Grading Math Assignments

Do you hate grading math assignments?

Do you get anxiety from grading “all the things”?

GREAT Teachers do not stress about grading math assignments. They plan for it. This blog post is part of the series, "6 Things GREAT Teachers do". Grading is one of the key parts of teaching. Read the different types of grading options and choose a grading strategy for your classroom today!

Grading Math Assignments

Grading is necessary for any classroom environment. Students need to know from their teachers how well they are performing. Grading can be done many different ways. Some of the most popular ways to grade are with letters (A, B, C) or for mastery (on target, progressing). Regardless of your grading system, grades need to be distributed fairly and given regularly. 

What do grades look like in today’s classroom? Here are some examples of how grades can be given in today’s classroom. 

1.       Grading Math Warm ups 

There are a couple different ways to grade Math Warm ups and Bellwork effectively and efficiently. Try one of these ways to help you grade in less time. Grade weekly by collecting bellwork on Fridays, grade bi-weekly and only grade every other week. Any more frequent than a week and you are doing more work, and any less frequent than two weeks it will become less effective for the students to relate bellwork and a grade earned. 

2.       Grading Classwork & Homework

Grading classwork is tricky. You could grade all the things and grade classwork every day of the school year. Or you could do less grading and collect a grade for classwork once a week. Grading less shows students that what they do in class matters. Any less frequent than once a week and students start to disassociate classwork with a grade (or importance). 

Homework is also a catch to grade or not. It’s important to practice skills outside of the classroom, but grading it all can take a lot of time. A method that works well is grading a set number of homeworks a quarter. Set up at the beginning of the quarter the number of assignments and maybe even when they will be due. It will show students the importance of homework and they will be able to prepare for doing some homework at home.

3.       Grading Exit Slips

Math Exit slips are important to assess informally what students know. Taking a grade for an informal assessment is not necessary. Exit slips or tickets are for students to display what they know about a math skill before they leave your classroom. Make it informal and do not take it for a grade. That’s one less grade you will need to mark, but will give you information if the student is ready to test or move on to the next skill. 

4.       Grading Tests

Having a good syllabus with a grading system in place is key for testing. Students will know what they need to score to do well and show mastery. If students do not show mastery on a test give them the opportunity to make it up. Students who do not do well on a test and have the opportunity to improve will learn a great life lesson. They need to get up, practice and apply themselves again. After giving students a math retest like in the Math Mindset retest form HERE.

Click HERE to download Retest Form & Video.  

Students not only do better on the test, but they now have gained more knowledge to apply forward. Retesting should not be given lightly, but with a firm explanation that this is an OPPORTUNITY that they can take to earn a higher grade. Students will see it as a chance for redemption and take the challenge.

Grading and recording math assignments doesn’t have to be hard. Start by setting a goal for the course. How many grades do you want to distribute? Plan ahead and your grading will be much easier and organized. Get the FREE Grading Rubric today!

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Happy Teaching! 

Why I Don't Assign Homework

Do your students struggle to complete and turn in all their homework assignments?

Do you want to keep them accountable for missing assignments?

Do you want your students to turn in 100% of their homework?

I struggled for many years to find a solution that worked best for my students and I. How do I get students to do their work? How do you get students to turn in their assignments? How much is the right amount of homework?

After reflecting upon my teaching practices and how students would respond to certain homework policies and situations I found solutions that worked. First, I stopped "giving homework". Instead I would set out 10-15 minutes of class time to let the students work on what I would assign as "homework" and call it "classwork" to students. This "classwork" time is mandatory and students are required complete the assignment or finish it for homework. Most students would finish it in class and have no homework! Students that didn't finish would be required to finish at home.

Did all the students finish in class? No. So I had to come up with some other solutions to get to 100% homework turn in rate. These are solutions to the homework problem. Try one or all of them to meet the needs of your students.

More Solutions 

1. Homework Excuse Slips. Have you tried homework excuse slips? I've tried them and determined they did not work for me. After two quarters I found that I was wasting printing paper for students to tell me "I forgot" or "I just didn't do it". It wasn't a solution, it just gave the students the feeling that they were justified in their excuse. My goal of the excuse slips was to get students to see what they weren't doing and to fix the behavior. This was not attained, but I abandoned this solution.

2. Makeup Slips for Absent Students. Absentees can become a problem depending on the school you teach it. I've work at 85% attendance rate schools and 98% attendance rate schools. The system that worked best after years of perfecting was the "While your Were Out" slips. I print multiple sheets of absent work forms, assign other students to fill them out at the beginning of class for absent students, and then those students place the slips in the absent box. Minimal work required for the teacher, just print and go! You can make your own slips or Click HERE to download these.

3. Progress Report Printouts. This has been the best solution for my students. Students are able to see what they are missing (I highlight the zeros and missing assignments that they can turn in before the end of the quarter). Parents are required to sign the progress report printout for homework or extra credit (depending on how I want to assign the grade for being responsible and completing all the work). Parents appreciate the support and reminder of how their student is doing. This also helps keep students accountable and on track for success.

4. Assign Less Homework. After assigning too many homework assignments one year, I made a homework calendar and a plan to only assign 1 homework assignment a week. You can CLICK HERE to read about why I don't grade homework after school and how you can too.  I write down the dates when I will collect and grade any homework (less than 9 a quarter) in my planner. It makes it simple to keep track of all the assignments. If you need a planner I highly recommend Occolo planners. This is the exact planner I use. Keeping track of assignments and tests grading helps keep grading simple and planned. If I haven't planned to grade it, I always ask "does this have academic value?" If it does and needs to be graded then I add it to the list. Assigning less will help you grade less, and in return you will not have to look for as many missing assignments.

5. Assign Less Problems. Along with assigning less homework, I took the 10 problem challenge. Only assigning 10 math problems which was the equivalent of 20-30 minutes of work for students. This greatly improved the percentage of students who completed the assignment. It was more manageable for them to complete and achieve success on an assignment.


I hope these homework solutions are making you reflect on your teaching practices. What could you do to improve the rate of homework return? How could your students have a better attitude about homework? What would be easiest for you to maintain and keep up with grading? Homework doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming. Make it relatable and effective for students.

Happy Teaching!