Grading and Testing

The following resources are online or available at Pickler Memorial Library.

Aviles, Christopher B.  Grading with norm-referenced or criterion-references measurement: To curve or not to curve, that is the question.  ERIC Document available online: choose ERIC # from the drop down box and type in ED448403 in the search box.  This will provide access to a PDF file of the document.

Cahn, Steven.  “Rethinking Examinations and Grades,” in Markie, Peter J., ed.  A Professor’s Duties.  Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1994: 171-192.  Call Number LB1779 M37 1994.
Addresses some of the criticisms and deficiencies of standard grading systems and argues that such systems, while in need of some changes, should not be abandoned entirely.

Ediger, Marlow.  Problems in grading based on testing university students.  ERIC Document available online: choose ERIC # from the drop down box and type in ED452262 in the search box.  This will provide access to a PDF file of the document.
Discusses the importance of validity and reliability in writing test items and the ways in which instructors and professors should be held accountable for fair and honest grading of student achievement.

Fenwick, Tara J. and Jim Parsons.  The art of evaluation: A handbook for educators and trainers.  ERIC Document (Available in Microfiche Collection): ED 462632.
Discusses principles and techniques of learner evaluation in various contexts of adult education.  Topics include purposes of evaluation, helping learners evaluate themselves, evaluating for grades, and integrating ongoing evaluation into the learning process.

Speck, Bruce W.  Grading students’ classroom writing: Issues and strategies.  Prepared by ERIC HE, ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, The George Washington University, in Cooperation With ASHE (Association for the Study of Higher Education) Call Number: LB 1576 .S723 2000.
Descriptions and recommendations for preparing and assessing student writing assignments.  Major sections include "Constructing Writing Assignments," "Fairness and Professional Judgment," and "Providing Feedback for Revision."

Tombari, Martin L.  Authentic assessment in the classroom: Applications and practice.  ERIC Document (Available in Microfiche Collection): ED 4439153.
Presents alternative methods for assessing learner knowledge and thinking.  Chapter titles include "Assessing Genuine Achievement: The Portfolio", "Developing a Worthwhile Grading Plan", and "Academic Motivation".

Zak, Frances and Christopher Weaver.  The theory and practice of grading writing: Problems and possibilities.  Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998.  Call Number: PE 1404 .T478 1998.
A series of essays on methods and problems in the grading process.  Titles include "The Origins and Evolution of Grading Student Writing," "Grading as a Rhetorical Construct," "The Politics and Perils of Portfolio Grading," "Grade the Learning, Not the Writing," and "The Conversation Continues: A Dialogue on Grade Inflation".

Compiled by Dan McGurk
Pickler Memorial Library