Education Commons^™

Pace Yourself: Impact Of Covid-19 On Patient-Centered Care Experience, Kristen Wilhite, Mikael D. Jones, Clark D. Kebodeaux

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

(1) Background: The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, forced colleges of pharmacy to implement new online learning methodologies to ensure that students could complete required courses. This transition was especially acute for laboratory simulation courses that require students to practice professional skills. This study aims to compare student assessment performance within a simulation-based laboratory course for students who completed the module prior to and after the online transition. (2) Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort comparison of student outcome performance with two distinct content delivery methods. Students were organized into two tracks at the beginning of the semester …

Eight Essential Principles For Improving Grading, Susan Brookhart, Thomas R. Guskey, Jay Mctighe, Dylan Wiliam

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Done well, grading can play a key role in a balanced district assessment system.

Breaking Up The Grade, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

To make grading more meaningful, course grades should reflect a range of distinct criteria that make up student learning.

The Dark Side Of Assessment Literacy: Avoiding The Perils Of Accountability, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Educational measurement and evaluation experts generally agree that increasing stakeholders’ assessment literacy will yield a variety of positive benefits, especially broadening the range of assessment formats teachers use to measure students’ mastery of high level, more cognitively complex learning outcomes. But in the context of education accountability as currently structured in American schools, such efforts also may lead teachers to become more sophisticated in test preparation activities and to narrow both their instruction and classroom assessment practices specifically to enhance students’ performance on prescribed, annual high-stakes accountability assessments. This article explains why that is so, describes the process by which …

When Your Plate Is Already Full: Efficient And Meaningful Outcomes Assessment For Busy Law Schools, Melissa N. Henke

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The American Bar Association (ABA) accreditation standards involving outcome-based assessment are a game changer for legal education. The standards reaffirm the importance of providing students with formative feedback throughout their course of study to assess and improve student learning. The standards also require law schools to evaluate their effectiveness, and to do so from the perspective of student performance within the institution’s program of study. The relevant question is no longer what are law schools teaching their students, but instead, what are students learning from law schools in terms of the knowledge, skills, and values that are essential for those …

Grades Versus Comments: Research On Student Feedback, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Are comments on student work superior to grades? It depends.

How Traditional Grading Contribute To Student Inequities And How To Fix It, Laura J. Link, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Grades have long been identified by those in the measurement community as prime examples of unreliable measurement (Brookhart, 1994; Stiggins, Frisbie, & Griswold, 1989). What one teacher considers in calculating students’ grades may differ greatly from another teacher (Guskey & Link, 2019; McMillan, 2001; McMillan, Myran, & Workman, 2002). A major factor contributing to the unreliability of grades is teachers’ inclusion of aspects of students’ behavior in the grades they assign. Despite the recommendation of experts to separate behavior from academic achievement in formulating students’ grades, teachers at all grade levels typically include student behavior as a contributing factor in …

Main And Regional Campus Assessments Of Applicants To A Rural Physician Leadership Program: A Generalizability Analysis, Terry D. Stratton, Clarence Kreiter, Carol L. Elam

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

While the selection of qualified applicants often relies, in part, on scores generated from a medical school pre-admission interview (MSPI), the growth of regional medical campuses (RMCs) – many with specialized rural tracks, programs, or missions – has challenged schools to accommodate a wider range of stakeholder input. This study examines the reliabilities of main (urban) and regional (rural) campus interviewers’ assessments of applicants to a Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) located in the southeastern United States.

Data from RPLP applicants completing MSPIs on two campuses from 2009-2017 (n = 232) were examined in a generalizability analysis. In two separate …

Exploring The Factors Teachers Consider In Determining Students’ Grades, Thomas R. Guskey, Laura J. Link

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the specific factors teachers consider when assigning students’ report card grades. Data were gathered from 943 K-12 teachers from five school districts in a southeastern state in the United States who completed the Teachers’ Grading Practices Survey. Analyses focused on how teachers weigh different factors in determining report card grades, and if these factors and weights differ among teachers who teach at different grade levels and have different amounts of classroom experience. Results revealed statistically significant differences among teachers at different grade levels but no differences associated with teachers’ years of …

Grading: Why You Should Trust Your Judgment, Thomas R. Guskey, Lee Ann Jung

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Although computerized grading programs have advantages, teachers’ judgment has been shown to be more reliable.

The Perils Of Prescribed Grade Distributions: What Every Medical Educator Should Know, Kenneth D. Royal, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

A common practice in medical education is to create a prescribed distribution of grades or ratings so that only a certain percentage of students receive the highest marks. This approach typically is employed to curb grade inflation and as a means to help faculty distinguish outstanding performers. Despite the well-intentioned reasoning for using prescribed grade distributions, a number of associated problems and probable consequences may result from this practice. Thus, the purpose of this article was to discuss the assumptions underlying this potentially unwise practice, the defensibility of this evaluation practice in the high-stakes arena of medical education, and the …

In Search Of A Useful Definition Of Mastery, Thomas R. Guskey, Eric M. Anderman

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

What way of thinking about mastery will most effectively guide curriculum and instruction?

The Case Against Percentage Grades, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

It’s time to abandon grading scales that distort the accuracy, objectivity, and reliability of students’ grades.

Grading Exceptional Learners, Lee Ann Jung, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

This five-step model provides fair and accurate grades for students with disabilities and English language learners.

Mapping The Road To Proficiency, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

A table of specifications provides a travel guide to help teachers move students toward mastery of standards

Helping Standards Make The Grade, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

When reporting on student work, educators need a clear, comprehensive grading system that shows how students are measuring up to standards.

Making The Grade: What Benefits Students?, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Although the debate over grading and reporting practices continues, today we know which practices benefit students and encourage learning.

What You Assess May Not Be What You Get, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Performance-based assessments may not bring significant change in instructional practice unless teachers are provided requisite time and training.