We might not be as far along as I thought...

I recently sent out these three tweets and the responses I got were somewhat surprising and startling to say the least...

When kids cheat on an activity, the worst thing you can do is give them a reduced grade due to their poor choice. #edchat
— Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) April 13, 2014

Now, when I say surprising and startling, I'm referring to the push back I got from these statements. I realize we are all in different places in terms of our philosophies and approaches to grading and assessment, but I didn't know there were still so many who opposed these beliefs.

When you give a kid a reduced grade for cheating, you are basically telling that kid the assignment wasn't really worth doing anyway #edchat
— Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) April 13, 2014

If we are to move forward with these discussions in an effort to align our beliefs with our actions, I fear we are much further off than I have imagined. I fear the situation is becoming increasingly more important especially as new educators enter and leave the profession at an ever-increasing rate.

Can we all stop saying that 'zeros' & strict deadlines teach responsibility. People don't learn 'responsibility' via consequence. #edchat
— Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) April 13, 2014

Let us sit down and actually make a list of what we believe to be the most important and critical pieces to grading and assessment. Let us then make a list of the things we actually do in our classes when it comes to grading and assessment.

Then it might be quite appropriate to get out the proverbial 'red pen' and get to work...

10 thoughts on grading and assessment

1). 'Teachers don't need grades or reporting forms to teach well. Further, students don't need them to learn.' via @tguskey

2). 'If you trust the validity and accuracy of your test/assessment, then you shouldn't have any problem with redos for full credit.' via @rickwormeli

3). 'Don't leave students out of the grading process. Involve students - they can - and should - play key roles in assessment and grading that promote achievement.' via @kenoc7

http://goo.gl/ccTQVX

4). 'Nothing of consequence would be lost by getting rid of timed tests. Few tasks in life - and very few tasks in scholarship - actually depend on being able to read passages or solve math problems rapidly.' via @howard_gardner_

5). No studies support the use of low grades or marks as punishments. Instead of prompting greater effort, low grades more often cause students to withdraw from learning.' via @tguskey

6). 'A kid who says school sucks and just give me an 'F' does not have the necessary maturity level to be in charge of making his/her own educational decisions.' via @rickwormeli

7). 'Averaging falls far short of providing an accurate description of what students have learned. . . . If the purpose of grading and reporting is to provide an accurate description of what students have learned, then averaging must be considered inadequate and inappropriate.' via @tguskey

8). 'When we refuse to accept an assignment late and give a zero instead, we undermine our content and say it has no value.' via @rickwormeli

9). 'Don’t include zeros in grade determination when evidence is missing or as punishment; use alternatives, such as reassessing to determine real level of achievement or use 'I' for Incomplete or Insufficient evidence.' via @kenoc7

10). 'If a kid never does any of the work you assign but does wonderfully well on your assessments, then it's time to evaluate the work you assign and the types of assessments you use.' via @rickwormeli

10 questions to ask yourself before giving an assessment

1). What's the point and purpose of the assessment?

2). Is this a preventative check-up (formative) type assessment or an autopsy (summative) type assessment?

3). Did your students have any voice and input into the assessment design and/or assessment process?

4). Are you able to assess more than one learning objective/goal with this assessment or is the assessment isolated to one specific learning objective/goal?

5). Is the assessment aligned to what you are currently teaching in a format similar to the way you've been conducting your instruction?

6). Will you provide multiple assessment formats for students to demonstrate their mastery/skills in a way of their choosing or will there be just one format? 

7). Does the assessment have a learning component to it that supplements the current learning objectives and goals?

8). Does the assessment allow for students to self-assess and track their overall understanding of the content/skills?

9). Are there a wide-range of questions at varying degrees of difficulty? What is the ratio of level 1 basic recall questions to level 4 higher order thinking questions?

10). Will you allow redos of this assessment? If not, please refer back to your answers in questions 1 and 2. Does this affect your decision not to allow redos?

Assessing for learning...not just for grades

Assessments, formative & summative, increasing rigor, homework, grades, 
extra credit & student mastery... 

                   

~ a few things to ponder!

 

~ just a few things to consider...

**View the entire presentation from the Powerful Learning Conference below:

Points Earned PLC 2013

Assessments, and the role they play in student learning...

Assessment is an ongoing, systematic process that involves:

• Establishing clear, measurable expected goals of student learning
• Gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information
• Applying information and using the results for continuous improvement of teaching and learning.

Student Learning includes the knowledge, skills, and personal development attained through curricular, co-curricular, and out-of-class learning experiences.

"The value of assessments lies not just in the quality of the test itself, but also in how the information from the assessments is used..."

Take a few moments and evaluate the alignment of your classroom instructional practices and activities to the types of assessments you are assigning. If your classroom activities are not matching up with the skills and application of knowledge you are requiring your students to complete on assessments, then your assessments will not provide you with valuable and relevant data. Likewise, if the level of rigor and DOK on your classroom activities are unbalanced with your assessments, you will not be able to make fair and/or accurate conclusions in regard to assessment data.

Lastly, personalizing the types and frequency of assessments for individual students may seem daunting and difficult, but consider this image below and reflect on your assessment practices. If the goal of assessments is to get useful and relevant data to drive and guide classroom instruction in an effort to best meet the needs of our students, then this image makes quite a statement...

Do tests motivate students...?

On a rainy and dreary Saturday morning I was flipping through the channels and I stumbled across one of my favorite childhood shows... Boy Meets World. As I sat there watching several episodes, I came across an episode with a very important topic for educators; a topic we educators are still debating and discussing to this day.

Start the clip at 1:27 and watch until 4:28. This episode originally aired on October, 14, 1994.

Who would have thought that back in 1994 the discussion of what students need to do to show their mastery of content would have been discussed...


Why do we insist upon having students take tests to show their mastery of the content?

Why do we knowingly and willingly kill the love of learning that students possess?

Why do we continue to use outdated strategies that diminish motivation rather than increase?

Why have we spent the last 18 years not changing what we knew was wrong in 1994?


- Are you having these discussions with your colleagues? If you aren't already, it's time to start...

The utilization of classroom assessments...

A year and a half ago I started my Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership. As a teacher, this program has been influential in helping to shape my philosophy of education. In particular, I have really begun to analyze and critique the assessment policy I use in the classroom.

Last school year I was part of a committee that was reading and evaluating the ideas presented in Rick Stiggins' Assessment for Learning model of assessment. In addition to my doctoral studies, this committee has played an important role in leading me to re-evaluate my assessment practices. Rick Stiggins' theory ultimately leads educational curriculum and instruction in the direction of Standards Based Grading, which places more of an emphasis on meeting standards, and what students "must know and be able to do." Stiggins' Assessment for Learning identifies 5 main principles that must happen in order for this theory to be successful. They are:

1. The provision of effective feedback to students.
2. The active involvement of students in their own learning.
3. Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment.
4. Recognition of the profound influence assessment has on the motivation and self esteem of pupils, both of which are critical influences on learning.
5. The need for students to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve.

As part of my growth and development as a teacher and as an instructional leader, I have questioned how accurate my assessments have been. The more I think about my assessments, the more I realize that my assessments were and are not doing their intended purpose. I am a firm believer in using assessment as a teaching tool and resource, not just as a grade or piece of paper that a student discards 5 minutes later. As such, it is my goal to revamp my assessment tools to follow Stiggins' model to make sure I am using assessment as more than just a grade, but rather a resource. I want my students to become independent learners who can utilize assessments to evaluate where they are, and to improve upon their mastery of the content.

Part of my goal last year on the Assessment for Learning committee was to help teachers who were not a part of the committee understand the importance of accurate and effective assessments. As with anything new, there were several teachers who were not buying into the Assessment for Learning model. As instructional leaders, it is our job to make sure we are always thinking about ways to improve the educational model for our students. As the world changes and the needs of our students change, it is imperative that we are flexible and able to adapt to ensure that we are providing our students the best educational experience possible.