How Good Is Good Enough? Making Grading Meaningful in a PLC … · How Good Is Good Enough? Making...

How Good Is Good Enough?Making Grading Meaningful

in a PLC at Work

Eric Twadell

This session explores grading practices that reinforce a school culture based on learning, rather than teaching, as the fundamental purpose. Participants are asked to rethink assumptions regarding traditional grading practices and develop an understanding of grading practices consistent with learning. Participants examine Adlai E. Stevenson High School’s implementation of a standards-based grading model and leave with a clear understanding of how to develop and implement a standards-based grading and reporting model in their schools.

Learning outcomes for this session include:• Identifying grading practices that are consistent with learning as a fundamental

purpose• Exploring instructional strategies essential for standards-based grading and

reporting• Discovering how to calculate and report standards-based grades

The presenter might refer to page numbers for viewing information. For that reason, materials retain original numbering.

Eric TwadellEric Twadell, PhD, is superintendent of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois. He has been a social studies teacher, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent for leadership and organizational development.

Stevenson High School, the birthplace of the PLC at Work process, has been described by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) as one of the most recognized and celebrated schools in America. One of only three schools to win the USDE Blue Ribbon Award on four occasions, Stevenson was one of the first comprehensive schools designated a New American High School by USDE as a model of successful school reform.

Dr. Twadell has worked with state departments of education and local schools and districts nationwide on school improvement initiatives and reforms.

Twitter: @ELT247365Solution Tree Resources:

How Good is Good Enough? Making Grading Meaningful

in a PLC at Work

Eric Twadell, PhDSuperintendent

Adlai E. Stevenson High School

www.erictwadell.squarespace.com

What would it look like if grades were based on learning rather than teaching?

Teaching Versus Learning

• ?• ?• ?• ?• ?

The Power of Professional Learning Communities

The most powerful strategy for substantive school improvement is building the capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community. The path to change in the classroom lies within and through professional learning communities.

© Twadell 2017. SolutionTree.comDo not duplicate. 235

The Grading Dilemma

Why would anyone want to change current grading practices?

The answer is quite simple because at this point, grades are so imprecise, they are nearlymeaningless.

(Robert J. MarzanoStevenson High School, 2010)

Traditional Grading System

What are the elements of our traditional grading system?

(O’Conner, in Reeves, Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning, 2007)

A Historical Perspective on Grades

• Prior to the late 1700s, students received feedback through narrative comments.

• In 1780, Yale University begins using a 4‐point scale.

• In 1830, Harvard University introduces a 20‐point scale.

• In 1877, Harvard classifies students into six “divisions.”

• In 1897, Mount Holyoke College introduces the five classifications, using letters that correspond to percentages.

© Twadell 2017. SolutionTree.comDo not duplicate.236

• A = Excellent Equivalent to 95–100%

• B = Good Equivalent to 85–94%

• C = Fair Equivalent to 76–84%

• D = Pass Equivalent to 75%

• E = Fail Anything below 75%

—Mount Holyoke College Grading System (circa 1897)


Not much has changed since Mount Holyoke College first introduced the forerunner of the modern grading system.

In the 110 years since, our grading practices remain one of the single greatest unexamined practices in schools today.


Grading for Learning?

Over the years, “schools have used a variety of approaches, such as grading on the ‘curve’ and the pass–fail system. Although different, these approaches all have something in common: They rely on a traditional approach to grading—adding up scores and then calculating a grade—which is often counter‐productive to the objective of learning for all.”

—O’Conner, “The Last Frontier: Tackling the Grading Dilemma,” in Reeves, Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment

to Transform Teaching and Learning (2007)

What Should a Grade Represent?

• Comparison with other students• Effort• Achievement of a standard• Participation• Improvement• Behavior• Promptness


The Grading Dilemma

“Amazingly, teachers regularly use, and leaders frequently tolerate, grading systems that may appear to be accurate but are devoid of even the most basic elements of mathematical reasoning and are neither fair nor effective.”

—Reeves, The Learning Leader: How to Focus School Improvement for Better Results (2006)

• Simply put, letter grades do not reflect student achievement in an astounding number of cases.

• Providing students with feedback must take place within boundaries of fairness, mathematical accuracy, and effectiveness.

(Reeves, The Learning Leader: How to Focus School Improvement for Better Results, 2006)

The Grading Dilemma

The Missing Ingredient in Grading:A Focus on Learning

The most common grading errors:• The use of zeros• The use of averages• The use as punishment and rewards• The use of weighting

What’s the problem here?

The Use of Zeros

The Case of the Zero• Typically addresses student’s behavior• Lets students off the hook• Lets teachers off the hook• Does not teach students responsibility


Don’t Blame the Kids

“The consequence for a student who fails to do the work should not be a low grade, but rather an opportunity—indeed, the requirement—to resubmit the work.”

—Reeves, The Learning Leader: How to Focus School Improvement for Better Results (2006)

The Use of Zeros

The Use of Averages The Use of Punishments and Rewards


The Use of Weighting

One of our major roles as SHS teachers is to ensure the most fair and most accurate interpretation of student performance.

During the incubation stage, we begin to discover unexpected relationships …

• The unexpected relationship between learning targets and grading

• The unexpected relationship between feedback and instruction

• The unexpected relationship between assessment and grading

• The unexpected relationship between grade book and learning

Unexpected Relationships Rule Number One When Creating Targets (Standards)

If it feels like a toggle switch, then it is not a target!


Targets are classification mechanisms and classification involves gradations.

Rule Number Two When Creating Targets (Standards)

Big Idea:Provides ContextI

What: (Performed, Assessed,

Observed)II

Why we are doing all of this?

How Well: (Proficiency Expectation)III

Supporting Resources:(Pre-Req Skills or Content)IV

What am I asking you to do?

What is my expectation of you?

What are the supporting content and supporting skills needed to achieve the target?

Rule Number Three: Targets Must Have Context

• Targets must be based on proficiency.

• Targets must be measurable.

• Targets must be a gradation.

More Simply …

Using examples from class, [students will be able to] effectively explain the main causes of World War I in a written analysis.

WWI Learning Target


4. Using unique examples and opinions, [students will be able to] effectively explain the main causes of World War I in a written analysis.

3. Using examples from class, [students will be able to] effectively explain the main causes of World War I in a written analysis.

2. Using given definitions and terms, [students will be able to] effectively explain the main causes of World War I in a written analysis.

1. Using a text, [students will be able to] effectively explain the main causes of World War I in a written analysis.

Scaled WWI Learning Target

• How well do students need to do this?

• How is the student being asked to demonstrate proficiency?

• Does this target have a scale? Is the rigor fair and appropriate?

• Does the scale suggest how to assess students?

• Does the scale sound like how you talk to students?

• Can we and how do we teach this target?

Analyzing Targets

Insights

• The importance of the current state of understanding

• Teaching methods must confront learning needs.

• Student‐to‐teacher interaction is fundamentally different.

• Standards‐based grading is more about changing feedback than changing grades!

“The Times They Are a‐Changin’” … The Lesson Diamond

“The pacing of the lesson provides students the time needed to intellectually engage with and reflect upon their learning and to consolidate their understanding.”

—Danielson, “Framework for Teaching” (2013)


EvaluationDuring the evaluation stage we are determining how well our insights are supporting student learning and achievement—especially focusing on our assessment processes.

• Do I have enough of the right evidence?• Have we effectively communicated the expectation

to students?• Am I providing enough time to learn?• Should I split academic and behavior grades?• How do I weight in a standards‐based grading course?• Are all learning styles accounted for?• Is this a positive experience for my students?• Proficiency‐based assessment is the essential ingredient

in successfully implementing standards‐based grading.

Proficiency‐based assessment is the essential ingredient in successfully implementing standards‐based grading.

If I am not averaging homework grades, what indicators do I use?

• At this point, does it really matter? • I would propose anything that makes sense to

you and your students …o 4, 3, 2, 1o +, ✔, −o Excellent, Proficient, Developingo A, B, NY

English Language Arts: CCSS Reading Information Text / Key Ideas and Detail

Name Learning Target 1

Learning Target 2

Learning Target 3

Learning Target 4 Grade

Eric

Amy

Carol

Danny


What grade would you give?

All learning (growth and aptitude) is determined by a calibrated professional interpretation of student‐produced evidence in relationship to a clearly communicated and understood proficiency expectation.

How do I calculate a grade without averaging points?

Step 1

Directions: Review each learning objective and note the event scores.

• For example, in sentence fluency, the student had 3, 3, 4, 4, 2, and 4.– Use the bi‐modal matrix to determine an overall

score for each objective or learning target.• For example, in sentence fluency, the

student’s bi‐modal scores are 4 ‒ 3, which results in an overall score of a 4.– Follow the same steps for the other objectives

or learning targets.

Let’s Find the Grade …Part of 6th Grade Writing Grade Book

StudentName Writing

Development

OrganizationSentence Fluency

Word Choice/Style

Conventions Holistic

Descrip

tive Paragraph

Friend

ly Letter

Person

al Narrative

Compare and

Con

trast

Summary

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e Essay

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tive Paragraph

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tive Paragraph

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Compare and

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trast

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Persuasiv

e Essay

Buddy 2 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 3 4 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 2 4 3 3 4 4 2 3 2 3 3 3 2 3


Bi‐Modal MatrixStep 1

4 3 2 1

4–3 4–1 2–3 1–4

4–2 3–2 2–4 1–3

3–4 3–1 2–1 1–2

Step 2:Determining a Letter Grade

A = A score of 3 or 4 for each of the six objectives

B = A score of 2 for any objective, with a 3 or 4 in all remaining objectives

C = A score of 2 for two more objectives (no score of 1)

D = A score of a 1 and at least one score of 2 or above

F = A score of 1 in three or more objectives

Elements of an Effective Gradebook

• The gradebook must communicate performance on learning targets.

• Achievement data must be separate from behavior and other information.

• Formatives must be communicated and also communicated separately from summatives.

• The gradebook must be organized to show growth; re‐performance and recent evidence shown.

• If using math, it must make sense … Point allocationis mathematically correct.

“It’s not the scores that change behavior, but rather the conversation around evidence that changes behavior.”

—Bill & Melinda Gates


Real Change Is Real Hard

“Life is not neat, parsimonious, logical, nor elegant. Life seeks order in a disorderly way. Life uses processes we find hard to tolerate and believe in—mess upon mess until something workable emerges. It takes a lot of repeated mess to get it right.”

—Wheatley & Kellner‐Rogers, A Simpler Way (1999), p. 17

Thank You

To schedule professional development at your site, contact Solution Tree

at (800) 733‐6786.


Professional DevelopmentConcept Map

During this phase, professional development focuses on working with emergent ideas and building them towards implementation.

Norms for Professional

DevelopmentBe open to possibilities

—Listen with an ear of curiosity

—Look at the opportunity

or problem from a different perspective

—Defer judgment

—Detach from the outcome

—Slow down the conversation

—Don’t stop at the first good idea

—Seek unusual and wild ideas

—Combine and build

on other ideas—

Think systemically

During this phase, professional development focuses on becoming immersed in new learning, asking questions, and understanding how theory and practice are interconnected.

During this phase, professional development focuses on brainstorming, discussing and analyzing possibilities, thinking about better approaches, and the process of reflection that leads to insights.

During this phase, professional development focuses on evaluating how well an insight connected to successful outcomes. Central questions might be: How well did that work? Why?

During this phase, professional development focuses on the further inventiveness of an idea, how to nuance it, and how to take it to a more innovative and heightened level of success.

The purpose of this concept map is to break down professional development into five phases—recognizing that individuals and teams enter into professional development with and from a variety viewpoints, commitment levels, and understandings.

The intention of this concept map is to help guide the way we shape a variety of conversations around professional growth opportunities for individuals, teams, or academic divisions.

The following five phases are interconnected, and are meant to help frame conversations around professional development in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment:

Adapted from: Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. Harper: New York, 1997.

Preparation

Incubation

Insight

Evaluation

Elaboration

Stevenson High School Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment


REPRODUCIBLE

The Traditional Grading System

What are the characteristics of the traditional grading system in our schools? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

(O’Conner, in Reeves, ed., Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning, 2007)

248© Solution Tree Press 2007. SolutionTree.com

Reproducible.

The Missing Ingredient in Grading A Focus on Learning

The most common grading errors: 1. The use of zeros 2. The use of averages 3. The use of grades as punishment (and rewards) 4. The use of weighting

(Reeves, The Learning Leader: How to Focus School Improvement for Better Results, 2006)

249The Learning Leader

© ASCD 2006. ascd.orgUsed by permission. Do not duplicate.

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250Ahead of the Curve

© Solution Tree Press 2007. SolutionTree.comDo not duplicate.

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251Ahead of the Curve

© Solution Tree Press 2007. SolutionTree.comDo not duplicate.

Three Model Answers Complex–Implied Relationships At the conclusion of Chapter 7, Scout finds Jem crying. Although Scout does not appear to know why this is occurring, what can the reader infer about why Jem is crying? Provide multiple pieces of textual evidence in your response. Response 1 (4): The reader can infer that Jem is crying because he is developing compassion for Arthur Radley, and he realizes that Mr. Nathan Radley has prevented Arthur from the one means of communication that he had with the outside world. Throughout chapter 7, Jem seems to be “on the verge of telling [Scout] something” (61). This occurs after he realizes that whoever left his pants sewn and folded for him knew he would return for them, as he states, “can’t anybody tell what you’re gonna do lest they live in the house with you” (58). This means that one would have to know a person very well in order to predict his actions. Since Jem left his pants in the Radley yard, only a member of the Radley household could have known where they were, and it seems unlikely that Mr. Nathan Radley would have done it since he threatened to shoot anyone who came near his yard. Furthermore, the gifts that the kids find in the tree on the Radley property seem to be specifically for them since no one else passes that place and the soap dolls resemble them. Since Mr. Nathan Radley never does anything kind for the children, it is unlikely that he would secretly give them presents, which leaves Arthur Radley. Since Atticus once said, “there were other ways of making people into ghosts,” regarding why Arthur never comes out, it could be that Arthur is trying to befriend the only people he can see from his window (11). When Mr. Nathan Radley seals up the hole in the tree, he does it on purpose to prevent Arthur from leaving things for the kids. Jem is sad because he realizes how cruel this action is since Arthur was only doing something kind for them. Response 2 (3): Jem is crying because he has empathy for Boo Radley. It is likely that Boo was leaving things in the tree for the kids because no one else in the neighborhood would go onto the Radley property. Boo has been shut up in his house for years and no one knows why he doesn’t come out, but now he is leaving gifts for the kids such as a pocket watch and soap dolls. Jem realizes this and wants to thank him by leaving a note in the tree. However, the next day Mr. Nathan has plugged up the tree because it’s “dying” (62). When Jem asks Atticus if the tree is dying, Atticus says, “That tree’s as healthy as you are, Jem” (63). Since we know that Atticus is trustworthy, he is probably right about the tree. But why would Mr. Nathan fill it up? Jem probably realizes that he wants to stop the gifts from being left in the tree, but this is sort of mean. Boo wasn’t doing anything wrong and Jem feels bad for how he is treated. Response 3 (2): Jem feels bad that he and Scout will no longer get presents. They have found lots of fun things in the tree: gum, a spelling bee medal, a watch, and soap dolls. Because the tree is “dying,” Mr. Nathan filled up the hole (62). Also, Jem didn’t get to tell the person putting things in the tree that “we appreciate everything which you have put into the tree for us” (62). He feels bad that they will no longer get presents and that he couldn’t say thank you to the person giving the gifts.

252The Learning Leader

© ASCD 2006. ascd.orgUsed by permission. Do not duplicate.

What Grade Would You Give?


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Persuasive Essay


Friendly Letter

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Summary

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Summary

Persuasive Essay


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