High Impact Strategy: Using Google and Self-Reported Grades

Are you getting the most bang for your buck by utilizing the high impact instructional strategies made famous by John Hattie combined with the wonderful tools from Google? If your answer is no, then look at how you can employ practices, such as self-reported grades, that are scientifically proven to increase student achievement, and incorporate Google tools at the same time.

John Hattie’s Effect Size

John Hattie developed a way of synthesizing various influences in different meta-analyses according to their effect size. Effect size is a measure of the contribution an education intervention makes to student learning. In his first study, Visible Learning, he ranked 138 influences that are related to learning outcomes from positive effects to negative effects. He found that the average effect size was .40 and anything above this line is considered “highly effective.” Hattie has updated his work to include over 250 influences on student achievement. You can read more about John Hattie’s work here.

Now, let’s look at one of the strategies that is high on Hattie’s list, and how it can be applied to your classroom teaching using Google tools.

Self-Reported Grades (Effect Size 1.33)

Self-reported grades is a practice by which students assess the quality of their own work or their level of mastery over a given objective. With an effect size of 1.33, it can provide up to three years of additional growth in learning for every year. That’s a huge impact! The validity of self-grading is often assessed by comparing a student’s self-reported grade with the grade  provided by a teacher. Below are a few examples of how you can allow students to track their own progress.

Personal Grade Tracker

A personal grade tracker is a way for students to practice personal grade and progress monitoring in a structured way. Personal grade trackers are a great way to teach students how to monitor their growth and progress. They also help teach responsibility and self-awareness. Students keep track of each graded assignment throughout the year. Check out this Google Sheet Template by Mathew Mays. I really like that it includes a space for personal reflection!

Rubrics

Rubrics are a wonderful way to give your students the power to assess their own work. As the teacher, you also grade the student’s work with the same rubric. Afterwards, you compare the two rubrics and then discuss the results with individual students. By using rubrics as a way for students to self-grade, you are allowing them the opportunity to think critically about their work. Regular use of self-graded rubrics will help your students learn to target their work toward your expectations. They might even have fun playing the teacher and grading their own work.

• Google Docs 3 Level and 4 Level Rubric Template – Creating a rubric in Google Docs is simple. For instance, you can easily insert a table and then enter your criteria.
• Google Drawing Picture Rubric Template – The best option for creating picture rubrics is Google Drawing.
• Google Sheets Data Spreadsheet and Chart Rubric Template – Most rubrics I have seen are created in Google Sheets because it is easy to tabulates scores with this tool.
• Grid and Scale Type Google Form Rubrics – Google Forms is great for general rubrics. Both grid and scale type rubrics can be created with Google Forms.
• Google Classroom – Google is currently beta testing built-in rubrics in Google Classroom. Teachers will be able to create and attach a rubric to an assignment posted in Classroom. You can sign up to beta test it here.
• Orange Slice Teacher Rubric Add-On – This Google Doc add-on allows teachers to easily and quickly make rubric selections and convert the Analysis or Holistic rubric into a percentage or points grade.
• Goobric Extension – This Chrome extension enables flexible, efficient rubric-based grading and works with the Doctopus add-on for Google Sheets.

It’s a Win-Win

Using self-reported grades is a win-win in the classroom. Not only does it alleviate student anxiety, but it also makes students feel that they have control over their own evaluation and learning. In addition, when students grade their own work, they can see exactly where they are making mistakes. They obtain this feedback far sooner than if the teacher collects the work, grades it, and then returns it later. There’s no reason not to try it in your classroom.