Teacher's marking in Secondary school

[Ribena3]

We left the country before the kids started secondary school. We're in the US and the system is grades and % , tests and quizzes. The school kids want to know their number or letter grade.

I've not noticed much comment on the work. Most of the time there's no what to do to improve and lots of use of rubrics to know if you'll get a 5 or a 4 for each part of the work.
I'm sure there's verbal feedback in class and you can go see the teacher to talk about the work ( usually if you've not got the grade you wanted rather than general improvement).
I'm talking about what I see.

So curious.... I know things move on but I remember marking in primary school and ooooh it took time...am I remember a golden age that never was...

What happens with marking in secondary schools now in the UK? Are there comments at the bottom of the work? Is it a grade only too or % only? Would love to hear experiences.

Fire up the Pengsymbol!

Lots of feedback and numbers that I don't understand

Lol. I am trying to get my head around secondary school marking at the moment. I have not had much luck yet.

Our policy is to check books weekly and pick out SPAG issues. Mark 2 x pieces of work in-depth per half term. Clear positive comments and next steps. We then gave them time to 'fix' their work based on this feedback.

For year 10/11, I mark every exam answer with loads of detail. My life gets taken up with it for a while, but I don't mind. If it's useful.

I really, really resent pointless tick-box marking they try and push on to us.

I'm an English teacher am exhausted one, so please don't pick up on my SPAG

In our school only longer pieces of work (done max. every two months in each subject) are given number grades (and written feedback). Everything else has written feedback only.

A Geography teacher in our school has a stamp that says 'verbal feedback given' and she seems to stamp it on every piece of work in a kid's book without ever actually marking anything!
To answer the question though, I think it varies quite a lot, but I doubt what you are seeing in the US would be that unusual in the UK.

It varies enormously. Some secondary schools have strict policies and teachers have to mark in very similar ways. Even down to the colour pen they use. Other schools are more relaxed and teachers can have their own style, or different departments will have their own policies.

There is no “rule”, each school will decide what suits them.

I read some research recently (don't ask me where, I'm ill, it's late and I've been invigilating and in depth marking mocks all day) that verbal feedback is far more effective than written feedback, because it demands interaction and checks understanding. Written feedback can (and often is) ignored.

I in depth mark two pieces of work per student per half term. I also go around EVERY student in EVERY lesson giving verbal feedback. I point out mistakes for them to correct. I make suggestions. I check understanding. I then stamp their work to show we've had a conversation.

I know their strengths and weaknesses much better through actual interaction than marking and my achievement rate is excellent.

A different approach doesn't mean a worse approach. I do it because it gets results.

We get large stamps made with up to 12 categories. Cross=incorrect, tick=correct, circle=missing this. We then ‘deep mark’ every 3 weeks, comments, examples, model. Kids re-write corrected work. Bit long winded, but I’m fierce when it comes to marking.

Stamp idea sounds good. At least you know there's been some feedback.

@Coolaschmoola It's nice to actually know what goes on elsewhere. I can ask now more about verbal feedback since written isn't there in the same way.

The stamps would help me to see as a parent that something is going on. At the moment the work might have the circled wrong answers or underlined. Maybe the corrected answer maybe not and no words. I have no way of knowing there were conversations about the work. They do whole class feedback. I'm generalising...

My kids have a mark + WWW (what went well) + EBI (even better if...). Not on every single piece of work but on about 60% of it and almost always on peer marking.