Researching Grading to Improve Education

Thomas Guskey is a professor of educational psychology in the UK College of Education. His research focuses on the way teachers grade and how they report that information to parents.

“The grading practices used in most schools today are really steeped in tradition. They are, in many cases, the longest held traditions operating in the schools today,” Guskey said. “There's probably no area in all of education where the gap between a knowledge-base and practice is greater than in the area of grading.”

Guskey said the key to improving grading is to specifically tie grading to what students have learned and what they’re able to do. “In that way, you’re more prescriptive in the information you offer parents, but then also more directive. If a child has particular strengths or weaknesses, parents know where to intervene to really help the child in better ways,” he said.

Listen to the podcast to hear how Guskey is working with Fayette County schools to improve grading practices.