Correcting multiple-choice based exam results is easy. However, what if the exam is essay-based? Presentation? Or project? When subjectivity becomes an aspect of judgment in this case, the correction process will become more complicated. If you are able to create grading tables to assess an exam that has many aspects, then you will feel more directed in the assessment process. It can also help you to determine in what aspects your students need to improve their abilities. Your students can find out where their grades are coming from. You can choose your grading criteria, insert a score for each aspect, and use the grading table to help you make your assessment easier. See Step 1 for more information.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Selecting the Assessment Criteria
Step 1. Determine the important aspects of the assignment you give your students
Scoring tables are used for assignments or projects where subjectivity is likely to be mixed into them. In other words, you don't need to use scoring tables to correct multiple-choice exams or exams where answers are definitive. However, you may need to use it to grade an essay or presentation so that you can judge a project based on the specific aspects it contains. Try some questions like:
- What is the essence of the project you are assessing?
- What should students learn when completing the assignment?
- What kind of projects/answers do you consider successful in meeting your expectations?
- To what extent is "good enough" in your opinion?
- What aspects can add value to the student's project/answer?
Step 2. List all components of the project to be assessed
For the assessment table, separate the assessment aspects into 2 main parts that you will use as a benchmark for the assessment in the assessment table, which consists of a section to assess the content of the project and a section to assess the process of completing the project.
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Content components is the part of the assessment aspect that focuses on the results and quality of the projects your students have already worked on. The aspects included in this section are:
- Style and features
- Relation to the theme or objective
- Argument or Thesis
- Project preparation and neatness
- Creativity and sound
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Process components are the steps that the student must take in completing the task/project. The aspects included in this section are:
- Page title, name, and date.
- Time required for completion
- Answer format
Step 3. Keep the aspects of the assessment simple
Save your energy by assessing less important aspects like accent, breath control, quality of binders they use. Define objective, simple, and relevant assessment criteria to be assessed. The grading table should cover the entire project, but not be overwhelming, which will only frustrate you with grading and make it difficult for students to understand the grading they are getting. Choose the assessment criteria that are right on target and divide the criteria into small parts that can be categorized together.
The scoring table basically consists of 5 different sections that have their respective weights: thesis or argument, paragraph structure and arrangement, opening and conclusion, grammar/sentence usage/spelling, sources/references
Step 4. Focus your grading table on the aspects you have presented in class
It wouldn't be fair and reasonable to students if you gave weight to something you never covered in class. You can use the content of the lessons you present in class to rate submitted assignments, so use the same to create your grading table.
When you have the main categories in your scoring table, you can break them down into smaller sections. As in the "Thesis or argument" category, you can divide it into smaller sections such as Statistical evidence, thesis statements, or other things that you can put in it depending on the grade level and abilities of your students and the main values contained in the material you were teaching at that time
Part 2 of 3: Rating
Step 1. Use rounded numbers to make your work easier
There are many ways to divide the weight of scores in the grading system of a subject. But the most commonly used is to use the number 100 as the maximum value, which will result in a value in the form of a letter. Assessment in this way is the simplest way of assessment and the students are quite familiar with this assessment method. Try adding up all the maximum values so that when they add up the value is 100, either in the form of a percentage or a total value.
Some teachers in schools use an unconventional grading system to differentiate them from others. It's true that it's your class and you have the right to determine how you'll be graded, but believe me an unconventional way will be more confusing to students than helping them. This will also lead students to increasingly believe that they are being judged subjectively by teachers who use different systems. To avoid this, you are advised to return to the traditional way of scoring with a maximum score of 100 points
Step 2. Give a value depending on the importance of each aspect
There will be certain aspects that may have a higher level of importance than others, so you have to give more value to these aspects as well. This is often the most difficult part of creating a grading table, but it can actually be helped by determining the main objectives of the project or assignment you are giving and the learning objectives of the students. Essay assessment table will basically consist of the following aspects:
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Thesis and arguments _/40
- Thesis statement: _/10
- Sentence choice in topic: _/10
- Statement and Evidence: _/20
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Paragraph drafting and structuring: _/30
- Paragraph order: _/10
- Groove: _/20
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Opening and Closing: _/10
- Introduction to the topic: _/5
- Conclusion summarizing the argument: _/5
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Accuracy in writing: _/10
- Punctuation usage: _/5
- Grammar: _/5
- Sources, references and Quotes: _/10
- Alternatively, you can divide the value of each aspect evenly. This method is not suitable for use in written assignments, but does not rule out the possibility that it can be used for evaluating presentations or other creative projects.
Step 3. Give a letter value depending on the level of achievement of the resulting score
This is the method that is most commonly used in one-semester assessment in the learning process. This will prevent you from encountering complex issues that will slow down and complicate your assessment process. It is recommended that you stick with letter scoring which is dependent on a total score of 100 points.
Alternatively, if you don't feel comfortable using letter grades, you can substitute words like "Perfect !" "Satisfying !" "Pretty good !" "Try harder!" to replace the assessment using letters
Step 4. Define and describe your rating letter
Write a full description of each grade level and explain what the letters mean in terms of grades and how students should perceive the meaning of your grades. Starting by describing the letter with the highest value ('A') will make it easier for you than starting directly with the specific one in the middle (eg 'C'). In general, the description of the rating letters will look like this:
- A (100-90): The student's work meets all the criteria required for the assignment in a creative and satisfying way. The work produced exceeds the expected standards, which shows that the student has more initiative in carrying out the assigned task.
- B (89-80): The result of the student's work meets the expected standard criteria. Work done very well, but could have been improved with a more unique arrangement or style in it.
- C (79-70): The student's work meets most of the given criteria such as expected content, arrangement, and style. However, some shortcomings are still found in the work so that it may still require revision. In the results of this work, the student does not find any distinctive characteristics, uniqueness, and creativity.
- D (69-60): The results of the work do not meet the expected criteria properly. The result of this work required many revisions and did not succeed in delivering good content, organization, and style.
- F (under 60): The job does not meet the requirements in the assignment. In general, students who really put in the effort to do this work will not get an F
Step 5. Arrange the scoring criteria and grades into a table
Compiling a table that you can fill in when you correct an assignment will streamline your proofreading process and also give students a real reason for grading when you share your corrections with them. Assessments like this will be more helpful for students to understand where they need to improve themselves rather than just writing down the final grade without any further explanation of the grade given.#* Put each assessment objective in their respective row, so that you can assign a different value weight to each aspect of the assessment. Also give the expected value under the range of values that you wrote down such as (90 - 100), add the words "Very satisfactory" below it so that it can help you in providing a value. For the ranking order, it is recommended that you sort them from best to lowest score or vice versa, depending on how you feel more comfortable.
Part 3 of 3: Using the Rubric
Step 1. Distribute your grading table with your students before they finish their assignment
That way, they can understand your expectations that they must fulfill in the project they are working on. They can also use the grading table owned by the students to determine what requirements they have met so far.
Step 2. Provide opportunities for students to suggest aspects of the assessment in the table
The brainstorming method can generate different ideas and create a more open mindset for students about the teacher's assessment process. In general, they will give you the aspect and weight of your grades, and this will also make students feel fair in their grading process. They can also see clearly what things can support their success. This is the most recommended training method for students to be involved in their learning process.
You are still the teacher. If the majority of your students are united and insist on giving unreasonable weight, you can use this time to be a lesson for them. Give them the approach that completing their assignments with reasonable judgment will lead them to become more professional in the world of work in the future
Step 3. Assess the assignment with the rating table as a benchmark
If you are in the middle of finishing a pile of corrections that you have to do and you feel there is an injustice in the assessment, such as giving too good a grade for certain students or vice versa, don't make revisions in the midst of that busyness. Stick to the grading table and finish the current stack, revising it at a later time.
Step 4. Calculate the final grade and show it to your students
Rate each aspect of the assessment and calculate their final grade, share the final score with your students, and keep a copy of the grade table for yourself. Set up a special session to give students time for consultation if they feel the need to discuss the value they are getting on this project.
Tips
- There is no specific display benchmark for a rating table, create a rating table that meets your overall needs and is easy for you to use in the future.
- Look for scoring table templates on the internet, this will make the table creation process easier because you already have the basic things you need to make this table, it's just that you need to adjust it a little to your needs.
