Over the course of this school year, we have periodically shared updates regarding grading. Because trimester one is ending on December 5, we thought it timely to provide another update. During a recent professional development day teachers continued to work on grading practices and reported that they are seeing encouraging shifts that support high expectations, student growth, and clear communication. We wanted to take a moment and provide some of their feedback with you.
Clearer Learning Goals & Feedback
Teachers say expectations and progress are easier to explain:
“The new grade scale has been a game changer in communicating performance levels with students and parents. As teachers, we have spent much of our time designing leveled questions that we feel align with student grades. It has made our course work much more transparent and informative.”
“The 4.3 grading scale has made my grading and communication...with students and families more transparent and meaningful.”
“It has improved my ability to develop clearer learning targets when developing curriculum.”
What this means for students: They’re better able to understand what they’re learning and what it means to be proficient.
Focus on Learning & Growth
Classroom conversations are shifting toward mastery:
“I've been able to have more conversations with my students about doing work for the sake of learning versus simply earning a grade.”
“I’ve been talking more with students about learning versus grades. I’ve been talking with my coworkers about connecting everything back to learning targets. I’ve been talking with parents more about what the child has demonstrated and not what they completed. ”
“I feel students are wanting to learn more and explaining to them that this example would be a "C" and this would be an "A" has made students buy in that they need to do more for the A.”
What this means for students: More emphasis on skills, progress, and depth of understanding.
Clarity & Collaboration Across Classes
Teams are aligning expectations and tools:
“The grade scale definitely influences planning and collaboration with my co-teachers.”
“Significant amount of time spent collaborating with other teachers and writing assessments. Much more feedback on student assignments. ”
“A common rubric with other teachers in my content area has been helpful.”
“Using the language proficiency scale and calibrating it with the AHS grade scale along with my department colleagues has been extremely helpful!”
What this means for students: Clearer, more consistent grading from class to class.
More Intentional Planning & Feedback
Teachers are planning and assessing with greater purpose:
“It has definitely made planning much more meaningful.”
“It has made me think and be more conscious of my lesson planning and in general all of my professional practices. Totally makes me think about what’s important and what I want students to come away with.”
“It has made my feedback more intentional in addressing the skills the students have.”
“The new grading scale has influenced the way I plan my assignments, in particular my assessments versus practice assignments, in order to best help lead them to proficient or exemplary as well as see what they need to do in order to get there. ”
What this means for students: Assignments and feedback are tightly connected to meaningful learning targets.
Looking Ahead
We’ll keep building shared examples and aligning tools so that grading remains clear, fair, and growth-focused. Thank you for your partnership.