Tips & Tricks For Grading: Making It Easier, Faster, & More Meaningful

This week's #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about grading and marking in the ELA classroom. Middle and High School English Language Arts discussed most and least favorite assignments to mark, tips and tricks for grading, and implementing feedback. The highlights are below.

Tips & Tricks for Managing the Marking Load:
*Have students keep all their work in a spiral notebook or composition book & turn that in
*Using mailing labels to grade notebooks

*Have students grade themselves and each other as much as possible
*Use rubrics & checklists to streamline
*Do NOT edit essays when grading

*Use well written rubrics
*Set a timer so you don't spend too much time on papers
*Have students choose which essays you grade
*Don't give a letter grade for everything. Try a check, check plus, check minus system.

*Limit yourself to two comments per paper or choose a writing trait to evaluate.
*Give bonus points for turning in early
*Use a stamp for completion on vocabulary and grammar practice. Then review answers together and have students their correct papers.
*When using writing checklists, don't give students a grade until everything on checklist is included, which forces revisions.
*Keep a list of everyone's next steps. On new assignments, check that they have made progress.

*Have students write three changes they made from first to last drafts and submit this with their process and final copy.
*Conference with students once a week to discuss what they've revised and/or edited. Use writing conference logs.

Hope you'll join us next Tuesday September 29th at 8pm EST to discuss standards and curriculum in the ELA classroom. The questions for next week's chat will be posted here on Sunday. If you missed Tuesday night's chat, scroll down and read the whole thing below.