PRO F E D 8 – AS S E S S M E N T O F L E ARN I N G 1

UNIT 3 - GRADING AND REPORTING SYSTEMS

Overview
Evaluation of your school results has been one of your teachers' significant tasks since the
beginning of your school experiences.
Your progress in the achievement of the learning targets is being assessed by your teacher
using variety of assessment tools. The output of your school performance are being graded,
recorded and evaluated.
Grades which are often reflected in cards are given to the students at the end of the school
year in basic education and for tertiary, at the end of the semester. Ideally, parents should be given
feedback on the grades their children receive. This is to manifest support for the students and the
at same time inform the parents of the status of their children’s progress behavior in the classroom.
In this unit, you are to learn the functions of grading and the sytems of reporting. What
are its purposes and how it should be communicated. There are different types of grading and
reporting system which you need to know and some guidelines in conducting a good parent-
teacher conference.

Learning Objectives_
At the end of the unit, I am able to:
At the end of the unit, the students are able to:
• Enumerate and discuss the functions and types of grading and reporting system;
• Develop the most appropriate and valid reporting system;
• Assign letter grades to every assessment of learning activities;
• Compute grades properly in relation to students learning acquisition and performance;
• Define Norm or Criterion – Referenced Grading;
• State the effective distribution of grades and guidelines of effective grading;
• Simulate a situation of conducting parent – teacher conferences; and

• Enumerate and discuss the guidelines for a good conference.

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Setting Up

Direction: Based on your own concept, write at least 5 sentences why grading and
reporting system is important.
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________

1. Which of the following types of grading compares a student’s performance to a

predetermined standard
a. Criterion-referenced grading c. Performanced-based criteria
b. Norm-referenced grading d. Percentage-based criteria
2. Which of the of the following spells out in details the specific behaviors students must
perform
a. Criterion-referenced grading c. Performanced-based criteria
b. Norm-referenced grading d. Percentage-based criteria

3. Which of the following makes comparison with other students.

a. Criterion-referenced grading c. Performanced-based criteria
b. Norm-referenced grading d. Percentage-based criteria

4. Which of the following uses cut-off scores based on the percentage of items answered
correctly
a. Criterion-referenced grading c. Performanced-based criteria
b. Norm-referenced grading d. Percentage-based criteria
5. The following is a function of grading EXCEPT:
a. Report to parents and guardians c. Enhance students motivation
b. Administrative and guidance uses d. Show the top performing students
6. Which of the following situations illustrates the advantages of grading system
a. Students knows their limitations and strengths
b. Students scoring pressure is decreased
c. It has made studies easier
d. It gives the teacher information who performs well and poorly in the class.

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Lesson Proper

Grades offer a snapshot of student success on tasks, outcomes, and tests. Grades symbolize
the level of accomplishment of a specific task and communicate to you and the student whether or
not the student has met the teaching objectives set at the start of a reporting period. (Frisbie &
Waltman, 1992)
Functions of Grading and Reporting Systems

1. Improve students’ learning by:

• clarifying instructional objectives

Students can determine what learning tasks covered by the course should be
met and achieved if they know what is required of him/her to achieve the course
goals.

• showing students’ strengths & weaknesses

Students performances are measured using various assesment tools. The

results of the assessment is determined through the computation of the scores
which yield the students grades. Grades can identify which particular academic
subjects students are doing good or weak at.

• providing information on personal-social development

In basic education,students are informed of their demonstrated core values

through non-numerated scale such as, :Always Observed, Sometimes Observed,
Rarely Observed, Not observed. Behavior statements are reflected in the report
card with the corresponding indicators wherein the teachers indicate what levels
from the numerated scale the observed behaviors of the children manifest.

• enhancing students’ motivation

Grades may not be the overall motivation for the students to learn but to some,
it influence them to study more to reach their learning goals.

• indicating where teaching might be modified

Best achieved by:

• day-to-day tests and feedback

• plus periodic integrated summaries

2. Reports to parents/guardians

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• Communicates objectives to parents, so they can help promote learning

Parents involvement in their children’s learning helps their children to better

improve their learning acquisition.

• Communicates how well objectives being met, so parents can better plan

Parents are better informed of the grading process thus they can make plans to
help their children achieve the targetted learning set by the teacher.

3. Administrative and guidance uses

• Help decide promotion, graduation, honors, athletic eligibility.

Grades earned by the pupils/students in the different learning areas serve

as bases for the promotion of the pupils/students to the next higher grades/year
level, become a candidates for graduation or in earning academic honors. In some
instances, it ialso being used as bases for athletic eligibility.

• Report achievement to other schools or to employers

Should the learners decide to transfer to other schools, grades reflected in the
report card or transcript of record (TOR) is required. Employers also require
TOR for applicants applying for a job.

• Provide input for realistic educational, vocational, and personal counseling.

The numberical values students obtained in their school performances

gives the parents or the school authorities the proper
action that needs to be done pertaining to students’ courses preferences
or problems concerning their education experiences.

Advantages and disadvantages of schools grading system.

Advantages

Reduced score pressure

The grading system has decreased students' scoring pressure. In the grading system, transcripts
do not mention the actual marks of a subject, but only the grades. This implies that students do
not have to score precise marks for a good impression , but instead strive for a grade that can be
easily achieved.

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Advanced Grading Pattern

The grading system is based on an advanced marking pattern. Unlike before, students are now
graded on the basis of monthly or daily activities, objective and subjective assessments,
presentations, quizzes, and final term paper. That one paper marking scheme is long gone and
students can now do a little in each assignment and score a good grade overall.

Identification of Weakness and Strengths

The method of grading helps students to describe their limitations and strengths. Teachers rate the
writing, reading and listening skills of children. This ensures that through the allocated grades,
students can quickly learn about their lack of abilities and work on them to enhance overall results.

Easier Studies

In certain aspects, the grading system has made studies simpler. Those who just want to graduate
will actually make fewer attempts to meet the passing grade. And those who want to score higher
can easily break the effort per assignment and obtain the overall targeted rating.

Disadvantages

Decreased Performance

Due to grading system, children tend to perform less. They know that they will achieve the targeted
grade even by making a few mistakes. For instance, if a student targets the grade of 2.00 that
involves the range from 85% to 87%. He will know that even if he scores 85%, the grade of 2.00
will be assigned hence he doesn’t require to score 86% or 87%.

Demotivation

The method of grading demotivates students who perform well because they are equivalent to
those who make less efforts. For instance, all those scoring from 79 to 81 will be assigned a grade
of 2.50. So students who got the the score of 79 will have the same grade to those students who
got the average score of 81.

Increased Lethargy

As the grading system has split the marks between various activities such as assignments,
presentations and term exams, the students become lethargic. They may score enough in
assignments and projects but they may become lesser active in term exams.

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CONDUCTING PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES

The parent-teacher conference is the most common way teachers communicate with
parents about their children’s academic progress and social behavior. Conferences are a great
opportunity to create a partnership and gain insight regarding the student. It is typically a face-to-
face discussion, through phone conferences, and calls can also be used to discuss issues that may
be interfering with the students’ learning and growth. Parent-teacher conferences become
productive when they are carefully planned and the teacher is skilled in handling such conferences.
It can be initiated by either the teacher or the parent, based on purpose.
There are two types of parent-teacher conferences based on two purposes according to
Cajigal and Mantuano (2014):
a. Group Conferences
These are conducted in the beginning of the year to communicate school and class
policies, class content, evaluation procedures, expectations and procedures for getting
in touch with teachers.
b. Individual conferences
These are conducted to discuss the individual student’s achievement, progress or
difficulties.
It is important to plan the conference to be prepared. It means having all the information
well-organized in advance and knowing what to achieve from the conference. It will include a list
of areas pertaining to student that need to be discussed with parents. The conference is an ideal
time to discuss and point out specific areas of strength and weaknesses that is not communicated
through the report card. Note that the conference is not a lecture type of gathering or meeting, it is
a conversation. Listening to parents will help the teacher understand the student better.
Skills in conducting parent-teacher conferences can be developed. There are several
strategies, however, that can help make conferences successful. Navarro and Santos (2013) shared
the following guidelines on conducting good conferences:
a. Make plans
• Review your goals
• Organize the information to present
• Make list of points to cover and questions to ask
• If portfolios are brought, select and review carefully

b. Start positive and maintain a positive focus

• Present student’s strong points first
• Be helpful and have example of work to show strengths and needs
• Compare early vs. later work to show improvement

c. Encourage parents to participate and share information

• Be willing to listen

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• Be willing to answer questions

d. Plan actions cooperatively

• What steps can you take?
• Summarize at the end

e. End with positive comment

• Should not be a vague generality
• Should be true

f. Use good human relations skills

Gajigal and Mantuano (2014) presented some recommendations for effective parent-
teacher conference.
Before the conference… During the conference… After the conference…

o Encourage parents to o Provide child-care, o Provide parents with a

review student work
at home, note
concerns or questions,
and bring those to the
conference.
o Show multiple
o Schedule times that
are convenient for
both working and
non-working parents.
refreshments, and telephone number and
transportation if schedule of specific
necessary. time so they may call
you with concerns.
o Follow up on any
samples of student questions or concerns
work and discuss raised during the
specific suggestions conference.
for improvement.

o Actively listen and o Plan a time to meet

o Notify parents well avoid the use of again if necessary.
ahead of scheduled educational jargon.
conference times.
o Communicate o Encourage parents to
o Provide staff expectations and discuss the conference
development for new describe how parents with their child.
teachers on the can help.
purpose for
conferences,
preparation and
scheduling.
o Develop a system for o Ask parents for
o Consider alternative on-going written evaluation of
locations, such as communication with the conference and
church or community each parent that

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centers for parents’ recognizes parents as encourage them to

convenience. partners. make suggestions.

o Provide resource
o Print conference materials that parents o Debrief with
schedules and might use at home to colleagues to look for
materials in multiple strengthen students’ ways to improve
languages, if skills. future conferences.
necessary.

Types of Grading
In education, grading is a process of applying standardized measurement of varying levels
of achievement in a course or a subject. Grades can be given in a form of a letters (A,B,C,D,F),
descriptors (excellent, satisfactory, needs improvement) or a percentage rating (75,86,90).
There are two types of grading system, the norm-referenced grading system and
criterion-referenced grading system.

Norm -Referenced Grading System

In norm-referenced grading systems, students are evaluated in relationship to one another
(e.g., the top 10% of students receive an A, the next 30% a B, etc.). This grading system rests on
the assumption that the level of student performance will not vary much from class to class. In this
system the instructor usually determines the percentage of students assigned each grade, although
this percentage may be determined (or at least influenced) by departmental expectations and
policy.
Norm - referenced grading is simply the other term for making comparison with other
students. It refers to a grading system wherein a student's grade is placed in relation to the
performance of a group that is based on the percentile rank. Other names for this type of marking
are relative grading or grading on the curve. Here, the grade indicates how well that student
performed compared to other students in the class.

Example of Norm - Referenced Grading System

For instance, when a teacher asks who should get the highest grades and answers by
deciding that they should go to those students who perform better than their classmates, the teacher
is actually adopting this grading system.

Criterion - Referenced Grading System

Grading that compares a student's performance to a predefined performance standard is
criterion - referenced since it is based on a fixed criterion measure. There is a fixed target and the
students must achieve that target in order to obtain a passing grade in a course regardless of how
the other students perform in the class. The scale does not change regardless of the quality, or lack
thereof, of the students. It is absolute in the sense that each student's performance is compared to
the same performance standard.

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Example of Criterion - Referenced Grading System

Criterion - Referenced Grading at the College of Education
Numerical Value Description Equivalent
1.00 Excellent 97 - 100%
1.25 Superior 94 - 96%
1.50 91 - 93%
1.75 Very Good 88 - 90%
2.00 85 - 87%
2.25 Good 82 - 84%
2.50 79 - 81%
2.75 Fair or Passing 76 - 78%
3.00 75%
5.00 Failed 74% and below
It requires a re-enrolment and repetition of the subject

Many teachers use the 50% base in giving students' mark. When a student gets a zero score
in a test, the practice is to give the student a rating of 50%. When the student fails to answer an
oral question, the student is given a grade of 5 or 50%.

Criteria for Giving Grades

Schools usually provide guidelines for giving marks or grades to students aside from what
they have learned from the pre-service training on measurements, assessment, and evaluation.
Chances are, when administrators fail to provide such criteria to teachers, they will follow their
own ways of giving grades. More often, these are subjective and biased.

Example:
Using 50% as based grade, compute the midterm grade of a student in Assessment of Learning
subject.
Procedure:
1. Compute for the percentage of the scores in each criterion.
2. Multiply the rating obtained for each criterion by the corresponding weighted rating.
3. Add the weighted ratings and the total is the grade obtained by the student.

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Criteria Score Rating Weight (%) Weighted

Rating
Term Examination 30/50 80 30% 24%
Unit Tests/Quizzes 112/200 78 30% 23.40%
Recitation/Performance 80 90 30% 27%
Reports/Attendance 80 90 10% 9%
Total Grade is 83.40%

K to 12 Grading System
Under the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum, the parameters on the grading system for
the newly implemented K to 12 Program effective School Year (SY) 2012 - 2013 was established
for utillization of all basic education schools in the country.
Below is the grading system used in the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum
Components Mathematics & English, Filipino, TLE & MAPEH
Science ESP, & Araling
Panlipunan
Written Works 40% 30% 20%
Performance 40% 50% 60%
Task
Term/Quarter 20% 20% 20%
Examination

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Assessing Learning

Activity 1
Name: __________________________________ _ Date: ______________________
Course and Section: _________________________ Score: ____________________
Direction: Identify what functions of grading and reporting system is being described by
each statement below. Write your answers on the blanks provided after the
statements.

1. I was chosen as one of the varsity players because my weighted average is 2.00.
__________________________________________________________________
2. My sister attached her transcript of records in her job application.
___________________________________________________________________
3. I received a grade of 2.00 in Profed 6, I will strive to get better grades in Profed 8.
__________________________________________________________________
4. I was recommended to take BSE major in English when I performed well in the English
proficiency test.
___________________________________________________________________
5. I know the intended learning outcomes to be achieved in Assessment of Learning.
____________________________________________________________________
6. I graduated with honors in high school after my grades were evaluated.
____________________________________________________________________
7. I got low grades in Math but high in Filipino subjects.
____________________________________________________________________

8. My teacher talks to my parents when I received low grades in most of my subjects.

____________________________________________________________________
9. I was promoted to Grade 3, Section 1 in elementary.
____________________________________________________________________

10. During my elementary and secondary schooling, my teacher rated how I behaved in
the classroom.
________________________________________________________________________

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Assessing Learning

Activity 2
Name: ___________________________________________ Date:
______________________
Course and Section: __________________________ Score:
____________________
Directions: Choose 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of school grading system.
Based on your own experience, cite a situation that will illustrate the advantages and
disadvantages of grading system. Give only one example for both.

Advantage:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________

Situation:

_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________

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Disadvantage:________________________________________________________________________
_____________________

Situation:

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________

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Activity 3
Name: ____________________________________ Date: ______________________
Course and Section: __________________ Score: ____________________
Directions: Below are the scores of three students in Assessment of Learning 2. Their cases are
included in each number. Compute for their final grade and answer the question below. (Consider the
base 50% in computing the rating of each criterion)
1. Student A who is always absent in class and does not submit his/her output in time
Criteria Score Rating Weight (%) Weighted Rating
Term Examination 40/50 20%
Unit Tests/Quizzes 95/200 20%
Recitation/Performance 70/100 60%
Total Grade is

2. Student B who submits his/her requirement in time but below the set standards/quality
Criteria Score Rating Weight (%) Weighted Rating
Term Examination 20/50 20%
Unit Tests/Quizzes 100/200 20%
Recitation/Performance 60/100 60%
Total Grade is

3. Student C who obtained very low scores in spite of having passed all the requirements
Criteria Score Rating Weight (%) Weighted Rating
Term Examination 20/50 20%
Unit Tests/Quizzes 70/200 20%
Recitation/Performance 65/100 60%
Total Grade is
Assuming that you are the teacher, with 75% as the minimum passing rate, who among the students
will pass your subject? Why?

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References
Books
Cortez, Angelica O. et. al. (2019). Assessment of Learning 1 with Basic Statistics. St. Andrew
Publishing House. Plaridel, Bulacan.
Cortez, Angelica A., Galman, Sheena Mai A., Cortez, Bernard Emil O. (2019). Assessment of Learning
2. Love Printing and Publishing House. Cabanatuan City
Navarro, Rosita L., Santos, Rosita D.G.. Authentic Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:
Assessment of Learning 2 Second Edition. Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon City, Manila.
Webliography

• https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/performance-based-
learning-how-it-works/
• https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/events/materials/2011-06-linked-learning-
performance-based-assessment.pdf
• https://pals.sri.com/guide/features.html
• http://www1.udel.edu/educ/gottfredson/451/unit11-chap15.htm
• https://taylorwilson.atavist.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-schools-grading-
system
• https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/process-of-
grading.shtml: Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.

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