2. How do I grade for different levels for a thematic unit? How should I grade/evaluate student work? How do we assess fairly?
The Learning Focused Schools model encourages the use of rubrics
for scoring student performance and products. A scoring rubric consists
of a fixed scale and a list of characteristics describing performances
or products for each point on the scale. A five-point rubric translates
easily into our A through F grading scale. Rubrics are presented
to students when the task, product, or performance is assigned.
This makes students aware of the standards and criteria expected
by the teacher. Rubrics promote student learning because they give
students clear explanations of what to include in their products.
For more help designing rubrics, refer to the Rubrics section in your Learning Focused Strategies Notebook. Here's the address of an excellent website: http://rubistar.4teachers.com . On this site you can cut and paste to design rubrics from ready-made menus.