Creating an environment in which assessment is formative and motivating can be a challenge when most parents and students have experienced a grading system that is anything but supportive of learning.
It is possible, however, to help students believe in the value of academic practice and overcome the tendency toward completing academic work just for the grade. This approach moves away from the debilitating mindset that students won't do work that it isn't graded, and it gives them choices while holding them more accountable for their own learning. That idea might seem strange—that students will be more accountable when given more freedom of choice—but in my experience, it has worked.
No matter where you are in adopting a learning-focused grading system, these five steps can help students believe in and take responsibility for using feedback to improve their learning.
- Select a relatively high-stakes test, an assessment that has a significant effect on the final marking period, semester, or course grade. Now take five core questions from the test and map them back to the planned learning opportunity (e.g., homework, classwork, assignment) students would complete for practice with these concepts. Be sure to verify that the assignments are worthwhile and actually provide the necessary practice for your students to perform well on an item in the list of five.
- Carefully present the idea that homework will no longer be graded; students will have choices about what they complete, and the course grade will be based on summative assessments only. (One additional caveat: To apply mastery-based assessment with fidelity also assumes that the teacher has eliminated extra credit or any other inputs that distort a grade's accuracy in measuring what has been learned.) At the beginning of class, inform students that the grading system is being upgraded and the lesson today is about learning how the new system will work. At the same time, reveal the five questions and announce they are the exact questions students will see on their next test. At this point students will likely be skeptical, which will be made obvious by verbal rumblings and outbursts of doubt. It's important to reassure students that these questions will truly be on the final, and they are welcome to memorize or write them down. After introducing these assessment changes, students inevitably want to know why they are being made.
- In answering why, explain how the new system is designed to support and assess learning; therefore, homework will no longer exist or be included in the calculation of the final grade. Responses from students will be mixed, with some who are more adept at "the game of school" becoming distressed as reality sets in. Others will cheer, thinking they no longer have to do any work for the class. Take time to pause at length during this lesson so that students have the time they need to digest the news and generate questions about what exactly it means. Think about it. They were just shown five items on the next test and told homework is no longer included as part of the grade. They need time to adjust.
- Hand out one or more assignments, now called learning opportunities, aligned to the five test items. Give students a few minutes to examine the assignments individually and then, as needed, with other students. Ask students to determine how the assignments will help increase their understanding of the content, or use of the skills, on the test. Take time to have conversations with students about what they discover and help them make connections. At this point, students need to understand how these practice learning opportunities will help them perform well on the test. Emphasize that, from this point forward, only meaningful learning opportunities will be provided. Old school homework and other busy work will no longer be part of the class.
- Explain to students that, although practice learning opportunities will no longer be part of the grade, all practice work will receive feedback. The structure and delivery of feedback can vary, so you will probably want to spend time discussing what feedback will look like for your students.
This approach starts with familiar routines—completing assignments and taking tests—but by subtly changing how these routines are used, you can effect major changes in students' mindsets toward the purpose of school work and assessments. Homework becomes meaningful learning opportunities that receive valuable feedback used to make informed decisions about the next steps in learning. Instead of being driven by grades, students are motivated to mastery.