The author argues that ethical college teaching requires that teachers focus on ideals: goals and aspirations reaching beyond merely correct behavior that satisfies basic moral requirements. This includes the obligation to be professionally competent, fair in grading, fair in making recommendations, and fair to their colleagues. (MSE)

The appropriateness of using Steps 1 and 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) to make individual academic decisions and the appropriateness of determining course grades with scores from the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) subject tests are examined. Underlying philosophical and psychometric assumptions are…

When parents objected to a new performance-based achievement scale, a Wisconsin school revised its report card to reflect traditional letter grades for each main subject area, using the new scale to measure component skill areas. Schools can weather controversy by making report cards reflect school philosophy, involving school personnel and…

This article is organized into two parts: (1) a review of literature on teachers' grading practices, and (2) a discussion of the findings about teachers' grading practices in light of evaluation and motivation theory. The discussion considers both research implications and practical recommendations. (Author)

Ways to use standard-setting data to adjust cutoff scores on examinations are reviewed. Ten sources of information to be used in determining standards are listed. The decision to modify passing scores should be based on these types of information and consideration of adverse impact or rating process irregularities. (SLD)

A study of the writing of 28 geography students at Otago University (New Zealand) compared aspects of the essays with grading and rater comments. It is concluded that, although study manuals for essay-writing can help some students, their advice may not be useful to all; other methods may be more helpful. (Author/MSE)

The crisis confronting calculus and mathematics education generally results from a number of failed assumptions implicit in the dominant lecture-homework-exam methodology used in teaching mathematics. Positive resolution of this crisis can be found in adopting a noncompetitive, collaborative approach to mathematics education. (Author)

Pedagogical and administrative problems in teaching English to native speakers are reviewed, including criteria for students and teachers and lack of a graded syllabus. Guidelines for solving these problems are proposed. (LB)

Students in an educational psychology course were offered the opportunity to earn a grade bonus by writing test items on content to be covered the following week. Results show both internal (student) and external (manipulable) factors had considerable influence on effort and persistence. A classroom procedure to enhance student motivation is…

A survey of 12 constituencies (totaling 2,288 respondents) concerning the National Board of Medical Examiners' (NBME) comprehensive Part I and Part II examinations revealed support for more even distribution of fail rates across examinations, support for a fixed standard, and favorable reaction to setting standards based on review of examination…

A study compared evaluations by tutors and independent reviewers of 11 medical students with negative performance evaluations and a control group of 21. Results indicated the grading system did detect specific student problems, but independent reviewers identified more problems and identified them earlier than did tutors. Concern is expressed…

Growing frustration with assessment practices in adapted physical education and confusion with more traditional grading has led to a call for authentic assessment, which measures students' performances in more natural, real-world settings. Within authentic assessment, rubrics provide detailed guidelines for making scoring decisions, offering…

Describes a system of contract grading in an introductory college composition which the author devised and has used for two years, in which all students sign a contract that delineates requirements for a course grade of "B." Discusses these requirements, how students can raise their grade, and student responses. Notes that a continued dialog about…

Setting pass/fail cutoffs that accurately reflect physical ability required for job performance is a key consideration for public-sector employment testing. Top-down ranking is less appropriate than job-performance expectancy banding. (SK)

Discusses several ways in which tape-recorded responses by the instructor to student writing can benefit commuter students. Discusses how the audio cassette responses are paired with a series of questions on the writing process and how the author shapes his tape-recorded comments. Notes student responses about the advantages of this approach. (SR)