@teresa_lance Outside of school, COIVD-19 led to debates ranging from masks for the ill to masks for everyone; social distancing to physical distancing. In academia, grades and its meaning are once again front and center in P-12 and higher education settings. What do grades mean for the giver/educator and receiver/student? What are the implications of grades on students, both short and long-term? The answers to these questions, coupled with COVID-19, have led to a renewed debate around grades. For continuity of terminology, I will rely on Brookhart’s (1994) definition of grades: grades are the numbers or letters given to students at the end of a designated period. Moreover, grades, according to O’Connor (2009), should provide a summary of one’s performance.
COVID-19, however, has interrupted schooling as we once knew it. Therefore, determining students’ performance over time may prove challenging if we stay true to O’Connor’s (2009) assertion that grades provide a summary of performance. With virtual learning imposed on all during this pandemic, the traditional brick and mortar schoolhouse no longer stands, or is crumbling, as the pinnacle of education. Instead, we are further learning that the relationships forged in the schoolhouse are what matters. These relationships are not to say that schooling inside the schoolhouse does not matter; quite the contrary, the relationships created between educators and students, when positive, net increased student achievement. This has always been the case.
Then, why so much emphasis on grades? Grades are ubiquitous; and as depicted in several reports and studies, serve as a predictor for future student performance. Predictors from an on-time high school graduation to whether a student may drop out of school (Rumberger, 2011). Grades matter extensively for scholarship opportunities and college admission.
With the current tenor of grades and its importance, I was asked whether I believe moving to a pass/fail system is fair. I answered then and herein with a resounding, “Yes!” Yet, for grades to be fair, we must agree on the purpose of grades. O’Connor, Jung, and Reeves (2018) suggest, and I concur, that fair requires equitable practices and opportunities, not homogeneity. The COVID-19 pandemic has put many families and students in more unfortunate conditions. Consider what the priorities of families might be during this time. For example, providing additional meals for students not in school, loss of a job, and trying to ensure learning occurs with one technological device, and spotty internet connection stand out as just a few obstacles. These and many more factors can interfere with a student’s ability to manage school while grappling with fear and uncertainty. No, it may not appear fair to the student striving for the A-grade, but it does consider the needs of those who may need equity the most. Privilege, family resources, and economic disadvantages must be at the forefront of this grading debate.
As a former classroom teacher, I had control over the grade book. I was able, with little oversight, to place greater emphasis on one category over another - tests, assignments, homework, participation, attendance. Grades can be subjective from one teacher to the next and from one course to the next. For example, if I value homework more than summative assessments, then the outcome on student grades will show up unevenly for students who have greater responsibilities at home (i.e,. caring for siblings, non-quiet or no working space, unstable bedtimes). Feldman (2019) stated, “When teachers use equitable grading practices, their rates of failing grades decrease significantly, with low-income students and students of color experiencing a more dramatic decrease” (p. 54). If school leaders never paid attention before, they have to now; it is imperative.
COVID-19 illuminated further the inequities that exist for some of our families. Providing for meals, technology, and access to Wi-Fi has become more paramount than the instruction itself. Who would learn without these three necessities when transferring the schoolhouse offsite and directly into the home of our student-scholars? COVID-19 required school system leaders to act fast and reactively. In some instances, within 24 to 72 hours, schools were tasked with moving learning from the traditional classroom setting to an online format. The fast turnaround left little time to discuss, in-depth, what the impact of moving to an online school system would mean for grades. While online learning was vastly underway, school leaders had to work in concert with teachers, union leaders, families, and students to develop a way to “do no harm” as was stated in one of the many Illinois State Board of Education guidance documents. Swachuk (2020) lamented, in an Education Week article, that in this unprecedented time, school districts are working to find what’s fair.
I work in a school system where approximately 90% of our students are African American or LatinX and more than 70% of students qualify for free and/or reduced meals. Paying attention to how students would ‘fare' in our current grading system was crucial as we moved into the third week of online learning. Whether our approach is the correct one remains to be seen. For now, however, we have opted for a grading system articulated as A, B, C, D, incomplete. Our student-scholars will receive the support and extended time they need to remove any incomplete marks. I do not profess that this grading revision is the best, yet we are intent on doing no harm. There is still work to do with our current grading system that will require us to look at the purpose of grades, the deleterious effects of a zero on an assignment, and overarching categories. COVID-19 will force system leaders to address an antiquated grading system moving forward.
Illinois State Superintendent, Dr. Carmen Ayala (2020), stated, “Grading should focus on the continuation of learning and prioritize the connectedness and care for students and staff. All students should have the opportunity to redo, makeup, or try again to complete, show progress, or attempt to complete work assigned before the remote learning period in that time frame…” (p.2). If school leaders and practitioners can admit to biases in our curriculum, inequities in disciplinary approaches and policies, then certainly we can look to move away from an antiquated grading system that, in some instances, does harm.
References
Ayala, C. I. (2020, March 27). Illinois State Board of Education. Retrieved from Coronavirus: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/ISBE-Remote-Learning-Days-Begin-March-31.pdf
Brookhart, S. M. (2015). Graded Achievement, Tested Achievement, and Validity. Educational Assessment, 20(4), 268–296.
Feldman, J. (2019). Beyond standards-based grading: Why equity must be part of grading reform. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(8), 52–55.
Fullan, M. (2008). What's worth fighting for in the principalship? New York:Teachers College Press.
O’Connor, K. (2009). How to grade for learning (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
O, C. K., Jung, L. A., & Reeves, D. (2018). Gearing up for FAST grading and reporting. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(8), 67–71.
Rumberger, R. W. (2011). Dropping out: Why students drop out of high school and what can be done about it. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Sawchuk, S. (2020, April 1). Grading Students During the Coronavirus Crisis:What's the Right Call? Retrieved from Education Week.
COVID-19, however, has interrupted schooling as we once knew it. Therefore, determining students’ performance over time may prove challenging if we stay true to O’Connor’s (2009) assertion that grades provide a summary of performance. With virtual learning imposed on all during this pandemic, the traditional brick and mortar schoolhouse no longer stands, or is crumbling, as the pinnacle of education. Instead, we are further learning that the relationships forged in the schoolhouse are what matters. These relationships are not to say that schooling inside the schoolhouse does not matter; quite the contrary, the relationships created between educators and students, when positive, net increased student achievement. This has always been the case.
Then, why so much emphasis on grades? Grades are ubiquitous; and as depicted in several reports and studies, serve as a predictor for future student performance. Predictors from an on-time high school graduation to whether a student may drop out of school (Rumberger, 2011). Grades matter extensively for scholarship opportunities and college admission.
With the current tenor of grades and its importance, I was asked whether I believe moving to a pass/fail system is fair. I answered then and herein with a resounding, “Yes!” Yet, for grades to be fair, we must agree on the purpose of grades. O’Connor, Jung, and Reeves (2018) suggest, and I concur, that fair requires equitable practices and opportunities, not homogeneity. The COVID-19 pandemic has put many families and students in more unfortunate conditions. Consider what the priorities of families might be during this time. For example, providing additional meals for students not in school, loss of a job, and trying to ensure learning occurs with one technological device, and spotty internet connection stand out as just a few obstacles. These and many more factors can interfere with a student’s ability to manage school while grappling with fear and uncertainty. No, it may not appear fair to the student striving for the A-grade, but it does consider the needs of those who may need equity the most. Privilege, family resources, and economic disadvantages must be at the forefront of this grading debate.
As a former classroom teacher, I had control over the grade book. I was able, with little oversight, to place greater emphasis on one category over another - tests, assignments, homework, participation, attendance. Grades can be subjective from one teacher to the next and from one course to the next. For example, if I value homework more than summative assessments, then the outcome on student grades will show up unevenly for students who have greater responsibilities at home (i.e,. caring for siblings, non-quiet or no working space, unstable bedtimes). Feldman (2019) stated, “When teachers use equitable grading practices, their rates of failing grades decrease significantly, with low-income students and students of color experiencing a more dramatic decrease” (p. 54). If school leaders never paid attention before, they have to now; it is imperative.
COVID-19 illuminated further the inequities that exist for some of our families. Providing for meals, technology, and access to Wi-Fi has become more paramount than the instruction itself. Who would learn without these three necessities when transferring the schoolhouse offsite and directly into the home of our student-scholars? COVID-19 required school system leaders to act fast and reactively. In some instances, within 24 to 72 hours, schools were tasked with moving learning from the traditional classroom setting to an online format. The fast turnaround left little time to discuss, in-depth, what the impact of moving to an online school system would mean for grades. While online learning was vastly underway, school leaders had to work in concert with teachers, union leaders, families, and students to develop a way to “do no harm” as was stated in one of the many Illinois State Board of Education guidance documents. Swachuk (2020) lamented, in an Education Week article, that in this unprecedented time, school districts are working to find what’s fair.
I work in a school system where approximately 90% of our students are African American or LatinX and more than 70% of students qualify for free and/or reduced meals. Paying attention to how students would ‘fare' in our current grading system was crucial as we moved into the third week of online learning. Whether our approach is the correct one remains to be seen. For now, however, we have opted for a grading system articulated as A, B, C, D, incomplete. Our student-scholars will receive the support and extended time they need to remove any incomplete marks. I do not profess that this grading revision is the best, yet we are intent on doing no harm. There is still work to do with our current grading system that will require us to look at the purpose of grades, the deleterious effects of a zero on an assignment, and overarching categories. COVID-19 will force system leaders to address an antiquated grading system moving forward.
Illinois State Superintendent, Dr. Carmen Ayala (2020), stated, “Grading should focus on the continuation of learning and prioritize the connectedness and care for students and staff. All students should have the opportunity to redo, makeup, or try again to complete, show progress, or attempt to complete work assigned before the remote learning period in that time frame…” (p.2). If school leaders and practitioners can admit to biases in our curriculum, inequities in disciplinary approaches and policies, then certainly we can look to move away from an antiquated grading system that, in some instances, does harm.
References
Ayala, C. I. (2020, March 27). Illinois State Board of Education. Retrieved from Coronavirus: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/ISBE-Remote-Learning-Days-Begin-March-31.pdf
Brookhart, S. M. (2015). Graded Achievement, Tested Achievement, and Validity. Educational Assessment, 20(4), 268–296.
Feldman, J. (2019). Beyond standards-based grading: Why equity must be part of grading reform. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(8), 52–55.
Fullan, M. (2008). What's worth fighting for in the principalship? New York:Teachers College Press.
O’Connor, K. (2009). How to grade for learning (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
O, C. K., Jung, L. A., & Reeves, D. (2018). Gearing up for FAST grading and reporting. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(8), 67–71.
Rumberger, R. W. (2011). Dropping out: Why students drop out of high school and what can be done about it. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Sawchuk, S. (2020, April 1). Grading Students During the Coronavirus Crisis:What's the Right Call? Retrieved from Education Week.