Effective Grading Practices for Secondary Teachers

Dave Nagel has been a professional developer and educational consultant both nationally and internationally since 2003 and has done so as his primary job in education since 2008. Prior was a middle and high school science teacher and administrator in a large district in Indianapolis. As a school leader at Ben Davis High School (enrollment 3000 students) Dave was instrumental in developing a focused plan for differentiated goals for students based on specific proficiency measures which supported the school in improving its graduation rate 14% in just over 4 years.                                          Dave’s primary areas of expertise are in the areas of effective teacher and leader collaboration, assessment and feedback, and specifically effective grading actions both at the school and classroom level. He has been working specifically with Professor John Hattie’s Visible Learning research since 2011 that is a driving force for all of his work with teachers, coaches, and administrators. He has authored 5 books previous to this one, including four within the PLC+ series of publications (Corwin).                                         Published multiple times in various publications such as Principal Leadership and Educational Leadership, Dave has also presented at various national conferences.Dave has a strong moral aspect, strives to be very relatable and practical when working with people, and has a savvy sense of humor that supports him in his life and work.   Dave stays very busy with his beautiful and supportive wife, Kristen, and three boys (ages 20, 15, and 13). He acknowledges every day that the Lord guides his actions and is the driving force in his life. Dave is an independent consultant for Corwin Press and is the owner of NZJ Learning LLC (named after his three boys) and the Founder of The Center for Collaborative Expertise.

• Foreword by Jeffrey A. EricksonAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorIntroductionPart I: Why Changing Grading at the Secondary Level Is a Tough Sell1. Grading: Long Perceived as the One Immovable Element in a Constantly Evolving Field2. Determining Why Grading Changes Are NeededPart II: Practice Trumps Policy3. Policy: The Starting Point, Not the Destination Finder4. Policy Into Practices: The Path to Effective GradingPart III: Grading Practices to Prevent Failure, Recover Credits, and Increase Grading on Standards5. Preventing Unnecessary Failure6. What Do We Do When Failure Does Happen? Effective Credit Recovery7. Standards-Based GradingPart IV: Elements for Successful Implementation8. Determining What (Could) Change9. Implementation: Setting Up and Conducting Action ResearchAppendixesReferencesIndex

"This is a must read for educators striving to keep struggling learners engaged.  Every educator will reflect upon  his grading practices and will find strategies to encourage students to get the work done."