Now that introductions are out of the way, I can get to the real reason I began this blog. I teach chemistry at the high school level and spent the last two years fretting and fussing over the points game. I discovered that while I had quite a few gems who wanted to improve and learn simply for the academic pleasure of intelligence, most of my students were playing the points game. It did not matter how much or little they learned, only that they achieved the score they needed to escape punishments at home or get into the university program of their choice. Even my brighter students spent most of their time begging for extra credit and extra points simply to boost their GPA. The joy of learning, the pursuit of knowledge in all its mystery and glory has faded. And I am not ok with this. I realize I am a rare bird that enjoys knowledge simply for that joy of intellectual prowess but I feel that with this glow of intellect gone, school has lost its purpose. Why learn when you could just do extra credit and achieve the same result? So in an attempt to solve this problem, to put the focus back on learning, to take points out of their ill-gotten spot light, this year I have done away with points entirely. At the high school where I teach, I am part of a committee that has spent a fair amount of time studying the works of Anne Davies and Ken O'Conner. I have to say both opened my eyes and gave me hope that all was not lost in the rapidly dimming world of homework scores and extra credit.
To briefly summarize my approach, as previously stated, there are no points or percentages on any assignment. All papers, tests and labs are graded on a mastery scale from 1-5, with 5 being the highest score of absolute perfection, 3 being profiecient and on down the line. Only summative assessments affect a student’s grade. These take the form of pencil and paper tests, labs or performance assesments. All other assignments are considered formative (or practice) and are recorded in a student folder and online to create a visible pattern of progress that can be used to justify test retakes, alternative assessments, student conferences and even disciplinary action if the student is not taking responsibility. Think of homework and classwork as a timeline instead of a point pool. A list of standards for the entire year's course was created and given to students in the same class folder as their score chart. All assignments pertaining to a particular standard are grouped as such both online and in the student folder. By doing all this, I hope to simplify the reporting piece of the education process. By clarifying the meaning of scores and allow students to experience the process of learning as opposed to experiencing the defeatist system to often encountered, I hope to put the emphasis back where it belongs: on the learning. Through standards based grading (SBG) and assessment for learning (AFL) I hope to bring back that spark to the learning process.
And so I document my journey into the great unknown. . .
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