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This book is a phenomenology research study that reveals the phenomenon of how first-year teachers navigate the lived experience of learning to grade on their own. Five themes were generated to describe this phenomenon: (a) Emotional "Tiers" of Grading (pun intended) (b) How Valid are my Hodgepodge Grading Practices? (c) Why Didn´t I Learn This in College? (d) What I Want to Change for Next Year (e) If Grades Could Talk, What Would They Say? The results in this book benefit educational researchers, policy makers, and most importantly, teacher educators and in-service professional development instructors as they provide instruction on grading practices. Learning to Grade: A Messy Reality 4 New Teachers will help assist teacher educators in preparing new (and veteran) teachers to make meaningful and applicable connections to their own ideas about grading and what actual best practices are for grading.

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