What Are Effective Instructional Practices That Support Teaching, Learning, and Grading
Processes?
1. Communicate expectations and grading guidelines.
This is important not only for the students, but also for parents and family members. For
example, a letter to families at the beginning of the school year or semester explaining
classroom procedures, grading practices, assignments, and grading criteria facilitates
understanding and often alleviates misunderstandings at report card time (Salend & Duhaney,
2002). Grading expectations for daily assignments and long-term projects should also be
clarified and conveyed.
2. Inform students and families about student progress regularly.
Parents or guardians of students with disabilities must be informed of their students’ progress
as frequently as other parents or guardians. Keeping families abreast of their students’
progress, especially if they are having difficulty, facilitates positive communication. Parents
want to know on a timely basis if their student is struggling. Teachers and families can then
work together to plan learning opportunities and provide support to the student both at school
and at home.
3. Use a range of assignments that address students’ varied learning needs.
Many teachers assign grades based on daily assignments, quizzes, and end-of-chapter tests.
Salend and Duhaney (2002) suggest that teachers can “determine students’ grades by weighing
a variety of student assignments such as tests, homework, projects, extra credit, attendance,
behavior, and class participation” (p. 13).