A-, B, C+, D, B+
This line of letters tells an incredible story.
A story of an average student.
It is the story of a student who is passing classes…almost
Who understands most classes but needs help in one.
The communication abilities of single letters are incredible. It allows a teacher to share the status and abilities of their students with parents without explanation or detail. Does this happen? No, but the reality is that the letter grades need to go and it is time to innovate the grading/score system in schools.
EducationWeek posted an article about the audience for the A-F and Numeric Grades. Using a survey, these were the results that they found:
Based on the data the benefits of the Letter grades are for Parents (67%), Colleges/Universities (35%), and Tradition (25%).
So what does this tell us? Letter grades help communicate in a common language into the system of transfers and University/College acceptance. However, what about the students? How do teachers need to change to become better with their assessment and reporting?
The article states: “Grades also make it clear whether a student ahs passed a course, two in five educators surveyed said. They send students a clear message about their work and are easier lift for teachers than narrative feedback, according to about a quarter of the teachers surveyed”.
Based on this information, here are 4 ways to help teachers disconnect their communication from the Letter Grade:
Assign for quality not quantity, no matter what tradition says.
As a new math teacher, I leaned into tradition, what I had experienced as a student, and what the school had done with math homework in the past. 20 practice problems a night, grading them the next day. However, when truly thinking about the power of quality assessments, as a teacher, if I can provide the students the ability to do less quantity, higher quality assessments, then more time for feedback and practice can be more manageable. Instead of spending the first 15-20 minutes in class peer grading the homework and answering questions, the class could take the 5 great problems, self-assess, and then move forward with a specific learning path based on the results. For example:
Correct any problem that was incorrect and write an explanation about what you did wrong with your correction
If you missed more than 3, after corrections come to the teacher session for a debrief and discussion
Once corrections and completed, dive into the playlist for the day (communicated live by the teacher at the beginning of the class).
Quality eliminates the busywork for both the teachers and the students. How many rubrics created are micro-managing students' abilities to communicate the information they have learned? Unless we are doing lessons on how to create a specific product, we shouldn’t have criteria about how many images, colors, or videos are included. In refocusing on the objectives, and standard content, we can provide clear quality assessments without the fluff.
Rubrics!
Not a new concept, but the power of a well written rubric is unstoppable. If you can create a rubric that focuses on your outcomes (standards/objectives/learning targets, etc.) and the students can use these as they work, the communication moves away from a single letter to a whole novel of information about the students' progress of what they have done and the paths they need to walk moving forward. MagicSchool is an amazing AI tool to support teachers in a variety of ways, with Rubric-Making as one ability. Though the AI might not creat the perfect Rubric, it is a tool that will help create a baseline rubric that you can then continue to develop and modify based on school expectations and policy.
The B tells the student has met expectations
A Rubric explains why they are meeting expectations, what they could do to exceed, and if there are specific areas that need more support.
Collaborate with a Robot to Build Feedback
Copy and paste is one thing, but I’m thinking about strategic feedback on the quality assessments that are cornerstone experiences looking for specific feedback to support and develop students. TextBlaze is a Google Chrome extension that allows teachers to create a list of shorthand comments that are immediately inserted when applied.
For example
Shorthand: /ta
Feedback that shows up when you hit return: “Great job on your essay! Your analysis of the story's theme was thorough and insightful. You effectively identified and explained the central theme, providing strong evidence from the text to support your interpretation. Your essay demonstrates a clear understanding of how the theme develops throughout the story and its significance in conveying the author's message. Keep up the excellent work!”
The base comment can give the foundation and then any minor alterations or changes can personalize the comment, saving time through the 90-150 essays that might cross your desk at any given time.
Side-by-Side Feedback: Guided vs. Graded
Utilizing the commenting feature in Google and Microsoft products is a feedback game-changer. No longer do you need to wait till the activity or assignment is submitted before feedback can be given. Create a space where students can see you interacting in their documents, commenting on specific spaces and ideas that can support them along the way vs. the final product. By giving live feedback on activities you can speak into the process of learning vs. the final product. This allows for more iterative thinking, giving the students the opportunity to be guided vs. being graded. If you consider any art class or sport. Learning happens by doing because feedback comes in the action, not at the end of the experience. In the same way, assessments, projects, and activities can give in-the-moment feedback to build the new muscle memory before the final product is completed and the students let go of the process.
The letter grade tells a simple story.
Feedback builds a stronger, more empowered, prepared student for the future.
Maybe it’s time for the system to innovate?
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