Standards Based grading-Ken O'Connor

Ken O'Connor visited the Sioux Falls middle schools this week and I I had the privilege to listen to him formally during his presentation, but also to talk with him informally while eating some chislic. Listening to him talk about standards-based grading and getting the chance to bounce ideas/questions off him was very beneficial. Getting down the details of standards based grading was very valuable. I am by no means going to regurgitate everything I heard Ken talk about, but just to share a few insights from listening to him, a few things I took away from the day that stuck the most. 
Ken's whole premise is that overall, grades are broken and in need of certain fixes. The key statement to keep in mind when it comes to grading/assessment is a students grade should reflect how much they know/what they have learned. Working off of this foundation, a lot of things need to be rethought: bonus points, extra credit, late work, missing work, group grades, among others. Sometimes, grades and scores are done in a way that does not provide an accurate picture of what the students know. When this happens, the grades are broken. 
Ken O'Connor's wisdom and insight into the world of grading is spot on and needs to be shared. Over the course of the next week, I will be discussing what Ken O'Connor says about fixing grades. 

"A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades." By Ken O'Connor