Grading Goals!

5/9/2018

“Is this formative or summative?”

“Can I get extra credit?”

“What can I do to increase my grade average?


Question?  What is the one thing these questions all have in common, other than the fact that I get asked them on a daily basis?

Answer: they all have nothing to do with learning.


Shifts This Year

This is my third year of teaching, and the common theme all year long has been my annoyance at grades - what they say, what they stand for, and how they end learning.  

Here’s my grade, now I can forget this assignment.  Done.  Dusted.  Pass or fail.

There’s been more than that on my mind this year, of course!  

But .....

Many shifts have taken place this year, but the one thing that’s been a constant annoyance, something  I really haven’t done a whole lot about (beyond thinking, talking, complaining, and Tweeting), has been grading. I did take some small steps, shifts if you like, in that I did things like giving an initial grade for essays, allowing students to make changes in a much more authentic environment that a final summative typically gives - allowing them to read my advice, talk to me, conference, and make edits. 

Imagine a world where an author isn’t allowed to edit their work, what kind of reality is that? Right?  But teachers do that every single day.

So that made a change, it made it about the learning and not about the number. Although reality is, it was the number that drove students to make the changes. So in some ways that didn’t help to fight the grading culture - although it did better the teaching.

So back to grades.

I don’t remember grades being important when I was in school. We did get letters (A, B, C), according to final performance at the end of the year, but it was the narrative that you read that meant more than anything. Of course I was at a private school, so I can’t talk about what public schools in England did.  But MY learning was not about what number or letter I received, it was whether I mastered the information, whether I understood the content, and whether I was ready to move forward to the next year. 

40 years ago, and we were judged by a standard - imagine that!

So here I am, teaching to specific standards, helping students to achieve mastery. But the way that I report success or struggles is by a number. 

Think About It!

Honestly, what is the difference between a gifted student who doesn’t work that hard and gets a B, or a lower level student who works really hard, learns all kinds of new stuff, improves the standard of learning considerably, and averages a B. 

Lots.

They might have achieved the same ‘number’, but the mastery of learning is not the same.  The percentage  certainly doesn’t define the child’s learning. In fact, when you dive into it, grades are honestly mostly about compliance. Who did the work, who followed the instructions explicitly, who took care of business? Those kids will get a better grade. However, there might well be students who know the material, but did not complete the work. Their grades clearly don’t report their knowledge or ability. 

Should there be a way of recording work ethic? 

Oh sure, but if I am saying that my grades reflect the standard of learning, then that should be a separate item.  The phrase ‘factory model’ of Education resonates strongly here.  That’s what school was invented for, compliance and training for the masses.  

I would hope that we are beyond this now!

Making Change

So what’s exciting is, I am far from the only educator out that who feels this way. I am pouring through books, connecting with friends on Twitter, going back to things I read in the past, that I didn’t understand, that now make sense. 

I talked to my assistant principal, who came up with some ideas of how to work in my new ideas along with our district grading requirements, so that even if I couldn’t go gradeless (as I would like to in a perfect world), I could at least have my grades reflect  standards.  I could at least show growth and change over time. 

And so the mission begins.

Another teacher in my collaborative planning team and I were simply planning to break down every rubric by standard, and divide up our grades (weighted accordingly). But then, the personalized learning coach from out district got wind of what we were doing......

*Actually, to be more honest, she read my posts on Twitter as I was deliberating, thinking, and looking for assistance!*

So she has started a PLN.  A group of us are going to get together, and come up with a like-minded strategy, so that we can work together and have support as we venture forth. Might that mean that it’s not going to be quite what I would like?  Absolutely! We’re all going to have some give-and-take this year, but I would much rather venture forth with some support.  

I’m excited, nervous, and filled with some trepidation.  

I have the feeling that I have a LOT of work ahead...but what a cool journey!  And if it helps my kids to better their learning, understand about making and meeting goals, increase opportunities for discussions and conferencing, then it will be worth EVERY SINGLE SECOND!

The Process Begins...

I already surveyed some of my current parents coming to get their feedback, and thoughts. I didn’t ask them about not having grades, or my personal beliefs - that would take far too much explanation.  I did ask them how they felt about grades separated up to reflect each individual standard.  They loved that idea. 

The basic concept would be, if the students write an essay, they might get one grade for mechanics, one for argumentative techniques, one organization, etc. The grade would equal 100% - thus having the same value as the other students in the other ELA classes, but parents, students and teacher alike would have a record of where mastery was. It would also make it easier for me to go back and adjust grades as standards are achieved over the semester. 

It isn't my eventual my goal, but it is a solid start!

So here we go, moving forward. I have a summer to plan my strategy and work with a newfound team of determined, forward thinking, and excited teachers!