This article is appropriate for what we're doing right now in 4k-Starting the Conversation About Grading. We've had our first meeting as a grade-level team just a month ago. I personally am wanting to stretch this process out to make the right decisions rather than rush into something we want to change right away.
The article gave me great advice and encouragement on how to tackle this new adventure. It says we should start by having a meeting to discuss key points about purpose, audience, and personal beliefs about grading. A mini survey was printed at the end of the article that I could use. After deciding on the purpose, then we can focus on the main issue. The purpose the article highlights is learning-focused grading (where a grade sums up achievement according to the standards). Rather than worrying about what scale to use and how often to report we should be more concerned with what meaning we want the grades to convey. Standards-based grading is about what a student learns not what students earn.
The article goes on to justify why we should start by examining beliefs first-allowing all opinions to be heard moves the conversation along and leads to a productive change. It also suggests to have a local expert panel to briefly describe their strategies and results. (I have since been collecting other 4K report cards from neighboring districts.) In this article they specifically mention the "fishbowl" strategy, which is one that we already practiced in our learning community. Colleagues are allowed to debate the topic in the inner circle while the outer circle is given time to comment later.
I was glad to hear that many districts run into differing staff opinions and that even when grading is debated and set some questions still remain.
The survey within this article asked "Which do you believe?" The survey in itself may be a good conversational starting poing.
- Grades should reflect achievement of intended learning outcomes
- The primary audience for the message conveyed in grades are students and their parents which aim to give them useful, timely, actionable information
- Grades should reflect a particular student's individual achievement.
- Grading policies are set up to support motivation to learn.
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