Power In The Teacher's Hands

From VBSchools.com

Changing Grading Practice to Give Students the Power
to SucceedBy Linda Love

Schools in the High Schools That Work (HSTW) and Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW) network are learning about a new initiative – the Power of I – that offers options in grading. The Power of I initiative allows teachers to take a different approach to grading that helps students become more productive and successful in their school work.

“Schools need to make the effort to support students to re-do or revise work until it meets standards….it is not okay to fail,” said Toni Eubank, director of MMGW State Network, an initiative of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Eubank shared her expertise on the Power of I with HSTW and MMGW staff from Tallwood and Bayside high schools as well as Bayside and Independence middle schools during in-service week in August.

Eubank points out that “Giving students zeroes does not teach them responsibility. It teaches them that they don’t have to do their work. The most important school rule that schools can communicate and reinforce is that school is a place where students have to do their work.”

Eubank talked to teachers about re-thinking their grading practices and urged them to consider embracing the Power of I, a grading philosophy that sets
high expectations and holds students accountable to re-do work until it meets standards. Teachers award an “incomplete” or "I" for work not submitted or sub-standard (D or E) work and provide interventions to help students accomplish the work required to meet set standards. “We’re grading a behavior [not their work] when we give students a zero for not completing an assignment. It lets students off the hook for learning,” said Eubank.

Schools that implement a Power of I [program] or [something similar such as] A, B, C, Not Yet grading establish grade-level or subject-specific teams who work together to draft a written grading policy that staff members can support. Teachers consider standardized grading procedures (which may include a homework policy) and reach consensus on weight of grading in same-course subjects. They also establish schedules during which students can get academic help and/or make up assignments.

“The Power of I won’t work unless teachers plan academic interventions for students who are not doing the work,” said Eubank.

Eubank recommends an array of interventions that give students many opportunities to complete or revise school work. For example, schools can provide extra help sessions for non-performing students conducted by individual teachers, departments, or tutors. Teachers can devise classroom procedures to bundle homework for periodic grading; establish protocols to facilitate student make-up work; give re-tests or alternative assessments; and devise rubrics and other assessment tools to show students what A, B, and C work looks like before students start working on graded assignments.

Parents get involved, too, to help students complete or revise work to meet standards. The process includes teachers communicating with parents when students are not turning in major assignments and failing tests. Teachers ask that parents help their children get to extra help sessions and provide support for them when they re-do or practice work at home. Eubank even provides a scriptfor teachers to use when calling parents to solicit their support in encouraging their children to complete assignments. (see the Power of I Calling script)

Eubank advises teachers to collect accurate parent email addresses and phone numbers for every student during the first weeks of school. She also suggests documenting every parent contact and discussion when students are not turning in work or demonstrating proficiency on major assignments and tests.

“Teachers need ongoing support to pull this off. It helps when teachers meet periodically with colleagues and school leaders to share challenges and successes of grading practices,” said Eubank. She added that teachers and administrators need time to talk about revising grading policies to work out the snags, determine how to record and remove “I” grades, and share examples of high-quality assessments.http://www.vbschools.com/online_pubs/kaleid/2008/10/Changing%20Grading%20Practice.html