would ensure effective and consistent implementation of the assessment, grading, and reporting of students' learning. Meetings were held throughout the 2009-2010 school year. Ken O'Connor, author of A Repair Kit for Grading -- Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades, served as the district's consultant for grading and assessment issues and spent three full days with the task force during the course of this work. In addition, the district's professional development focus for 2009-2010 was formative assessment -- assessment FOR learning. Teachers and administrators gained a stronger understanding of formative and summative assessment and the important role that each plays in the teaching and learning processes. This focus on formative and summative assessment will be sustained and expected as a regular part of professional practice.