there are early struggles ?
Can we grade in ways that demonstrate our unflagging belief that every student can meet our academic expectations , regardless of their privileges or previous experiences ? Fortunately , we can , and many schools do . Here are three ways :
1 ) In schools that align their grading to their school cultures , grades report where students ended their learning , not where they began or the path they took to get there . In these schools , grades aren ’ t calculated by averaging performance over time , but reflect only a student ’ s final level of standards mastery .
These schools create a culture of retakes , redos and redemption , so that failed exams or other summative assessments can be opportunities for students to correct misconceptions , receive additional support , and try again with no penalty or limit to their score .
Elisa , a middle school teacher , describes how emphasizing final performance by allowing redos on summative assessments not only generated improved learning and higher student grades , but strengthened a positive classroom culture : “ One of the children asked , ‘ You ’ re giving me another chance to redo the test ? Really ?’ Not only did the students increase their overall average , but we built a more positive relationship . Some of them were the ‘ bad ,’ ‘ lazy ’ type that have been labeled or mislabeled , I should say . They ended up being my best students . I really think it ’ s because of this redo policy . They found me to be a teacher that wanted them to be successful , who didn ' t want to just put in a grade and be done with it .
“ My fear ( with a redo policy ) was , are they going to try their hardest the first time if they know they are able to redo it for a higher grade ? But I didn ’ t run into that problem . The kids did well the first time . You would think it would be the opposite – that they wouldn ’ t try – but the first time around , they tried harder . I think it was because they knew , by me giving them a second chance , that I had faith in them that they knew the material , that in the end they could do it . That was the whole idea .”
2 ) In schools that align their grading to their school cultures , homework scores aren ’ t included in the grade . Students are accountable for doing the homework , but
10 Leadership homework is redefined . It is not an end in itself : “ Do the homework because the teacher told you to .” It ’ s a means to learn : “ Do the homework and you ’ ll make mistakes , learn , and ultimately perform well on the assessment .” A school culture is built in which students do homework , not for the teacher , but for themselves . Plus , when homework is no longer included in the grade , there is no incentive for students to copy homework , and the school culture becomes more about learning than getting “ homework points ” or losing points for not completing homework .
Danny , a middle school teacher , made this transition because of his firsthand experience with the inequity of traditional practices : “ When I was a kid , I couldn ' t ask my mom and dad to help me with my homework because they were immigrants , and they knew less English than I did . The last thing that I want my students to experience is to fail a class for not being able to complete homework and classwork . It ’ s not really their fault . I don ' t want what I went through to happen to my students . I can ' t penalize a student for not having their own quiet space at home to complete a homework assignment or because of language barriers .
“ I explained to my students why I was not including homework or classwork in the grade , and they ’ re totally fine with it . Everything we do in class has a ‘ practicing purpose ’ and students understand and respect that . They take homework and classwork seriously , and when the assessment comes , they give it all they ’ ve got because they know that that ’ s where their grade is coming from . Students told me , ‘ I know what you ’ re doing here – you ’ re having us do this work , so we do well on the test .’ Yes !”
3 ) In schools that align their grading to their school cultures , teachers don ’ t evaluate students on criteria such as “ effort ,” “ growth ” and “ participation .” We know that teachers interpret student behaviors subjectively based in large part on the student ’ s race , gender or socio-economic status . Including these grading categories may be intended to motivate students or to manage behavior , but they render the grade more reflective of how the teacher interprets a student ’ s actions than what the student knows and can do .
For students and communities that have had negative experiences with schools and other institutions of power , deleting these categories from a student ’ s grade builds trust and goodwill . Grades become more fair and trusted when they ’ re based entirely on what students know and not on how educators judge their behavior .
Sarah , a high school science department head , explained how grading students on their behavior can feel satisfying , but it isn ’ t accurate or fair : “ I thought that we needed to include participation and behavior in the grade . And to be honest , it can feel good to take points away from poorly behaved students . But it is not an accurate assessment of what they know .
“ For so long in my class it was , ‘ Did you jump through all the hoops I set up for you ?’ as opposed to ‘ What did you learn in the class , regardless of how long it took you ?’ Now I realize that including a grade in anything other than tests and individual / original work that you can be certain was not copied is a terrible waste of time .”
How do we begin ?
We must tackle grading as a critical lever of school reform if we have any hope of ever seeing a substantive change in student outcomes . Yet grading is what Jeffrey Erickson calls the “ third rail ” of schools ( 2010 ), an emotionally fraught concept that provides power and legitimacy to teaching and learning , but that no one dares touch despite its negative impact on our teaching , our classrooms and our students .
Our first step should be to forgive ourselves . Our inherited and inequitable grading system isn ’ t the fault of teachers or administrators ; we ’ ve never had permission or tools to examine our century-old practices with a critical eye . Grading is rarely included in pre-service , induction , or ongoing professional development – an ironic and embarrassing oversight , considering that grades are at the root of school cultures and drive all major decisions about our students .
In my 20 years as a teacher and then as a principal , grading never seemed open for discussion , but now , as a consultant , I partner with schools and districts to have this discussion , to make grading more accurate and fair . Through a series of workshops and