Currently Grades Are Inherently Unfair

If grades matter as much as many say, we need to make reforms.

I’m the proud father of identical twins. Essentially, they possess similar academic and non-cognitive skills.  Yet, their high school experiences were dramatically different, as were their GPAs.

The discrepancies came down to one, randomly assigned variable—their teachers.

In science class one twin’s teacher weighted homework at 40%, while the other twin’s teacher didn’t calculate homework. In another subject, one teacher allowed extra credit while the other didn’t. Similar subject exams ranged from 10% to 20%. Of course, these differences are only the tip of the iceberg.

Dinner conversations frequently centered on such disparities. “I wish I was allowed to turn in extra credit.” “You’re so lucky to have her. She’s so much easier.” “I’ve worked so much harder, but I’ve only got a B and you have an A.”

Such disparities shouldn’t exist.

By no stretch of the imagination am I fan of more regulation, and since grades are here to stay, we need to make significant grade reforms. Here’s a simple 3-step policy:

1.     Each school should collaboratively develop its own grading policies. The policy should include what goes into a grade and how grades are calculated. As the policy is formulated ask the following questions:

·      What can and cannot be included in grades?

·      How do we ensure that grades indicate student understanding?

·      Will extra credit be allowed?

·      Will redos/retakes be permitted? If so, how will they be computed?

2.     Next teachers should meet in grade-level or subject-specific teams. Each team should then describe what they want their students to know and how this will be measured (performance indicators)

3.     Teachers articulate their grading policy to students and parents.

The above reforms will take time and energy, but effective grading policies require deliberate planning.  Reforms will enable grades to accurately reflect what students have learned and are able to do.

If we must have grades, we should strive to ensure that they indicate the same level of learning in classrooms across the spectrum.

Taking the Grades Out of Assessments

Assessment

For many, the word “assessment” conjures up thoughts about all that’s wrong with education: standardized testing, final exams, grades, etc.  

But an effective assessment strategy actually eliminates grades. A 1991 study by Masaharu Kage revealed grading quizzes lowered students’ intrinsic motivation and led to poorer learning when compared to self-monitored, non-evaluative quizzes. Other studies have similar results.

Because assessments should be part of the learning process, it’s important to involve students in the assessment process. Increasing student involvement in the assessment process and detaching grades from them increases learning.

Here’s a simple strategy that involves students in the assessment process, creating a sense of ownership and increasing their commitment to learning.

1.     Students complete a formative assessment. This can be a quiz, classwork, homework, etc.

2.     After completing the assessment, students turn their work into the teacher. If you’re concerned about student confidentiality, have students use random IDs instead of their names.

3.     Working individually, in groups, or as a class, students work solve the assessment. Students create a separate “answer key.” While students work, the teacher provides assistance, informally assesses performance and determines whether re-teaching will be necessary.

4.     Students return the corrected work to their teacher who then passes it back to the original student.  This step allows the teacher to further measure student understanding.

5.     Students keep a copy of their “answer key” and use that to double-check their peer’s feedback.

By working with the students through the entire process, the teacher uses the assessment as a source of information and, if necessary, can provide high-quality corrective re-teaching. Students receive instant, specific and descriptive feedback without the stigma attached to grades.  Working together, the teacher and the students make choices about what to focus on next in their learning.  

With the emphasis on learning and mastery, students will be more intrinsically motivated and more willing to take risks to expand their learning.

References

Kage, M. The effects of evaluation on intrinsic motivation. Paper presented at the meetings of the Japan Association of Education Psychology, Joetsu, Japan. 

This is blog was cross-posted on Brilliant or Insane as part of Eliminating Grades Series.

A Late Work Policy That Supports Learning

In my first fifteen years of teaching, I struggled to develop an effective, fair and student-learning centered late work policy. My policies changed from year to year. One year, I’d accept no late work. The next, I’d accept any and all late work with no consequences.

I faced four conflicts as I tried to create a policy that maximized student learning while instilling responsibility.

Conflict 1:

I want each of my students to be responsible and submit their work in a timely manner.

-VS-

In the “real-world” deadlines are often negotiated and extensions are often granted.

Conflict 2:

As a teacher, I need to maintain a pace to meet curriculum requirements.

-VS-

Given the choice, I’d rather students submit work late than not at all.

Conflict 3:

Late penalties may deter students from turning in work late.

-VS-

Late penalties don’t work for many students who are consistently late turning in work. 

Conflict 4:

Given no due dates, students rush to finish assignments and will turn them in at the last possible moment (i.e. right before the end of the marking period)

-VS-

Firm due dates are needed to allow me to provide feedback and meet reporting dates.

After much experimentation, I eventually created a policy that maximized student learning while emphasizing timely work completion. Here’s how it works.

Each assignment/assessment includes both a due date and a deadline date. The deadline date is the absolute last day an assignment/assessment could be turned in. As long as the work was completed by the deadline, students could earn full credit.

Students who did not complete work by the due date were required to complete a missing homework sheet. By quickly reviewing these sheets, I could determine which students needed additional academic support versus who needed help managing their time.

A couple of other items of note:

• Often I involved students in setting the deadline date. This collaborative process created buy-in and simulated real-life negotiations.

• My grading program, allowed me to create a footnote if an assignment was turned in late. Keeping track of such information was vital.

• For students who were chronically late completing assignments, I worked with their parents, other teachers, guidance counselors, etc. to communicate deadlines (emails, text messages, posting assignments online, creating student contracts, etc.)

• This policy actually helped students learn to better manage their time. For example, Susan was an excellent student who was involved in many extra-curricular activities and took several challenging classes. On Monday, I assigned a mini-assessment project on the Roman Empire with a due date of Wednesday and a deadline date of the following Monday. On Monday and Tuesday, Susan had several hours of homework from her other classes and she had away soccer games both nights. Instead of rushing to complete all of her assignments, Susan was able to concentrate on completing her work for her other classes and could dedicate the necessary time and effort later in the work on her Roman Empire project.

What are the advantages of this policy?

1.     Grades are linked to learning not to behaviors (poor time management)

2.     It makes the entire process more manageable for both students and me

3.     It enables me to work with students who have trouble completing assignments and provide timely feedback to all students

4.     It gives me an opportunity to help students learn AND build relationships with the students as I work closely with them

What is your late work policy? What do you like or not like about my policy?