Starting+the+Convo

=Starting the Conversation About Grading by Susan M. Brookhart = =At the heart of the matter: What are the purposes of grading? =

January 10 Meeting: Text Based Discussion Notes
Overall conclusion: This is not the article for the collective faculty to read and discuss Controversial topic Compromise: the idea that some will have to "live with it" Grades are an iceberg of so much other work Not getting sidetracked in the conversation Good question: who is the audience for a grade Should a representative from Guidance be involved in this committee? Need to validate history and advocate change Grades should reflect learning Among faculty: should create discussion, allow for multiple perspectives Local expert panel idea: outside practitioners, trial group Article assumes standards-based system is the goal Stark shift in article, underlying assumption that standards-based is the "end all" Does one earn grades? Implies some loss of control over progress Mastery grading not tied to effort If well used, designed, group grades okay; matches our philosophy Everyone knowing exactly what a grade represents Discussion about grades is a discussion about learning How to use grades to incorporate good teaching and learning practices Students at YHS are generally motivated by grades, less by learning Awareness of useless, fluff grades
 * We Agree:**
 * We Disagree:**
 * We Aspire:**

Gina Micucci' Summary & Ratings: This article talks about ways to move a discussion along about changing grading practices in a school. It offers tips and advice for how to bring up different issues and what to do if the conversations become off topic. It focuses on the broad statement: “grades are not about what students earn but what they learn,” and it suggests ways to move toward a more standards based grading system. The article also offers many questions to ask in the beginning of a discussion, and it provides key questions that teachers would need to answer if they were looking into changing their grading practices. A. 5 B. 7 C. 10

Anne Tommaso's Summary & Ratings: This article gives mostly practical information about how to facilitate a school-wide conversation about grading practices. While the article feels philosophically biased towards standards-based grading, it makes many good suggestions on how to get the conversation going and warns against getting bogged down in details or alienating teachers who are steadfast in their practices. The article’s central questions to start a conversation are: “What does a grade mean and who is the audience?” and “Are grades about what students earn or learn?” A. 6 B. 7 C. 9

Chris Hill's Summary & Ratings: This article is about how to get schools talking about the meaning and purpose of grades before tackling the question of what a grade means. It specifically focuses on schools that are taking a look at standards-based grading, which the author prefers to call “learning-focused” grading. The article gives some ideas about how to frame discussions among faculty members about the topic of grading and there are some useful discussion points/prompts that are suggested. In terms of theory with practice, most of the practice pieces are those that involve dealing with faculty and getting the conversations around grading started, and how to then continue the work once those discussions have commenced.

A.5 B.6 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C.9