To keep grading fair I use rubrics as often as possible. Rubrics allow me to grade fairly and also allows me to communicate specific feedback to my students so that they are able to improve. Before beginning a project, students are shown the rubric so that they understand what the expectations are. My expecatations are very high in evaluating my students. I believe that high expectations that are communicated to my students will allow them to improve. If I were to grade them all with very high scores, they would not see a need for improvement, and I believe that there is always room for improvement. I push my students to help set individual, attainable goals for themselves and help them to reach these goals. 

 

I teach my students to self-evaluate their own learning by using self-evaluation forms regularly throughout the year. I also have my students use the fist-to-five method to communicate to me their understanding during a lesson as well. I have also used journal entries, think-pair-shares, class discussions, and warm-up problems, as some examples of the types of formative assessments I do in class. For math, specifically, there are section quizzes throughout a chapter and a chapter test at the end of each chapter that is used for summative assessments. This allows me to understand what I might need to reteach as well. Also, homework problems are assigned for each section. Language arts summative assessments are most often in the form of writing, such as essays and stories. I have also done art-integrated and science-integrated writing assignments that require students to apply what they have learned throughout the unit into a project.

 

Attached is an example of a rubric I have used.