Teacher Tech blog with Alice Keeler

Paperless Is Not a Pedagogy

Alice Keeler

Google Classroom: Grading with Zero or One

Google Classroom: Grading with Zero or One

zero or one

Google Classroom allows you organize and assign work to students. Classroom works as a digital dropbox to allow students to submit their digital work to the teacher.

Classroom is Not a Gradebook

There are limited available point values in Google Classroom. While this may seem to be an issue since your assignments are not always 1, 20, 50 or 100 points it is important to remember that Classroom is not intended to be a gradebook. Most likely you have a gradebook you are using in addition to Google Classroom.
google classroom point values

Stop Double Entry

If you are entering scores in Google Classsroom and in your gradebook this causes you to have to do double entry and thus additional work. If you update a score it would require that you update it in two places. If there is a discrepancy between the score in Classroom and the score in the gradebook this potentially causes confusion for the student and parent.

Zero or One

Instead of entering grades in Google Classroom I only enter grades into my gradebook. If I make the assignment point value 1 point then I can essentially use the score in Classroom as a check. A one means I looked at the document. A zero or blank means I have not. If students have a score of 1 this signals to the student that the grade is available in the online gradebook.

Side by Side

When grading work that is in Google Classroom I will have side by side windows of Classroom and the gradebook. Instead of entering the students score into Classroom, I place the score in my gradebook. Since the windows are side by side it is almost as easy to put the score in the gradebook as it is to put it in Classroom, so why not put it where it counts.

13 thoughts on “Google Classroom: Grading with Zero or One

  1. Classroom has a limited number of points in their drop down, but you can type in whatever points you want it to be. It allows you to edit the points. 🙂

  2. FYI: One can type in a point value (in the space where it currently says 1 or 100 or whatever it is defaulting to) and that value will be used for that assignment.

    One cannot set the value to a fraction of a point (e.g. 3.5 will revert to 3), nor can one enter a fraction of a point for a student grade – whole numbers only.

  3. As much as I love digital tools — gradebooks included — I don’t trust them completely when my school server is involved. So, I always double-enter anyway. Once on a PAPER roster. Then, that gets entered in the digital gradebook. I just go down the list and enter them as if I was a bookkeeper, A—>Z.

    Putting the students’ scores right in Google Classroom is equivalent to the analog piece of notebook paper with a grade on top, so I like putting it right in Classroom.

    By the way, you can double-click on the 1, 20, 50, or 100 and edit the “out of” to anything you like. I know, it’s not very obvious in Classroom, but I just made sure and it works!

        1. I for one hope that Google NEVER makes a gradebook part of it. A gradebook has a pedagogy attached to it. Personally, this is what I research for my doctorate. Grading practices and in particular the gradebook. I would not want Google to set the pedagogy for how I assess my students. I strongly dislike most gradebooks as they are not very motivating to students and cause us to abuse kids with math. “I didn’t give you the grade, the gradebook did.” Let’s be honest, most of our points are completely arbitrary yet we typically are very hardline about the grade that is calculated, as if it is meaningful. Most schools have a required gradebook, it would cause a lot of tension and decrease the liklihood of Google Classroom adoption if Classroom did have a gradebook.

          1. Good point. Plus, I like the minimalist approach so far. It gives me the file management, but leaves the rest to me. I’m not looking for Classroom to do EVERYTHING for me (according to Google’s approach); only what it does. Then, I can use the Apps my way, but with less hassle moving the files around back-and-forth from kids to me. So far, it’s “just right” from my view (5th grade).

  4. I get the replies so far. I don’t have a problem with there being a gradebook that I can completely manipulate. I agree that if Google had control of my categories or percentages or points or weights or anything that influences the overall student grade it would be insane. However, I don’t understand any argument against building a completely open structure that teachers can use to record their assessments of the work that is already passing through the Classroom interface. Shouldn’t it all be seamless and easy? Isn’t that one of the main reasons that we all are using Google for Education? — Help me see something I am missing! Thanks! 🙂

  5. Having read through this, I agree with most of the comments. What I would like is a place to export the grade into a single spreadsheet and not enter each assignment individually to look a grade for a particular student. An option to export the graded assignments into a single spreadsheet would be useful. I’m not looking for a full grade book necessarily. Just an overall of what kids are doing.

  6. I like the idea of “not having a gradebook attached to Google Classroom” but the reality for most teachers is we are required to have one. If I assess in Google then I am forced to “double entry” grades/assessments. Philosophical differences or not, there should be an option for teachers–if not, we just created more work for teachers.

    1. I created a Chrome extension for just this purpose. The link is on my website at the bottom of the page or just go to the Chrome Webstore and do a search for Alice Keeler. It allows you to put your gradebook URL into the settings and then you can pull your gradebook up side by side with Google Classroom. Enter grades into only one place, you do not want to update 2 places.

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