12

11
10
9
MEASURING THE GRADING SYSTEM

8
Academic grades vs. non-academic grades:
Will the real “A” student please stand up

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
INCH
0
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MEASURING THE GRADING SYSTEM

“A” FOR EFFORT?

Who are the best students – the ones who grasp the lesson immediate-
ly, doze through most of class, neglect their homework and score high
marks on the exam, or the ones who participate in class, complete their
homework, study hard and earn mediocre marks on the exam? In most
educational systems, grades are the main instrument used to measure
student success in school, but what are they really telling you about the
student or their progress?

Traditional student grading and assessment practices have long been

a source of debate and controversy in the educational community. The
traditional approach to grading has not changed in decades. While
most educators agree that the purpose of grades is to measure stu-
dents’ subject knowledge, the reality is that attendance, effort, motiva-
tion and deportment influence grading decisions. Research indicates
that teachers’ evaluation of student performance is based largely on
students’ non-academic achievements. Students who hand in home-
work assignments on time, are not tardy and behave in class are more
likely to earn higher grades.

The New York Times recently reported a study conducted by Ellis

Middle School in Austin, Minn., triggered by a discrepancy in students’
semester grades and their results on end-of-the-year exams. In many
cases students earning A’s for the semester scored much lower on
these exams. In contrast, students who earned lower semester grades
often scored higher on their exams. After analyzing these results, Ellis
Middle School faculty arrived at the understanding that teachers have
been grading their students based on both academic and non-academic
grades.

Schools across the country are revamping the grading policy so that
grades reflect subject mastery, not compliance. Parents need to know
their children’s level of academic achievement, which is not possible
using the current method of grading. However, the non-academic
achievements are also important. What can be done to ensure accurate
grading on all levels?
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MEASURING THE GRADING SYSTEM

THE SIMPLE SOLUTION: DDC’s 360º

At Dynamic Data Concepts, we developed a simple solution by creating

a system where, using Campus 360º, teachers can enter their grades
and 360º’s intelligence will calculate two final grades - an academic
grade as well as a non-academic grade as illustrated in the chart below:

emic
o n - Acad : Acad
N e
Grad em

84%
Grad ic
e:
96%
100%
12

12

12

12

12

90%
11

11

11

11

11
10

10

10

10

10

80%
9

70%
8

8
7

80%
6

70%
5

80%
4

4
3

70%
2

80%
1

1
INCH

INCH

INCH

INCH

INCH

70%
0

Student Compre- Application Home- Assess-

Behavior: hension: of Skills: work: ments:
78 100 95 95 90

This is just one example of the many features available as part of the
360º Solutions Suite – the complete school management software.
For a free demo, please call us at 718-259-3636.
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UPGRADE YOUR GRADING SYSTEM.

Dynamic Data Concepts, LLC.

800-890-3962
1450 37th Street Brooklyn, NY 11218