Grading Group Work Fairly

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Why it works

Assigning one grade to a group is a common practice that is both unfair, since contributions vary, and uninformative, since it does not show what any individual learned. Research on assessing collaborative work points to building in individual accountability: assessing each student's own understanding or contribution (through individual components, reflections, or assessments) alongside any group product, so the grade reflects individual learning. This connects to cooperative-learning design.

The research: Research on assessing group and collaborative work.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: make a group task fairly graded

Teachers leave with a group task where the grade reflects individual learning.

Take a group task you grade.
Build in a way to assess individual learning or contribution (individual component, assessment, or reflection).
Decide how the grade separates individual understanding from the group product.
Make the accountability clear to students.

Grade the individual's learningOne group grade hides who learned what and rewards coasting. Build in individual accountability so each student's grade reflects their own understanding.

Facilitator notes

Build in individual accountability.
Assess individual learning alongside the product, and make it clear to students.
Connect to cooperative-learning design.

One group grade is unfair and uninformativeA single group grade rewards coasters, penalizes carriers, and hides individual learning. Assess each student's understanding too.

Adapt it

Elementary: individual pieces, simple accountability.
Secondary: individual components and assessments alongside the group product.
All settings: individual accountability in the grade.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Grading Group Work: grade the individual

Fair and informative: assess individual learning alongside the group product, with accountability made clear.

The group task I grade:
How I assess individual learning or contribution:
How the grade separates individual understanding from the product:
How I make accountability clear:
Where coasting currently hides:

Make it stick

Individual accountability:

Build in individual accountability.
Grade individual learning.
Bring a fairly-graded group task to the next PLC.

Common questions

What's wrong with one grade for the whole group?

It rewards those who coasted and penalizes those who carried the work, and it tells you nothing about what each student actually learned. Build in individual accountability.

How do I grade fairly?

Assess individual learning or contribution alongside the group product, through individual components, an individual assessment, or reflection, so each student's grade reflects their own understanding.

Doesn't that undermine collaboration?

No. It complements it. The group collaborates on the work; the grade still reflects each student's learning. Strong cooperative learning builds in individual accountability anyway.