I've Stopped Grading
Reflections on the new school year + student whiteboard art + the usual assortment of other things.
I despise grading. This year, I’m not doing it, not in the traditional sense. I’ll tell you more about that momentarily.
This week is midterm for the first term of the year. It’s gone by fast. I remember being painfully nervous at the start of school last year (it was my first year). I had a little Garmin smartwatch that tracked my heart rate. 120bpm throughout the entire first day.
This year? No nerves. At least, not in a way that dominated my body or mind. I was excited and confident. Back-to-School night was fun. I enjoyed meeting some of my students and their parents. I work hard to memorize my students’ names leading up to school based upon the rosters I receive. (I don’t memorize everyone perfectly, but I've got most of the names within the first week of classes.) When some of the new students walked in with their parents, I could say, “Oh, you must be so-and-so.”
Last year, I only taught sophomore English. This year, I’m teaching junior English as well. (Plus running a study hall first semester which changes to a creative writing class in the second semester.) Because I’m teaching junior English, I get to have some of the same students from last year. It’s been nice.
I always give my students fist bumps as they come and leave class. “Good morning.” “Welcome to class.” “It’s good to see you.” “What's good?” Students who I taught last year but not this year will angle over to my door during passing period to give me a fist bump. I love it.
I still have a few class periods that are cold and quiet. They haven’t warmed up to each other. I’m brainstorming ways to help. Some of my classes talk and ask questions freely. I want that bug to spread.
Pictures from School
Students like to write and draw on the board after school.
What a goal.
A student brought flowers during the first week, so I put them in this fist which was a recent gift from my 10th grade English teacher (who I look up to in so many ways).
Ungrading
So yes, I’m not grading in the traditional sense. Jitter out a quick Google search on the consequences of grading students, and here’s what you’re likely to find:
Grading discourages students from taking risks. (If they take a risk and fail, then they’re penalized. Therefore: place safe bets.)
Grading pushes learning to the backseat. Monitoring percentage points is what matters to students.
Grades are an arbitrary measure that claim to communicate a student’s performance but don’t have a stable meaning.
Grading pulls my attention away from offering feedback, toward the impossible task of translating the work of a student into a letter grade that is supposed to reflect their individual ability while also fitting within the spectrum of the class’s performance at large.
Throughout my studies at university and through my own reading/research last school year, I designed a different system for assessment that works within the context of my district’s policies.
I’ve categorized the work we do in class as “Concepts” and “Assignments.” Concepts are skill and knowledge based aspects of state standards that must be mastered. For example: “Students can write an objective summary of a text.”
Assignments are learning activities we do to help build knowledge and ability. They are stepping stones toward Concepts and must be completed professionally.
(I clearly outline the criteria for what “professional” and “mastery” means for each learning activity.)
If students master the concept/do their assignment professionally, it gets marked as a 2. If they did the work but haven’t mastered it/didn’t do it professionally, it gets marked as a 1. If they didn’t do it at all, it’s marked with a 0.
Anything marked as a 1 can be reworked to a 2 within a certain timeframe.
At the end of the term, students will reflect on the class via a questionnaire I’ve created, and propose a grade for their achievement. The questionnaire helps students develop metacognitive practices. They think about their attendance, technology usage, the revision process, and other things.
They calculate the percentage of Concepts and Assignments they’ve mastered/completed professionally and compare that percentage to a traditional grading scale. They use this percentage as one of many data points to inform their grade proposition. I then review their reflection and proposition, talk with them in a grading conference, and finalize their grade.
Students know that if they want an A, they must master every Concept and complete each Assignment professionally. (If their overall percentage of mastery/professionalism is less than 60%, they fail the term.)
Hopefully, this approach:
Enables students to relax about their GPA/grades. They can revise everything until they’re happy with what they’ve accomplished.
Course corrects the attention of students from percentage points toward mastering the course content.
Forces me to focus on providing quality feedback.
Here’s what I’ve noticed:
The students seem to appreciate the system.
They are more focused on learning. (I overheard one student say, “Man, now I’m actually going to have to do stuff in this class.” Another said, “Wow you actually do grade this stuff. Now I’m really going to have to try.”)
It takes a LOT of time to give feedback to each student.
I’m relieved to not be experiencing the internal ethical debates I felt last year when trying to grade objectively and fairly and equitably.
It’s tough to keep track of all the due dates, rework dates, late submissions. I’m figuring that out.
I’m excited to see how my system develops as the year goes on and as I get feedback from students and parents.
An Assortment of Thoughts
When someone does something so well, they are no longer a person doing a thing but become the thing itself.
I sense a growing distaste within me for the term “spending my time,” like I have a savings account and I’m choosing to spend. We do nothing to acquire time. It can’t be acquired. So maybe instead of “thanks for spending your time with me” it’s “thanks for being with me.”
Is God my god, or is a life that appears to be in adherence with God my god? Do I worship the habits, or do I worship God?
Just a Few Photos
Mountain Outside School; Kitchen; Campus at Night
From School
“He has the greatest memory of any teacher I’ve ever met which sometimes isn’t a good thing for me.”
“Mr. Merrill, how was your summer??? Did you go to Britain with your French girls??”
“Why do you look like both Tobey McGuire and Andrew Garfield?”
“You look like Harry Potter.”
“I’ve got a lunch date with one of the Italian exchange girls.”
“Mr. Merrill, make yourself look like a Who from Whoville!!”
A student was jumping down the hall after school shamelessly doing Mario impressions. For 15+ seconds.
A student intentionally fell over with his desk in class because someone dared him to.
Students dancing outside my window to get my attention.
Points at one of my plants. “Can I smell this?”
“Uhhhh, sure.”
“Smells like dirt.”“I had a dream that everyone at work was doing the griddy and, Mr. Merrill, you were there!”
“Was I doing the gr—”
“Yes! You were doing the griddy!!”“Mr. Merrill, can I show you my pet snail?” He put it on his desk for most of class. Until later… when he put it in his mouth.
Goodies
Hello Poetry ☞ Cool little resource.
I Am Offering this Poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca ☞ A poem I read to my students.
The Gift by Li-Young Lee ☞ Another poem we read in class.
Routines ☞ I’m excited for this catalog to increase.
Fun/Playful Choreography by Sean Lew
Cheers!
p.s. I’m volunteering for a literary journal.
According to Paul Dressel of Michigan State University (1983) grades are:
"An inadequate report of an inaccurate judgment by a biased and variable judge of the extent to which a student has attained an undefined level of mastery of an unknown proportion of an indefinite material."
Fun to read! Cool to note your progress as a teacher.