Case
Kindergarten grades

We are now required to give number grades in kindergarten. What are some age-appropriate ways to assess and give number grades to kindergarteners?

Posted on: 10/19/14 | Views: 958
Solution #1
I think that you should use a rubric and have specific numeric grades based on the performance task. For example, the standard may say that the student can count to 100. The rubric will state that if a student counts to 100 then the student meets the standard and should be awarded 100 points. If a student can count anywhere from 80-99, the student should be awarded a grade of 90-99 (depending on how close he or she came to 100). The rubric will guide the parents in understanding the grading process and why their child received the grade he or she got. We used this system when we used a standards based report card. In the place of numerical grade, we had exceeds, meets, does not meet, etc.

I like this solution and the example. I would use this type of rubric in my class.

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Solution #2
Using rubrics will be a great way to assess students in kindergarten and give them number grades. You can also divide the number of standards met by the number of standards to get a numerical grade.

I completely agree that rubrics should be used. However, I still think many of these grades should come from performance based tasks. You can still use a rubric to grade a student on performance tasks and give a numeric grade based on the performance.

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Solution #3
First, I want to say I find it crazy that number grades are going to be assigned in Kindergarten and not at all developmentally appropriate! Using a rubric will probably be the best way to determine a grade. You could give a range of what will earn an 90-100 and so on. Also, if you're grading something like a worksheet, you could do a fraction and find the equal percentage. Say they got 4/5 questions right on a patterning activity, then that would translate to an 80.
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Solution #4
Students, even in lower elementary levels, can track their own progress. Graphing, charts, etc are great tools to use in progress monitoring and will help students and parents understand the grading procedure. While rubrics are a wonderful way of presenting what must be accomplished to attain a certain grade, scoring in many cases is not based on percentages (100, 95, etc.). Using a grade point system based on complexity levels under Marzano, 4 being the highest, you can create a corresponding percentage system to use in the classroom. One of the biggest priorities is that whatever system of grading is used, the parent must be provided with a complete understanding of same to avoid confusion and conflicts in the future.
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