Diving into the Grade-less Sea!

After spending a summer reading and reflecting on the use of a traditional grading system, I've committed to make the shift over to eliminate grades as a way to evaluate the learning in my classroom. Honestly, I've had moments when I've felt anxious about the process. Then, that emotion is immediately followed up by excitement. I've had to make an intentional effort to reframe my way of thinking. Every book, tweet and conversation I've engaged in only confirms my decision to move forward. You will never know if you don't try it yourself, right? 

Seriously, who can argue with John Hattie's research on what raises student achievement. Formative teaching evaluations, feedback, metacognitive strategies top his list and are all components of the grade-less shift.

I began the process by reading "Hacking Assessments." I found it to read much like an easy to follow, useful instructional manual. Star Sackstein, @mssackstein,  provides you with the straightforward "nuts and bolts" of dropping grades. 


After reading Star's book, since letter grades are off the table, I've been on a mission to find tools to help in the implementation of dropping grades. One of my biggest fears is that parents will not feel plugged into their child's academic progress. However, I am realizing that I've been giving letter grades way too much credit. In reality, a letter grade tells virtually nothing about what the child actually knows!  It did not take long for me to figure out that there is not a "one size fits all" protocol for alternative ways to communicate the student's progress with parents. So this will be a year of piloting different tools. 

We are a GAFE school, so Drive & Google Classroom will be a way I plan for students to reflect and receive teacher feedback. It was suggested in a blog I read that Google Keep be used for recording student conferencing anecdotal notes. After looking at different platforms for digital portfolios, I decided for my 5th graders to use Seesaw. I particularly liked its simplicity of posting work and reflections. There is also a family version of the app so parents can also view their child's learning. I'm also going to try Flipgrid video discussions for reflections and Google Forms for exit tickets. 

My assessments are currently about 65% project/inquiry based learning projects. I quickly found out that people have mixed feelings about traditional assessments. For the time being, I will continue to use some traditional assessments, but I will reframe the way I evaluate them. First of all, I've learned to not call them tests. Joy Kirr refers to them as "check comprehension" and Monte Syrie calls them "performances." Teacher Sharleen Smith cleverly calls them "YOK," you outta know. Based on a form Catlin Tucker uses with her students, I reformatted the table to fit the needs of my 5th graders. I doubt this form is perfectly designed. I'm certain I will have to make adjustments - but it's a start!

I've been leaning heavily on Facebook Teachers Going Gradeless and Twitter @TG2chat groups for help. The wave of people that are knee deep in the process generously share the good, bad and ugly. There is no way I would be diving into the "grade-less sea" without their support.

If you are at all curious about this movement, you should check out the Twitter chat, #TG2Chat, on Sundays at 8pm CST. You will definitely find amazing educators to follow! Some of the educators whose blogs I frequently read are Monte Syrie, Joy Kirr, Catlin Tucker, Aaron Blackwelder and Arthur Chiaravalli. I would highly recommend that you follow them on Twitter too. They are passionate about dropping grades and will respond to any questions you may encounter along the way. Another goldmine to check out is @Joykirr' s Livebinder, "Feedback in Lieu of Grades." 

On a final note, I'm sharing the letter my administrator sent to the parents. I am fortunate to have such an incredibly supportive administrator in my corner. While pockets of educators at my school are considering piloting dropping grades for an assignment, project or unit, I am the only one jumping in head first. It will undoubtedly be a learning curve for me, but hopefully my students will reap the benefits of it in the long run. Personally blogging about my experience is a way to pay back for all of the inspiration and support I've received from my PLN. It's also a constructive way for me to reflect on my experiences!

Dear 5th grade parents,

As you know from my email earlier this month, we will be piloting various alternatives to traditional grading this year in Middle School.  Our goal is to focus on learning.  As obvious as that sounds, there is an abundance of research indicating that traditional letter-grading practices, like the ones we've used for years, can have a detrimental effect on students in the long run.  Some research has shown that, with letter grading, over time natural curiosity wanes, external motivators overtake internal motivation (and this extends beyond one's formal education), interest in a topic can come to an abrupt end as soon as the final grade is received, and self-esteem gets closely tied up in the grade earned.

Connie Fink, our 5th grade social studies teacher, is trying a new approach in her classroom this year when it comes to providing feedback on each student's learning.  Below is a note from Connie:

I am thrilled to make learning the central focus in my classroom, not grading. Please know that while I am prepared and committed to follow through on my new approach to providing students and parents feedback, I do expect to make adjustments along the way.

While the curriculum is similar to previous years', the main focus will be on reaching mastery with skills and content rather than on the grade earned. After completing their work, students will have multiple opportunities to move toward mastery with the assessed content/skills. Feedback and reflections are an essential part of the process. Count on me trying out different tools to provide you and your child with feedback. Throughout the year, feel free to share what it feels like on your end.  I will share more on Parents’ Night!

Your feedback to Connie and to me will be an important ingredient in helping us assess the effectiveness of her approach this year.  Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts as we move forward together.