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The article below appeared in the York Daily Record from York, PA on July 10, 2015.  It was written by Angie Mason who can be reached via email at amason@ydr.com or on Twitter at @angiemason1.  I don't know if I've ever read a better real world case study on assessment-related issues than this article. 

Please don't, after reading this, leave focusing on a fear of getting sued by parents.  Instead, as you read it, look at all the different assessment related topics embedded within it.  Notice class rank, GPA, zeros, grades impacted by behavior, communication between colleagues, school policies, extra credit, absences, full credit v. partial credit, make-up work, exams, detention, scholarships, college acceptance, etc.  These are all topics we deal with regularly in schools, and they're all a part of this story.

My encouragement is for educators to read this article and then reflect on how it might have looked if this school - or at least the educators involved in this story - adhered to the principles of AFL.  Specifically, how could adhering to the following concepts have altered the story: 

• Assessment is primarily a feedback tool for students to guide their learning and for teachers to guide their instruction.
• The goal of teaching is learning, not grading.
• A grade should communicate a student's level of mastery of specific standards or learning objectives.

How would this story have played out in your school?  In your classroom?  How would the principles of Assessment FOR Learning have impacted this story?

Feel free to leave your comments!

http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_28454875/red-lion-father-sues-over-daughters-zero-grade

I love hearing from teachers who are diligently trying to put ideas into practice and who then open and honestly share their experiences.  In this post, Kristin Manna, a 1st year math teacher from South Carolina, shares what she learned from her students.  

I'm sure she'd love your feedback after you read her post!

https://mannamath.wordpress.com/2015/05/23/what-students-think-about-standards-based-grading/

Lee Hodges (World Geography - ALMS) and I created a cross-curricular activity two years ago. This activity was similar to the show "Amazing Race."

The "Race"

-Groups of students are given a World Map and an answer sheet. Each group then receives their first clue. On this sheet there is a World Geography AND a Math question related to a place in the World. (For example: Big Ben) that they have to answer. After they record their answers, they get each of them checked, the Math by me, and the World Geography by Mr. Hodges. They show us where the place is located on the map and then they get their next clue. The first group to answer all 10 questions (5 math, 5 world geography) wins!

AFL:

-We do not give this activity a grade. We use the information that they students provide as a basis for reteaching and new learning. If the students come to us with a wrong answer they must go back and either look the answer up, or try again. It's a great way for us to determine what needs to be reviewed for the SOL test. The best part is...the students don't even realize that we are "assessing" what they know. They just think it's a game!!!

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this activity, please send me a message!

I find it interesting that I am described as being "particularly scathing" about the the use of A-F grades because what I have said many times is that the symbols are less important than what they mean. Scott, I agree that what you describe is a lot better than traditional grading because you have a profile of your daughter's achievement in French. My difficulty with what you describe is twofold; one, for three standards the grade is based on one score and because of luck, chance and measurement error no grade should ever be determined based on one score. At this point in the year all that should be reported is the score. Two, I have real difficulty with 85% being a C; where I have lived all my life in two different countries it would be an A so the issue is what does 85% mean? Is her writing proficient, better than proficient or not quite proficient? That is what your daughter and you need to know and 85% doesn't tell you that. 85% is highly proficient in free throws, unheard of in hitting in baseball and unacceptable for landing planes.

I think I'm finally, after 6 years of teaching, having an "ah-ha" moment that should really be an "oh, duh" moment! In working to use AFL more and more in my daily class activities, I have really been focusing on using technology to reinforce learning.

Yesterday in one of my Algebra I Part 2 classes, I had a student say, "Oh, this is totally making sense now." He wasn't using technology at the moment, but merely working out of a textbook while at one of my station activities. I loved it! Today in my Algebra I Part 1 class, I heard a girl say, "Oh, I'm getting it." She was using an online game to review solving multi-step inequalities. We had worked the two days prior on learning this material and today was a chance for me to watch each student individually work at their own pace to reinforce what had already be taught. It wasn't for a grade, but for me to see what I needed to do on Monday before their Tuesday test.

It isn't hard to use AFL - I bet you are already using it! And let me tell you how rewarding it is to see a student have that lightbulb moment after you have taught it and they are practicing their skill in your classroom. I rarely have a student say, "Oh, I'm getting it" or "Oh, this is totally making sense now" in the midst of my typical class lecture.

Use AFL and get the chance to watch your students have those "Ah-ha" moments!!!

Have any of you used Socrative in your classroom?

https://www.facebook.com/Socrative?sk=wall

I like the idea of exit slips not only to check for understanding but to have another opportunity to make contact with each individual student....