Here are a few ways to provide alternate grading:
1. Check Plus / Check / Check minus - if the student demonstrates a developmentally appropriate understanding of the concept, a check plus could equal a number grade of 95 in your grade book. A check could be translated into an 85. If there is a small grasp on the concept and improvement is needed, a check minus could equal a grade of 75. If they refuse the task or really don't get any of it at all, an (X) could be recorded as 65.
2. On a test with 20 problems, instead of each being worth 5 points, make them worth 3 points each and give 1/2 credit where it is due.
3. Create an alternate rubric for the special education student. Talk with your Resource Teacher about what would be appropriate to expect. One writing assignment I did as a classroom teacher had a rubric for one stufent where an A equalled 5 paragraphs on a topic, and a separate rubric for a different student had an A equalling 5 sentences on a topic. That same student was not graded for spelling and because an IEP goal was working on beginning capitals and ending punctuation I noted how many (3/5, 4/5, etc.) sentences utilized capitals correctly and how many utilized punctuation correctly.
Do we want to hold the bar high for our students? ABSOLUTELY!
The caution is to make sure the bar isn't unreachable and frustrating.
How do you provide alternate grading?
