CHAPTER 14: Putting it all together
Which equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
Post your answer to the questions above in the comment section here by clicking "Enter you comment" > choose "name/URL" in the drop down menu and add your name before typing your comment and clicking publish.
Comment on two peers' posts by clicking "reply" > choose "name/URL" in the drop down menu underneath their posts and add your name. Participants are required to comment on one " I notice...." and one " I wonder..." on two peers' reflections in each chapter.
Due. April 29, 2022
Which equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
ReplyDeleteThe equitable practice that I have been trying to implement is the Pillar of Motivation. Throughout that pillar, I have renamed my grades for my students IEP progress notes.. I feel like they are successful because my students' parents express that they are understanding the IEP goals and progress more accurately and easily. They also shared that it is less stressful to see I haven’t started working on that yet instead of No progress on the comments for their IEPs. .
Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
I believe that it is very important to let students know about any new grading practices and why you are implementing them. The whole point of equitable grading is to motivate students and for the students to have more transparent grades. My students are very young and do not yet understand the goals that are on their IEP. I do use other forms of motivation that I make sure my students completely understand. I also make sure that my students' “soft skills” are not added into their academic grading. Students' behavior is “graded” in a separate area than their “academic knowledge.” My students’ parents are aware of this separation and I believe that my scores have been more Accurate since this change has occurred.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
I imagine a partnership between students and teachers making grading more equitable would look similar to the “Mastered Checklist” that is posted on pg.230 in the book. I see this as a way for Elementary School students to understand what is expected of them and how to easily keep track of their progress. I see not including homework or behavior into the academic grade to make grading more equitable alongside having a separate tracker of “soft skills.”
Hi Beth. I noticed that you inform students of changes to your grading practice. It is important to include students and clearly communicate how they will be assessed. This is one of the main takeaways I have from this entire course. Grades should be clear from day number one. I wonder how challenging it is for you to define all of this with IEP's of the little ones. I am sure most of the terminology a bit too complex for them to comprehend. Do you break it down for them in simple words to help them understand?
DeleteI noticed you mentioned that since renaming the grades on the report cards, parents and students have reacted in a positive way. Isn’t it awesome how words have such an effect on the way things are perceived? I love that students are benefiting from a positive spin on words that reflect the same goal they had been working towards all this time. I wonder if renaming grades would change my classroom motivation? Thank you for sharing!
DeleteWhich equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain. The equitable practices I tried were again, using a rubric to explain what is needed to show/demonstrate learning. What I did was really try to rewrite my rubrics with more student friendly language. I also had examples of previous years works that are exemplar. This way students can visually see, that is what I have to do to prove I learned this skill. Lastly, I allowed any artist to turn in late work past the deadline or redos. This meant giving extra time and not having them take advantage of late work policy. I gave them specific late work dates and how to turn in their work. This could be done as a photograph (if they took their work home) emailed to the teacher or could bring it back to class.
DeleteDo you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why? I did let the 6 graders know that all summative assessments use rubrics. This is a school wide policy, but still needs reinforcing. Many artists are not used to using a rubric and not getting a letter grade. Instead, they would be getting a number referred back to the rubric. That number however, does translate to an A-F grade. So there is always some confusion.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
Partnering with students to me would look like having possibly a panel of students. Say a group of 5 students that would represent the class. They would take all the ideas from the class and partner with the teacher on the rubric itself. Perhaps, more importantly, I think in art, we could have a critic. Students could put up work and then using the rubric could compare them. Discussions can occur and suggestions would be made to clarify and encourage learning.
Hi Jeff,
DeleteI noticed that you mentioned that the number on the rubric does not translate to an A-F. As I was reading the information about the 0-4 scale, I was thinking about this confusion that you mention. I know several teachers on my campus that grade with a 0-4 scale and students ask, "what does a three mean" for example. A-F and 0-4 don't really explain where the student is at. I think wither you are using A-F or 0-4 a meaning must be attached and explain. Maybe even listed on rubric or assignment.
Hi Beth, I noticed that your students expressed less stress when they see “I haven’t gotten this yet” versus “No progress.” It is nice that you were able to have this discussion with them and observe the direct benefits of your new grading system. I wonder, are there other strategies you have implemented that have produced similar results with your students? I have discussed my changes in grading and most of my students do not seem to be invested in the method, but are relieved they can take retakes. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI too used the same practice and thought it was very productive. I would normally give a blanket grade for each participants in the group. I realized especially after taking the course that this did not properly show the progress of students' learning. It also helped students be more accountable with their own learning.
DeleteI’ve first and foremost shared with my students this year, the “why” you do classwork and homework - it’s for making mistakes, learning from them, and mastering it prior to the summative chapter assessment. Being that said, I’ve also attempted to perceive grades as summative assessments only. I have not mentioned opportunities for retakes, as I have not thought it through at the moment, which would include communication for parents; possibly next school year. I have created a student led based rubric, where students observe and grade their peer’s presentations which definitely provided a clear picture on what the expectation is. I’ve also used what Nick, from “Grading for Equity” used in his observations of students portraying their understanding during classroom discussions, or volunteering by raising their hands in class - remembering not to be biased about their participation, but looking and listening for content understanding only. I’ve also been using the 0-4 grading scale on many writing rubrics, which I’ve found to be successful in both teacher and student understanding.
ReplyDeleteYes I do let you my students know about any new grading practices! Communicate the new strategies and explain “why” it is how it is. Be transparent with new grading practices to gain trust and confidence in my students. Grading should be Accurate - meaning students know exactly how to obtain their grades, Bias-Resistant - students need to know grades are based on their mastery of skills and not extra credit, participation, effort, or homework, but be subtle about it, and Motivational - being transparent with students using rubrics, offering retakes, tests without points but standards/skills based, encouraging feedback, and student trackers.
A teacher/student partnership would include the “Misconception Identification Form” that Nick used in the chapter to allow students to provide peer feedback, which Nick (the teacher) used to create a retake on the assessment. I would no longer provide students with a total amount of points earned over points possible, but as a rubric, provide a list of standards and skills on the test and use it as a checklist to show what was mastered and what wasn’t on the assessment. I would also want to gain student trust knowing that they are used to the traditional grading of assessments (points earned), by sharing the “why” behind the new grading - homework and classwork is to prepare, make mistakes, and learn from it.
Matt, I noticed you spent a great deal of time clarifying 'why' students must complete assignments. I like that you had this important discussion with your students because it will serve as a motivator in their learning. Students need to be aware that part of the learning process involves making mistakes. Transparency is also necessary when teachers change grading practices. Students must be a part of this process. I wonder how effective a standards and skills assessment would be in comparison to a content specific test. Perhaps the Department of Education needs to mandate this change for all secondary level schools.
DeleteAloha Matt- I noticed that you informed your students about the change in grading policy to provide transparency and to foster trust and confidence. I sort of mentioned the changes I made to my grading system to my students but it was so late in the year that I didnʻt communicate (or know how to communicate) that change with the families of my students. At the beginning of the year my grading policy is stated in the class syllabus and I didnʻt even update that on the school website. I wonder what we can do to effectively communicate any changes we make to policy as they happen.
DeleteMatt, I liked how you really went over the purpose of homework. Sharing with our students the why gives them at least some sort of reason we are torturing them. Well, some students see work at torture, I mean we really have to be honest, if we are not interested in the subject, it makes it difficult to learn. I am wondering, what motivational strategies did you find successful that engaged your students.
DeleteHi Matt... I notice that you observe student understanding during classroom observations but are careful not to grade them on simply participation but really listen to the words that they use to convey understanding. I agree that we must continue to find various way to assess what our students know and can do. I don't use my grade book as often as I probably should. I wonder how we can create a grade book system that is equitable but also easy to manage. As a middle school teacher with about 200 students at a time, grading gets really overwhelming at times.
DeleteHi Matthew, I noticed that you are implementing a lot of strategies to promote equitable grading. You said you have students peer grade each other with rubrics, great idea! I wonder, do you have class discussions with your students to create a rubric they will be graded off of or do you create it yourself and share after? Thanks for sharing your ideas!
DeleteHi Matthew,
DeleteI noticed from your post the success you have seen with using clarity and improvements with your grading practices. From the sound of it, communication is key to your success when sharing the expectations with your students.
I wonder how schools can begin to implement same practices for grading across curriculum. Our content area departments on our campus utilize such different grading scales; even the grading language expressed in each classroom differs from teacher to teacher. What I have learned is that the important thing is to begin the change in our classrooms first, involving all stakeholders (students, parents, etc.) so that our new grading practices have meaning and depth. Perhaps later, we can influence and learn from our teacher colleagues. Baby steps I guess. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I noticed that you had mentioned that it is important to be transparent with students in regards of grading. Even at an early age, elementary, students should take part of their grading. I explain through explicit directions and rubrics to help students know what is expected. I wonder how students involvement differ from an early age as an elementary age student would compare to a secondary aged student?
DeleteMatthew, I noticed that you have tried a couple things and would like to try others but need more time to think through how to properly implement them. I agree with this approach as this is difficult work and a huge paradigm shift. I like that you would like to communicate with parents about retakes/redos and wonder how receptive they will be about those opportunities or if they will resist as that is a new way of thinking? I wonder this as I have had parents question me in the past as to why I am allowing their child to make adjustments to projects...
DeleteWhich equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
ReplyDeleteThe first equitable practice I tried this quarter was to not input zeros or ‘missing’ to Infinite Campus when students are absent/miss a test. Traditionally, I would input the letter ‘M’ as an indicator to the student, as well as myself, that the student needed to make up their exam. Of course, when we enter this it automatically lowers their overall percentage. Instead of inputting an ‘M’, I entered an ‘I’ or incomplete to track those students who will need to complete missing assignments. I created a spreadsheet for all 7 classes, detailing which assignments were missing for all students. During independent practice, I circulated to schedule make up times with individual students. This strategy was successful for both students and myself because they were able to earn the grades they deserved without being penalized for simply being absent.
Another equitable practice I implemented this quarter was to allow students to provide input in their final presentation rubric. Students spent ten minutes in small groups developing and deciding how to word performance criteria for their evaluation. I believe this will motivate students to put forth their best effort into their project and presentation. Their final presentation will take place on May tenth, and then I will reflect on how successful it was. Judging from their discussions, it already seems highly effective!
Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
I did not inform students that I entered the letter ‘I’ instead of ‘M’ prior to making this adjustment in Infinite Campus. I regret not informing them, because grading needs to be a shared responsibility and clearly communicated. I plan to make this practice clear at the beginning of the school year next fall. Students were involved with the rubric creation and therefore aware of the new evaluation performance criteria.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
An equitable grading partnership with students would include clear communication, student input, standards-based evaluation, and an understanding that grades are actually to demonstrate their understanding of course content. I like when Mr. Feldman told us ‘Assessments are for the teacher, not the students. It is the responsibility of teachers to evaluate how much students understand.’ I now feel empowered and responsible to gather assessment data that is more summative. Most of my assessments are formative. I try to quiz students on specific grammar or vocabulary lessons separately. Next school year, I will create more summative assessments and projects that can gather data to pinpoint where students are at in their learning process.
I noticed how you allowed your students to create their presentation rubric. By providing students the opportunity to have conversations about what makes a high quality final product, they are building soft skills and are aware of their own expectations. I wonder what that would look like in terms of efficiency throughout the school year, if done a lot? Thank you for sharing!
DeleteAloha Melissa- I noticed that you created a spreadsheet for all 7 classes, detailing which assignments were missing for all students and that during independent practice you circulated to schedule make up times with individual students. I love that! I also had changed the way I recorded and allowed missing work to be made up but I did not think of creating a spreadsheet and then scheduling make up time for students. I bet they really appreciated that you assisted them in that way. I would like to implement a version of this in my classes although I am a bit overwhelmed with 6 classes and about 150 students on my roster. I wonder what I can do in a practical way to assist my students to earn the grade they deserve and not be penalized just for being absent or having missing work.
DeleteHi Melissa... I notice that you share how you agreed with Mr. Feldmen when he said "Assessments are for the teacher, not the students. It is the responsibility of teachers to evaluate how much students understand." Although I agree that contractually, it is the teacher who has to keep accurate grading records of what students know and can do, I also believe that students must be an equal part of understanding how they are doing which is why self-assessments and peer assessments are such a big part of my classroom culture. I wonder how we can shift the narrative to empowering students to learn how to work in partnership with teachers to know how they are doing.
DeleteHi Melissa,
DeleteI noticed your comment about involving student input when developing rubric(s). I like this type of student buy-in and it has real power when student voice is heard. I'm sure you have found much success from this. For me, I often use and reuse rubrics that have worked (so I thought) and share them with my students. I use it as a discussion tool to see what my students may find important and/or not important to assess on a given assignment. Now, like you, I'm beginning to take student input more seriously.
I wonder if I have the drive to continue on this way; using open communication with rubric building. What I would like to master is attaching the standards and assignments (more than just the one task) that this particular rubric will measure. I have the summer to mull it over and make changes to my practices so that I can better implement them next school year. At least I can say that I've tried; yet I've got a long way to go to become proficient with better grading practices and use of rubrics. Thanks for your input/comments.
Melissa, I noticed that you actually worked with each student to schedule time to make up missing/incomplete assignments. That is an awesome idea. Having a one-to-one conversation with students about their work helps to put the onus back on them and forces them to acknowledge the work they are obligated to do. I wonder if moving forward they will be more proactive and approach you themselves now that they know you expect them to make up the work and have time scheduled to do so?
DeleteWhich equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain. One of the equitable practices that I learned from this course that I have tried in my classes is changing my grading scale from the traditional 0-100 to a 50-100 scale. I knew this practice was successful because students that were previously in the failing range of points at 0-59 who had no motivation to do work to improve their grade now saw that it was mathematically possible for them to pass. Several of these students came in during lunch and after school to complete and turn in work, resulting in them getting to a passing grade. Another equitable practice I implemented was not grading any classwork, whether it was individual or group work, and just grading the summative assessment. I knew this was successful because students still did the work and the test scores for the units were the same or higher than previous years.
ReplyDeleteDo you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why? I only informed the students that were not passing about the change in the grading scale. I think this is because I changed it so late in the school year and I just didnʻt know what to say to all the students about changing grading scales. I did mention to the failing students that they had a real chance of passing if they completed and turned in work. However, I did let all the students know about not grading any individual or group classwork and they responded really well to that. The same kids that always did their work still did the work and the same students who never did the work still did not do the work. I explained to them that the classwork and activities were to prepare them for the summative assessment and after the summative assessment we talked about how the amount of work they did either prepared them or did not prepare them for the assessment. I feel like I saw a change in studentʻs view of work and their stress level. It was a really positive thing for me and my students to have this change in what is and isnʻt graded.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like? From the reading I learned that a true partnership with students to make grading more equitable would look like working together to collaborate in the creation of clear expectations, rubrics, and honest discussions at the outset to identify and understand the exact standards that they are going to be graded against. In my practice I would like to implement this type of partnership with my students. I am writing down my ideas and new knowledge gained from this course to create this type of partnership with my students.
I notice that we both changed our grading scales from 0-100 to 50-100. I also saw that there were a few students for whom passing became more attainable because of this change. I like the way that you shared why you are not grading homework and classwork anymore with your students, I think I should share like that as well. I wonder what the impact would look like if we started this at the beginning of the year and explained all the reasons behind our grading scales and choices, etc.
DeleteI wonder
Charme, I liked that you changed the grading system. I am amazed that you saw some results of students completing and turning in work. Who would have thought going 50-100 would make a significant percentage change? I am wondering, if you have tried to share this with at least your department or team you are on and maybe they could all do the same to make it consistent?
ReplyDelete1. Which equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
ReplyDeleteOne of the equitable practices I tried is not assigning zeros to any students. I did everything possible to ensure that every student had some sort of learning evidence which I could assess them on. Having a starting point rather than nothing made it a lot easier to provide feedback to my students. Most of the feedback for my vulnerable students was verbal so I knew that they were receiving the feedback that was being provided. Some of my 8th grade students struggle the most because they currently have fixed mindsets. The gains these students were minimal but at least they were not stagnant or regressing. Although the piece only included basic rhythms, at least one student was able to keep a steady tempo throughout and play from beginning to end with their group.
Another equitable practice that I implemented was printing trackers for students to track the following soft skills: class participation, appropriate conduct, and time maximization. My students were provided folders with sheet protectors so it was easy for them to organize their soft skills trackers. I felt that paper copies would be easier for them to see how they were progressing. I can confidently say that there are less class disruptions and less students socializing for a majority of the class period. I used to have students throwing rocks at each other but we haven’t had a
serious incident like that since the trackers were implemented. During the 3rd quarter, each student performed at least one solo or ensemble for our Virtual Showcase. A majority of students also submitted two or more video recordings of themselves. During the 2nd quarter, there were a handful of students who were not even able to submit one high quality video recording.
2. Did you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
I felt that it was important to be transparent with my students and let them know that I was taking a professional development course for teachers to help improve the grading practices within our class. If students know that as an adult and as a teacher, I am practicing being a lifelong learner, I hope that they will learn to do the same as a student. By being transparent we could have honest and open conversations about the current struggles we faced and how we could attempt
new practices to improve both their grades and more importantly their learning.
3. What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
I believe that a partnership with students to make grading more equitable looks like ongoing conversations and discussions around the purpose of equitable grading and how we can accomplish this effort collaboratively. There would be opportunities for students to deconstruct and create student-friendly descriptors for all academic rubrics. Our classroom would include students providing ongoing written and verbal self and peer assessment as a shared responsibility with the teacher to address how students are learning. Students would be completing soft skills trackers and providing feedback to peers to ensure that continual growth is
being made that supports academic growth.
I notice that we both foresee partnerships with students including collaboration on rubrics. I also think this is the easiest way for students to play a role in the equitable grading equation and to best teach them those soft skills and how to self reflect and help themselves.
DeleteI wonder what other ways other teachers may collaborate with students in equitable grading?
I noticed how you were opening in telling your students about taking this course. I did the same thing also and my students began ranting about their other teachers and their unfair grading styles. Students want to play the game and in order for them to play well and win, they need to learn the rules. Transparency is a great start in their success.
DeleteI wonder how you'll have students give each other feedback? Paper or electronic (Google Form)? This is a great way to put responsibility back on the students in understanding how they can improve their learning/education.
1.) So far I have boosted many of my minimum scores on tests to 50%, and I have focused on mostly inputting summative assessments into my gradebook for quarter 3 and 4, no more homework. I have noticed that the minimum scores have helped a few students' grades to a more reasonable F where if they demonstrate effort this quarter they could possibly pass the course. I have also started allowing retakes for all students, regardless of grade on first test.
ReplyDelete2.) I have not told students about bumping my minimum grading on tests. I write it in the notes in Infinite Campus, but I have not had a conversation with students yet. I had a student teacher for most of Quarter 3 and half of Quarter 4 so just in the past week or so I have started to take back over my classroom. My reasoning for this is mostly because it is affecting their quarter 1-2 grades, and I don't know if they really even look at that.
3.) I really like the idea of working together with students on building rubrics and using them to calibrate grading and give peers better feedback on how to improve their work. This is what I can see myself using the most from this notion of collaborating with students.
Jessica,
DeleteI noticed that you said you have a student teacher. I wonder if you have been sharing the information from this book/class with her/him. When I was going through my teaching program, grading was not something that was covered. I wonder if that is still the case. I think teachers would benefit a lot from being taught what standard base grading is and how it impacts planning and student learning.
Hi Jessica!! I noticed that you are ready to start building rubrics with your students. I love that idea and think the students would really take ownership of their grades when they build the rubric with you. I can see how having students give feedback to each other would benefit them as well. I wonder what age students would really be able to give true feedback to their classmates. I can imagine my daughter in kindergarten being good at giving positive feedback to her classmates.
DeleteHi Jessica, I noticed that you started giving minimum grades! I wonder if you also noticed that those students who would normally fail are now actually trying to cross over to pass? I also started allowing redos--did you have all students complete it, or was it optional? What percent of students willingly redid their assignments? I did notice for mine that it was mostly the students who were earning B's and C's already that chose to redo it, rather than the students earning D's.
DeleteWhich equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
ReplyDeleteThe equitable grading practice that I have tried so far is eliminating the zero. In my grade book, I list incomplete or excused instead of a zero if an assignment was not turned in or complete. I then work with each individual student to ensure as much of their work is completed. I base their grade on the level of mastery of the standards they have shown on the work that they have completed.
Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
I absolutely explain any new grading practice or change that happens in my classroom. It is part of building trust between teacher and student. I don’t want my students to see my class as a puzzle to solve. My job is to lessen any anxiety, so the most learning can happen.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like? Students/teacher conferences, self-assessments, peer-assessments, use of student created rubrics, varied assessments, retakes for all and those who request them, and common understanding of grading language and system are all things that teachers and students could partner on to make grading more equitable.
Hi Christine! I noticed that you explain any new grading practice with your students. I agree that in order to build trust with your students that you would have to share every and all information possible with them. Especially if you want them to be able to track their grades as well. I wonder what the best tool is the support young students tracking their own grades. I know rubrics help older students, but would they be of any value in preschool?
DeleteWhich equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
DeleteI have used multiple strategies to promote equitable grading in my classroom. I have created rubrics that are standard-based and discussed rubrics with students to provide transparency. I have also had students create rubrics to promote self-efficacy. I do not assign zeros as scores and use a 1-5 rubric to maintain motivation and accuracy in grading. My students are also encouraged to take retakes to demonstrate learning. I have found that these strategies have provided a more accurate description of each of my students' capabilities. My students and I have discussed that the ability to retake exams and the clarity on expectations for assessments has definitely increased their confidence in the classroom.
Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
Yes, I let my students know about the new grading practices I implement because transparency in grading is imperative for students to succeed. My students and I discuss what they will be graded on and how they are going to be graded so they are clear on how they can succeed. Transparency encourages accuracy and prevents biases, students know how to obtain a grade and that their grades are based solely on their academic performance. This in turn provides a safe environment for students to grow and feel motivated in learning.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
I think a partnership that maintains transparency and accountability will allow for more equitable grading. Both parties need to know exactly what is expected of them and what to expect from the other. When grading practices are equitable there is an ongoing conversation between teacher and students that encourages self-efficacy. Students need to trust that the work they do will promote them towards success. WHen students feel that they can trust their teacher and are aware of grading practices, grading will be more equitable. It is important to have an open and ongoing dialogue with students about grading and what those grades mean for them as individuals.
Hi Christine! I noticed that you got rid of the zero! Wow, that's great! I wonder--Did you find that more students were willing to try to work with you to complete the assignment, or that fewer students were getting an incomplete or missing? Was it hard to track them down to work with them?
DeleteAloha J! I noticed that you stressed the importance of ongoing conversation between teacher and students to encourage self-efficacy. I really see the need to consider student voice to establish ownership and accountability. I just wonder about proactive ways you do in case there will be students who will go beyond their boundaries like the tendency to rule over the class and the teacher. This is a worst-case scenario but I know this happens. Mahalo for your input!
DeleteWhich equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
ReplyDeleteI ended up combining several concepts that I liked. The first was organizing my assessment by standard, and further breaking down the standard by components that I could grade them on. The second was that I used a 1-4 grading scale, but instead I translated the scale to the A-F scale that students know and understand. I used A= Above Grade Level, B = At Grade Level, C = Approaching Grade Level, D = Below Grade Level, and F = Incomplete / No Evidence. I addressed the new grading scale with students and they were receptive and like knowing exactly what each grade meant. It really helped that students already have a fundamental understanding of the A-F scale but that I was adding easy to understand descriptions of what each grade meant.
Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
I actually ran it by my students before deciding to actually change my grading practice. The majority of the students were happy that their grades were easier to understand.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
Working with students and getting their feedback on changes that you plan to implement before you implement helps students feel like they have a voice on important aspects of the classroom. I’m not sure that I’m entirely comfortable with the classroom being a “partnership” as that implies equality, and there isn’t equality in a situation where I have mastery of the content beyond the high school level and they are in the 6th grade.
Which equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
ReplyDeleteI could go on forever about trying and trying to implement equitable practices. There is plenty that I do on a daily that promotes equity. I can say the same for my work with colleagues and providing equitable time to work with each one. But I will say this, in regards to equitable practices I have implemented student voice. Not only have I observed student academic strengths but I often invite students to tell me about their academic preferences, interests, and needs. Doing this has proven to be successful because there is openness and transparency and vulnerability on both student and teacher behalf.
Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
There is always talk about grading practices. I do this because in a way, I'm still learning to become better at grading. Students are interested in their grades and many are motivated by both success and failures. Because of this, I discuss with the class the importance of measuring their development, finding the accurate way to assess their knowledge by using scale of numbers/letters, and understanding what it all means. Grades greatly affect a child's academic future and I have a strong desire to do right by them.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
As mentioned above, being vulnerable is a risk but a risk worth taking. The process of equitable grading is fluid; it evolves over time. When there is positive partnering between teacher and students, there is movement in right directions. There is improvement, there is consequence, and there is reward. The best part about great partnerships is the peaks and valleys and the ability to work it out together. I believe that this makes for learning opportunities for teachers that keep us real and impressionable.
I noticed how implementing equitable practices is not just a one time task and then not looking back at it. I concur, it needs to be looked at every year/semester because our students goals and needs are changing and we need to make sure we're equitable in all forms/levels.
DeleteI wonder if there are rubrics created for each rubric for each standard/unit, used as a template and then adjusting as needed? I remember creating a rubric and adjusting every semester due to my students' IEP goals/objectives. It's good to have a general rubric and use this template to make adjustments for students as needed. Continue being awesome in being a positive influence in your students' lives.
Val Shindo-Uehira
DeleteHi Ceslee,
I think its awesome that you included student voice as part of your equitable practice to increase transparency and trust. I also believe that when students are given an opportunity to share their thoughts and feeling and are able to contribute to the grading process their engagement and academic performance increases. I also liked your view of the process being fluid and that it is not just a one time fix. Your students are so lucky!
Which equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
ReplyDeleteThe equitable grading practices I have tried are not using formatives as a part of their grade, using rubrics based on 0-8 point scale, not including participation in part of their grade, not penalizing for late work, and allowing students to redo their summative assignments. I have seen success in allowing students to redo work--students are eager to correct their mistakes, and even those who earned the highest score but had a small error still chose to correct their work even though it wouldn’t affect their grade which proves that they did it for the love of learning. Students are also grateful that I no longer penalize for late work as well.
Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
I have been letting students know about new grading practices as we go along, because I think it’s important for them to see that we as teachers are still learning and growing. If we truly want them to be life long learners, we need to model it for them, and show them that we are also open-minded and willing to change our perspectives with proper evidence. It’s encouraging for students also to know that their teachers are trying to become better teachers as well. It’s also important for us as teachers to be transparent about the grading process so students can actually grow and take advantage of the various opportunities to demonstrate their learning.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
A partnership with students to make grading more equitable would look like students reflecting on their own thinking, their own mistakes, and what they’re learning from the process of redoing assignments or not being penalized for late work or mistakes as they learn, and it would also mean checking in with them on how it affects their mindset--do they feel like they can improve in the class, and if so, what opportunities are they taking. A partnership would also include a teacher being open to feedback and how to improve. I think this would also lend itself to cocreating the rubric--discussing what students should demonstrate and creating the strands as a class. That way it’s student led, they know exactly what they need to demonstrate, and the rubric is clear and accurate.
Val Shindo-Uehira
DeleteHi Jennifer,
I also incorporated some of the same strategies you used - I did not grade homework, I allowed revisions and accepted late work. Isn't amazing how making these changes to your grading policy can have such a huge impact on student motivation and engagement! I also saw students making revisions (even if it was a few minor changes) and because I accepted late work, more students ended the quarter with less missing assignments.
Hi Jennifer!
DeleteI notice that you are slowly straying away from homework based formatives which is something that I am working toward doing too! It is a bit difficult since I assign a lot of homework in my class, but I think going into next school year it will be a little easier to transition. I wonder if students reflecting on their mistakes would help them to learn in depth? What is a very common occurrence is that when students make test corrections they only look at the questions they got wrong. The part that is often overlooked is what about they guessed on and got right? Where is the learning there? The addition of revisions is something I am also still trying to navigate, but overall it is great to hear another teacher making similar changes to the equitable nature of their curriculum and grading style!
Val Shindo-Uehira
ReplyDelete1-Which equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
The practices that I chose were acceptance of late work without penalty, allowing students to complete revisions on work that did not meet proficiency and non graded homework. I am able to tell if these strategies are successful by the number of students who complete assignments and if students’ scores and quarter grades increase.
2-Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
It is important that students are aware of how they are being graded and what is included in their grades. Students should know that things like soft skills and participation, although important, are not graded categories. Students should also be aware of how a teacher’s grading policy can help support them to be successful. When students have all of this information, they become more motivated and willing to complete tasks that they may not normally undertake for fear of failing. For these reasons, I did let my students know about my new grading practices. After reading the text and fellow participant’s responses in the blog post, I believe that being transparent with students was extremely important. Not having them guessing about the changes to my grading policy and letting them know exactly what those changes were and why they were made will help motivate them to complete the necessary tasks.
3-What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
I think that a partnership with students would make grading more equitable and add to the transparency of the grading policy. I feel that when students are involved in the grading process, they are more likely to take ownership and will put in more effort. Students will know where they are in their learning and what they need to be able to do to move forward.
Aloha Val! I noticed that you have seen the importance of transparency in the grading process and the teaching and learning process as a whole. You have also mentioned about student involvement in the grading process. I just wonder how do you get them involved in the process to instill in them ownership of their learning? I also wonder what difference would the involvement be in the elementary, middle and high school. Mahalo for your thoughts!
Delete1) What I learned from this chapter and what I used in my grading using the three strategies: Accuracy - my summative rubric uses a scale 4 (A), 3 (B), 2 (C) , 0 (No Evidence); Bias-Resistance - Students choose the song they’ll be assessed on by random for their summative per unit. No grades for Formatives, instead Peer Review & Self-Reflection are given when individual or group presentations are performed; lastly, Motivation - retakes are given for summatives upon schedule with the teacher.
ReplyDeleteChallenges to my practice have been the use of peer review & self-reflection on performances in class. Years before I used feedback only for the final project, but why wait until the end of the year to get feedback. Students should be improving and supporting each other's learning throughout the whole semester.
I will implement this practice of student feedback in the upcoming school year in how I create their units, especially since I’m having a separate beginner and advanced class for ukulele.
2) What I learned from this chapter is that I did speak with my students about how they will receive a grade in my class and the process of achieving mastery for each unit. What I did implement this Spring semester instead of the Fall semester was the use of feedback by peer review & self-reflection for performance improvement.
Challenges to my practice will be to find ways to better motivate my students in performing in front of the class via live performances or video recording. I also know that I have to teach my students the value of feedback and to use it as praise or constructive criticism.
I will implement a lesson plan on peer review & self-reflection, going over the Google Form I created so that the students understand how they’ll be giving feedback, how they’ll receive feedback by turning in their assignments via Google Classroom and practicing giving feedback on past video performances so they can see and hear what makes the different levels of performance.
3) What I learned from this chapter is that students are more likely to worry about their grades than they let on, especially during crunch time at the end of the semester/year. Students feel more comfortable and at ease when they know they can retake summatives. I tell students that with life, everyone should strive to reach their goals and a summative assessment is a good starting point.
Challenges to my practice are small and few, knowing what I know now from, “Grading for Equity” book and having virtual meetings to talk to other peers have really helped in preparing myself and my classroom for the upcoming school year. I feel less stress and more motivation in creating a better learning environment/culture for my classes.
I will implement open communication with my students, if they want to talk about their grades and they want to improve their skills/talents - I’ll be ready and prepared to help them succeed in their education.
Hi Hoku!
DeleteI notice that you made made changes on your practice based on this course! I think it is great that you are allowing students to chose the song they will be assessed on. This will alleviate some of the stresses associated with a summative and also give students a freedom of choice which would make them feel like they have a voice in the classroom.
I wonder if all students were allowed students to retake summative's that there would be an across the board decrease in test anxiety? While I know that letting students retake the same summative may be an easy way to get a higher grade, students should be able to take a different form of the summative to exhibit their talents, so that they aren't just memorizing answers on a test.
1. Which equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain.
ReplyDeleteMost of the grading practices that have been discussed in the book are already a practice in my context, however I needed to tweak some to make them more equitable.
Under the Pillar of Accuracy, I implemented avoiding zeros, minimum grading, 0-4 scale, weight more recent performance and graded based on individual achievement. For the performance level descriptors of the 4-point scale, I have set it to 4-Mastered the Standard, 3-Expanding(Student has key gaps in their understanding of the standard), 2-Developing (Student is able to demonstrate the skill with less assistance, 1 Emerging(Student is unable to demonstrate the skill without assistance) and 0-No evidence). The reason why I did not add exceeding standards as a performance level descriptor is not because I don’t believe in my students but because I have students who are in the entering and emerging language levels who are also struggling academically because of learning gaps. Thus, I found including exceeding standards as inaccessible for them, and would surely be an equitable issue. I also weighed more recent performance and during a specific quarter, I tend to change their mid-quarter grade with their most recent performance in a particular standard. I believe that they were successful because nobody among my students received a zero and they had received passing grades during the last two quarters of the school year.
Under the Pillar of Bias-Resistant Grading, I graded based on required content, based on students work, excluding participation and effort and based entirely on summative tests. These grading practices enabled my students to earn a grade of 4 in most of the standards. They did not struggle too much in redeeming their grades when they earned low because of absences and other things that occurred beyond their control.
Under the Pillar of Motivation, I applied the minimum grading and 0-4 scale, renaming grades, retakes and redos, rubrics, standards-based gradebooks, feedback and student tracker. I created a Single Point Rubrics with the expected success criteria aligned with the content standard. The rubrics also had a column for GLOWS (What I did well) and GROWS (What I need to improve). These columns allowed for reflection for the students and used those student-to-self reflection and student-to-peer reflections to improve their output, which was already a form of redo. Having a 4-Mastered the standard instead of Exceeding Standards enabled my students to earn a 4 in their outputs, and thus earning a good grade. I also mirrored the levels to the current language levels in the ACCESS for ELs test in order for them to make connections on how I grade and how they are graded in their annual language proficiency test. I also let students track their progress in my class through the properly set-up google classroom where lessons and activities are labeled weekly. I also taught them how to check what assignments were done and what were not. I also utilized a timely, substantive and corrective feedback system. I consider the grading practices as successful in my context with the difference in the attitude of my students in approaching a particular assignment. They are now more into the what, the how and the why and the learning journey as a whole.
PART B.
ReplyDelete2. Do you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why?
I perceive that the teaching and learning process is a partnership amongst the teacher, the students and the parents/guardians and everything either the new or what is current, needs to be communicated. In the beginning of the school year, I drafted a syllabus with my grading policies which I discussed with students in my class and had them bring home, discuss with their parents and let them both sign. It is something that I keep on doing annually for transparency and accountability and to avoid any conflicts that might occur related to the grading system. When I did some tweaks on some of the things I already implemented, I still communicated it to my students. Also, the students are the ones who are directly affected by any change in the grading system, so they deserve to know what is happening so at least they would know how to also adjust and perform according to the criteria set and expectations.
3. What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like?
Partnership with students to make grading more equitable is considering student voice in the grading process. It may come from co-constructing rubrics, making sure that they would understand how they are being graded, having them give feedback to themselves, to their peers, to the teacher and the learning process as a whole. It is also about acknowledging the diversity that students have and adjusting the learning process to meet individual needs and address personal and academic barriers. It also involves communicating to students everything that concerns them, especially their academic performance—the WHAT (What they need to learn and be able to demonstrate), The HOW (How could they show that they have learned the content and how they could demonstrate proficiency of the standards) and the WHY (If there are new that should be implemented or the reason why a student received a grade). Partnership to make grading equitable should not only involve transparency but the students’ involvement in the grading process.
The equitable practices that I tried were 1. Reflection (written skills) 2. Data Collection Project (communication skills) 3. Fetal Pig Dissection (Hands on Skills) 4. Written Test with Labeling (Knowledge Test). The Reflection highlights ideas in chapter 7 being that I made changes in my rubric to make sure they are mathematically sound. The Data collection project takes ideas from chapter 15 because practices in this activity are pushing for the usages of soft skills. The Fetal pig dissection integrates ideas from chapter 11 because students can do redos which foster the growth mindset. Lastly, the written test highlights ideas in chapter 10 because it values knowledge. Overall these can be assessed on successfulness by seeing if students' scores and motivation increase, and also looking to see if students are clearer on the expectations.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most drastic changes I made was the late work policy. While I didn’t just say “I will accept any and all late work! There were some protocols that were put into place”. The reason why I put in protocols was so that all the students don’t turn in their work on the last day of the quarter. One of my protocols is that they need to send an email saying that they submitted it so that I know to grade it. This way it teaches the students responsibility of knowing that turning in work may even require extra work.
I have already begun a partnership with my students on making my grading more equitable by giving them a google form at the end of the year asking them their opinions about the grading styles. At the end of the day I am still the teachers so I will not just have the students vote democratically on their grading style (because there does need to be some rigor), but I will have their thoughts heavily weigh in on my final decision. Also, having interviews with a few of my students at a variety of different learning levels may be helpful too.
Which equitable practices did you try? How do you know whether they are successful? Explain. The practice that I had implemented in regards to this course was the use of rubrics specifically in regards to group work. I would usually give grades to students merely for “participation.” If groups were able to complete project completely I would give the same “MP” grades to each student. The use of rubrics helped students evaluate their own learning. The rubrics were student made and reflect how students participated in the group and measured their learning.
ReplyDeleteDo you let your students know about the new grading practices you are implementing and why? Specifically with this change in the grading system, I infomed students that we would implement a new procedure to measure their learning. We worked on the rubric together and implemented it.
What would a partnership with students to make grading more equitable look like? The use of student made rubrics were a great way to show partnership between the student and teacher. We brainstormed what the outcomes of the learning should look like and came up with indicators that were measurable.