Grading has to be my least favorite part of teaching. Maybe it's because there are SO many papers. Maybe it's because it takes SO much time. Or maybe it's because no matter what, someone will complain. There has to be a better way to assess students to avoid all of this!
That's exactly what we discussed on the most recent #2ndaryELA Twitter chat. Scroll through to get some new ideas to tame the grading beast!
Q1: What are the requirements in your school concerning grades? #2ndaryELA
A1: We must have one grade per week. At least 5 major and 4 minor grades per nine week period #2ndaryela
A1 My school is on an A/B schedule this year, and we are required to have two grades per five days. We have been asked to have a variety of grades in each category so that one category doesn't skew grades. #2ndaryELA
A1: We must have at least 2 grades per week in the online gradebook. #2ndaryELA
A1: The only requirement we have is to update our grades every two weeks as well as notifying parents of failing students #2ndaryELA
Q2: Do you use standards based grading or something else? What does that look like? #2ndaryELA
A2: We have been experimenting with standards-based grading, although it is not technically required. #2ndaryELA
A2: We do not do standards-based, but I do like what it would look like in a middle school setting. I think it would do wonders for their level of being in control (as they believe they are) and it would show growth a more consistent way. I like it! #2ndaryela
A2: our school has no requirements for this, so everyone is different, which is messy and unorganized for parents and students #2ndaryELA
A2 part 2: My grade level decided on 40% for assessments, 25% quizzes, 25% HW/CW and 10% participation #2ndaryELA
Q3: How do you avoid taking grading home over the weekend? #2ndaryELA
A3: I use things like Google Forms and Google Quizzes to get what I need from students. I also grade selectively. #2ndaryELA
A3: I had honestly mastered that until this school year... Suggestions I have though: close your door during planning, don't grade everything, and grade classwork during class! #2ndaryELA
A3: I also grade some assignments on completion (like warm ups), others on a quick assessment with little feedback, and others with in-depth feedback and spread those out so I’m not doing too many of the hard ones all at once #2ndaryELA
A3: I make my prep a priority for grading. I also learned a long time ago that taking papers home does not = grading them, plus my kids think they are art papers to draw on #2ndaryELA
A3: I work an after school program, and while the students are reading, I grade assignments. I also do short quizzes and summative assessments instead of long, formative assessments most of the time. OR I come back to the school Saturday mornings! 
#2ndaryela
#2ndaryela
Q4: How you do handle being challenged over grades? Do you offer extra credit? #2ndaryELA
A4: I always make sure all students and parents sign the syllabus at the beginning of the year with the statement: I agree to these policies and will uphold them to ensure my student is held accountable. #2ndaryELA
A4: I do not give extra credit as an assignment. I give EC for winning a game or for answering an extra question. #2ndaryELA
A4: everything I do is very cut and dry, so no surprises or issues with admin or parents 
. Our district does not allow extra credit or bonus points, but if a student received a failing grade, they are allowed to retest. #2ndaryela
. Our district does not allow extra credit or bonus points, but if a student received a failing grade, they are allowed to retest. #2ndaryela
Q5: Share grading tips and tricks that you use to “work smarter, not harder”. #2ndaryELA
A5: I create a comment bank on Google Classroom or using http://Turnitin.com , then I just type or copy and paste in frequently used comments to prevent me from typing them over and over again #2ndaryELA
A5: We build up to our essays with double entry journals where students find and embed quotes on one side, then analyze on the other. It helps me see the quotes and analysis they will use in their essay ahead of time, so essay grading is faster(and better usually) #2ndaryELA
A5: Sorry so many! I have students highlight key parts of their essays like thesis, topic sentences, quotes, etc. so I can see if they understand what those things are as well as easily read the focal points of whatever standards we set as goals #2ndaryELA
A5: I do a sorting activity every once in awhile. On paper, I can walk by and evaluate students based on numbering the correct answers and then keeping that list in my pocket. On the computer, I color code and can see them all as a thumbnail without opening each doc #2ndaryELA
A5: When grading longer pieces of writing, I grade for one or two elements only using a rubric. #2ndaryELA
A5: rubrics are life. I try to use them for everything, and it’s easier for the students to follow! They know why their grade is whatever it is instead of just guessing why points were deducted. #2ndaryela
I hope you found some new ideas that will help you reduce your grading workload. Remember, we keep the conversation going all the time over on our Facebook group and we'd love for you to join!
Join us every Tuesday night at 8pm Eastern as we discuss topics that we hope will help us all have better teaching experiences in our classrooms.
Thanks for stopping by!