As Rebecca Alber alludes to in her opening of Tactics for Tackling the Grading Dilemma, grading is one of those tasks that seeks to never end and can be hard to ever get caught up in or on top of. As the title of the article suggests she offers some suggestions to become more proficient in this task including, peer assessment, self evaluation, a one-in-four strategy, stamping, and student journals. For the most part I have used all of these tactics and found that they have their benefits and drawbacks.
As Ms. Alber mentions, I have found great success in peer-assessment. Not only does it remove the onus on the teacher to personally remark on each assignment but it also teaches students certain analysis skills that they can take with them and apply to future assignments. While this is something that works best with older, more mature students, if the assignments are simple enough (such as with a spelling test) it can also be applied to younger students. I find that by using peer or self assessment it can also create somewhat of a mood of community when the students all feel they have a role in the class and are tasked with an important responsibility.
The 'one-in-four rule' is something that I feel works with younger students as the effort they put in might be a bit more important than the result. However, as students become more sophisticated with their output I think it is important that they receive feedback that helps them improve in the future. This method may be necessary if the teacher is dealing with hundreds of assignments at a time.
Having a system of stamps, stickers, or even phrases that hold a meaning works well for minor assignments that can be assessed quickly. The students should know that level system that is involved (that a gold sticker is better than a silver, for example) and it can motivate them to but more effort into their work.
Having an ongoing student journal that the teacher can collect at anytime and mark multiple assignment at once can be extremely helpful. It can show each student's progress and gives the teacher more variables to look at. Having each students update their work on an online blog also can be great for teachers accessibility. It can also create more transparency and also for more dialog between student and teacher. It is also easily view able by parents so it keeps them in the loop.
Technology has also made grading easier for the teacher. Platforms such as Schoology and ClassDojo help teachers not only create assessments that are gradable through automation but can also compile grades and save teachers time in a number of different ways. This can free them up to create better content for the class.
Sources:
http://www.edutopia.org/grading-dilemma-strategies-tactics
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