Instructional technologist Bud the Teacher has some decidedly non-high-tech advice for writing teachers who want to streamline their grading process. Grade less:
And that doesn't mean that teachers shouldn't ask students to write, and write often. But we don't need to grade everything that comes to us. In fact, we should grade very little of it. Heck, and I know this'll sound a bit weird, but we shouldn't even read all the writing we ask students to do.
He goes on to contend that the assumption that teachers will read and mark up everything students write is at cross-purposes with higher-level writing and reading—which are supposed to involve some level of choice and pleasure.
Meanwhile, 6th grade teacher Bill Ferriter, frustrated with the staleness of conventional letter-grade practices, has been experimenting with student self-assessment.