A Change for the Positive

It's always difficult to master a new change in your system, but the results can be beneficial all around

My school district is implementing a new report card this year. As, Bs, and Cs are out; students will now receive Advanced, Benchmark, Progressing or Intervention in each subject area. No longer will Stephen accumulate 448 out of 500 possible points for an 89% average in math. Final grades will be determined using a system of rubrics and benchmark assessments (quarterly projects in each subject) that emphasize accumulated knowledge above weekly quizzes and homework.

True growth

We hope this new system will make assessment more authentic by focusing on students' true growth instead of just adding up their points for the quarter and dividing by an arbitrary number. The reality is much more complicated. Many of our parents are uncomfortable abandoning a grading system they used as schoolchildren. Changing reporting systems is not easy for teachers, either. We must update our tests to match the new rubrics, refigure our grade books and most importantly, change our mindsets about assessment.

Then again, perhaps pain is a necessary part of progress. I certainly felt my share of pain during a series of afterschool meetings where we debated what our rubrics should look like, how to focus our assessment on students' growth and how to keep parents from freaking out on us. We often disagreed and there were times when I thought we would never finish.

Fortunately, there were also exciting times when new ideas emerged and consensus was reached. I gained new respect for my colleagues by working through our differences and listening to their thoughts about assessment and good teaching. Maybe it just takes a challenge to bring a team together.

Tough road ahead

I admit that I anticipate a difficult year ahead filled with parent questions, extra meetings and more headaches than usual. My hope is that these headaches are worthwhile, that all of our work forces parents, teachers and students to think about grades and what they mean.

The larger lesson is that confusion and uncertainty are sometimes preferable to blind acceptance. I don't mean that all school districts should scrap their report cards. Letter grades have been around a long time and are well- liked by most parents and teachers. I do think that many school districts could benefit from rethinking their assessment and other parts of their curriculum.

Sooner or later, big changes will come to your district. The question is: How will you react? Anticipate difficulties, but also look for ways to make the changes beneficial to you and your colleagues.

Peter Barnes teaches fifth grade in New Albany, OH.

E-mail: pbarnes@new-albany.k12.oh.us

Copyright Early Years, Inc. Aug/Sep 2006
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