At 12:30 p.m. on December 8, 1941, in front of a joint session of Congress, one day after Japanese planes struck Pearl Harbor and killed 2,402 Americans, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared December 7 a date that would live in infamy. He spoke of rage and betrayal, hardships and determination. Thirty-three minutes after he finished…

The goal of this article is raising awareness of several issues recently brought to the authors' attention. Among them are concerns that rubrics are a pervasive assessment tool in current educational settings. The authors posit how the pervasive use of rubrics broaches concerns about teachers' grading practices with rubrics and students'…

We propose, develop, and evaluate the black ink-red ink (BIRI) method of testing. This approach uses two different methods within the same test administration setting, one that matches recognition learning and the other that matches recall learning. Students purposively define their own tradeoff between the two approaches. Evaluation of the method…

Among a number of lessons, this commentary suggests that oftentimes the grade a student receives in a class is not truly reflective of what that student learned. Certainly, assigning grades--at least for those who take their role as educators seriously--is one of the toughest tasks confronting the classroom teacher. Again and again, one reflects…

Much grading of student work is based, overtly or tacitly, on assumptions derived from scientific measurement. However, the practice of grading and the cumulation of grades into an overall index of achievement are socially constructed activities that fall a long way short of what is expected of scientific measurement. If scientific measurement is…

Through an examination of one institution's efforts to strengthen teaching and learning on campus, the author makes a strong case for the use of common examinations as a powerful form of assessment as well as a fruitful context for faculty deliberations. Providing a continuing occasion for faculty inquiry and discussion, insuring grade…

Documents the process by which grades are assigned in a centrally-controlled, multiple-section course. Results of participant observation indicate that grades are determined by organizational processes instead of abilities or performance of either students or instructors. Concludes that knowledge of the rating process is essential to understanding…

Discusses the pros and cons of different methods of hand scoring exams. Proposes a new technique, a combination of perforated responses and gray contrasting stencil background. (FL)

The history of grading offers little support for current grading practices. Alternative methods such as mastery, student self-comparison, contracting, multiple grades, and the point system should be examined in the context of philosophical issues to determine new grading policies. (SK)

A discussion on the increased use of objective grading techniques and disciplinary procedures to provide a safe and fair educational environment is given. An argument on such mechanistic procedures is presented, which could never be truly objective and that they would result in more harms than benefits.

Provides evidence from various writing research and instruction projects that illustrates one of the basic problems inherent in writing evaluation: the instructor/evaluator's understanding of good and bad, right and wrong, effective and ineffective writing may not be as straightforward or sacrosanct as rhetoric texts suggest. (RL)

Implementation of Title IX and resultant sex equity laws in secondary physical education programs occasions a need to develop new methods of evaluating and grading students enrolled in coeducational physical education classes. This document discusses problems that may occur as a result of sex equity modifications from the point of view of the…

Argues for a student assessment based on the goals of the course. In this way, the assessment is democratic, resulting from a very clear understanding on everyone's part of what has to be done to obtain a satisfactory assessment. (HOD)

The current preference for alternative assessment has been partly stimulated by recent evidence on learning which points to the importance of students' active engagement in the learning process. While alternative assessment may well fulfill the aims of formative assessment, its value in the summative assessment required in higher education is more…

Offers a perspective on composition as a discipline. Focuses on practical advice about using sentence combining and employing effective grading procedures. (RL)