Origin:
The 'markless' experiment started, as many do, from a coalesces of ideas from various places. The driving force behind it was an AQ I was taking. I had to present a challenge faced within my building and an attempt to address said challenge.
I chose to tackle the choice of IEP accommodation teachers were making. One refrain I had heard over and over is that full accommodation would be amazing but would lead to teacher burnout; the added time in designing creative, student-specific evaluations would swamp teachers already burdened with commitments and huge piles of marking.
This led to a series of discussions on evaluations, the strengths and weaknesses of each type, how marking can be made more efficient without adverse effects on students (IE. Multiple choice, my personal pet-peeve. It often puts the student at the mercy of the test-writer. Rather than allowing a student to show what they know it asks 'Do you know this one random fact that I know?' That said, it is super easy to mark!) This was followed by discussions about students who care more about their mark in a class than how that class has helped them prepare for the future. Finally, I realized how arbitrary the whole marking process is. I evaluate against a 'standard' which I have never seen. I set the evaluations, I judge the evaluations, I judge which mark goes into which category, and finally I import marks into software which maintains the board's differentiation of marks based on categories which was decided by a committee. I don't really know the difference between and 84% and an 87%. Academically, I am judge AND jury. The poor student, whose acceptance into a potentially life-changing program based on 0.5% of a mark, has no recourse to appeal.
I leave the last point about marks and student futures to those braver than I.
I tend to teach 9s and 10s. Marks don't matter at all at that point. What matters is developing a love of learning and encouraging a healthy drive to improve in students. I also tend to teach Applied courses where the struggle is to keep kids positive about their learning. Both really benefit from a Growth Mindset.
Then I was pointed to 'markless' and Amy Lin, where students learn because learning is the goal instead of the mark. I was blown away.
I had a handful of days to prepare for my AQ presentation. I just tacked markless on at the end, as a possible solution for the future.
Again, I was blown away. The conversation it generated was stunning, informative, and very supportive. Post-class discussion sealed it: I would try it.
This attempt to record the process is also a result of that AQ. I was encouraged to share the results. So I am.
Getting It Started:
This was much easier than I thought it would be.
In a few days I managed to speak to both VPs and my Department Head who all immediately said yes and offered their help and guidance in going 'markless' in my SNC1P class as needed. I also spoke to my Principal, who supported my decision to develop the idea for a year and then supported me again when I changed my mind to attempting it in the upcoming year.
Prior to this I was very excited about the idea and passed it along to Richelle McDonald, who would be teaching many of the same students in my 2nd period SNC1P class in her CGC1P class first period. I had a co-collaborator and an essential guide when I got lost.
Other staff offered support and became invaluable sounding boards, providing both the support needed to step off the deep end and to provide the honest criticism and assessment of potential pitfalls needed to prevent it becoming an embarrassing belly-flop.