Academic institutions worldwide, from primary schools to universities, use grades or marks as a fundamental sorting and signaling mechanism for students. The grades awarded to students should be indicative of learning outcomes. However, do the grades awarded today accurately reflect student achievement in the classroom? Grade inflation has become…

Seven major kinds of "bad" or "dishonest" marking systems much used by English teachers ar" briefly described. English teachers are urged to be more aware of recent publications which evaluate various marking systems. (BN)

"The findings of this study show that the contract grading device...significantly lowering the student evaluations of the professor /and/ causing students to respond in a negative fashion to every item on the faculty evaluation instrument." (Authors)

Critiques a 1982 research report which related college students' emotions, course grades, and faculty teaching evaluations. Maintains that the design contained several limitations which impugn the validity of the conclusions drawn. (JDH)

Discussion of team teaching focuses on librarians team teaching a course on information search strategy at the Pennsylvania State Berks Campus Library. Course requirements are described, planning for the course is discussed, grading practices are reviewed, and course and instructor evaluations are described. (two references) (LRW)

The University of Western Ontario's Clinical Grading System was developed to improve assessment of speech-language pathology students' performance in clinical practicum. The system permits flexibility in weighting the contribution of particular skills to the final grade, allows for grading over an entire practicum, and provides profiles of…

Reports on a study of the impact of student evaluations of higher education economics instructors on faculty behavior and grades. Finds that initially grades increased but then declined over a nine-year period. Recommends further research on this issue. (CFR)

The components of a cooperating teacher summative evaluation instrument were identified and the extent to which the final grade in student teaching could be determined based upon the evaluation was examined. Specific objectives of the study were to examine the relationship between grade in student teaching and the summative evaluation and…

The paradox of American higher education today is that the liberal well-wisher has done more than anyone in the past decade to destroy the university. Although he imagines himself in the vanguard of progress, this guilt-ridden figure is in fact contributing to what he thinks he is opposing, turning out ever more appropriate minions of technology,…

The widespread acceptance of the phrase "grade inflation" poses a potentially damaging overstatement in reference to higher education. Grades are at an all-time high, but a review of the literature demonstrates that the improvement is not incongruous with a rise in faculty development programs and increased varieties of student support services.…

Two grading distributions--a liberal and a more stringent curve--were compared between two sections of an undergraduate psychology course. The two classes were team taught and treated as similarly as possible. Four unit exams and an optional final were administered, with one section consistently receiving a more lenient grade distribution. No…

In 1993, the University of Melbourne's Institute of Education determined that School Experience and Professional Practice subjects would be graded according to the University's standard assessment scheme instead of a pass/fail scheme. To establish a framework for assessment, the Beginning Teacher Competencies from the National Project on the…

The essence of interpersonal communication in negotiation is the achievement of consensus. This paper discusses the many variables which affect negotiation situations, in small groups or in large institutions like the university. Specifically, will proper orientation in the bargaining process increase the chances of reaching consensus? What…

This play, which addresses cooperating teachers' feelings about grading student teachers, was inspired by a doctoral student who was gathering data for her dissertation. She interviewed eight cooperating teachers, eight university supervisors, and seven directors of field experiences in elementary education from a midwestern state. The interviews…

The main argument is that standards for certifying teachers are too lax. It is argued that this might have been acceptable when there was a shortage of teachers, but, now that there is an oversupply of teachers, it is time to certify only the best qualified. The author criticizes certification practices which ignore thoretical standards and…