assessment – Page 4 – Pernille Ripp

assessment, education reform, grades, Personalized Learning, student voice

Before You Give Letter Grades, Please Ask Your Students

January 18, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I have had a problem with letters grades for a few years now. I used to write about it all of the time, and then stopped because I felt like all of the words had been written. But now, I am back facing having to give letter grades for the semester as my district transitions from them to standards based grades. All of those old thoughts of why letter grades say so little about a students knowledge, effort, and accomplishment have been hounding me throughout my days as the deadline for giving them nears. But then I remembered; I need to ask the students what grades they should get.

It is rather simple process. As a class we discuss what makes an “A?” What should a child be able to do in class and out of it to get that elusive top grade? What does “A” thinking, writing, reading, discussion, and doing overall look and sound like? We go through each letter grade this way as a class and determine our definitions. We publish them to our website so parents can see. The standards based scores they have received are also part of it but they are not averaged and they are not the only component.

Once the students have created a group definition, they evaluate themselves. On a small sheet of paper they are asked which grade they feel they deserve and why. The why is important here as I need to see their thinking.

Once they have completed the sheet, we meet. We have to have a face to face discussion of what grade they think they should receive, what my thoughts are, as well as the path forward. Often I find I agree with a child, but if there is disagreement whether the grade should be lower or higher, it is of utmost importance to have a face to face discussion.

For too long students have felt they have little say over how they are assessed. They feel that grades are done to them, rather than something they determine. While we as teachers may think that students understand that their grade is a reflection of their effort, time and time again students have told me they don’t understand the relationship.

So if you have to give letter grades, or even just scores, I implore you to please involve your students. Don’t just rely on an average. Don’t just rely on your gut feeling. Don’t just rely on tests, homework, or whatever other assignment that you have given. Bring the students in. Give them power over their learning, give them voice in how they are assessed. They will thank you for it, or at the very least start to understand how they ended up with that B….

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

aha moment, assessment, assumptions, Be the change, being a teacher

You Can’t Just Do It To Them

November 8, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“Remember, whatever I ask you to do, I ask myself to do too.”

This is how almost any assignment is handed out in my classes. Not to make the students feel better. Not to make them embrace the assignment more quickly. No, it is really quite simple; I have done the assignment already. I have spent time doing the exact same thing, following the same directions, looked at the assessment and pondered how I would do. Not when I was their age, not when I was in college, not even last year. No the assignment I am asking them to do, I have done in the past few days as well as I prepared.

Why is this important? Because every day we ask students to spend their time, whether in class or after school, doing work for us to show their mastery, to practice their skills, to help them grow. Yet often these assignments are ones that we have never experienced ourselves. Ones that we may have used to much success before. Or ones that we got from an amazing source. Yet, we don’t know what it feels to actually do it. And that creates a problem based on assumptions. We assume we know how much time it will take. We assume we know how hard it is. We assume our directions are clear. We assume the assessment is fair. All of those assumptions add up to nothing good.

I started doing my own assignments a few years back. I didn’t get why my students groaned so much when a new project was handed out. I didn’t get why I would get emails from parents stating how many hours their children had spent. Whether it was book report dioramas, grammar packets, or even just outside reading, I assumed I knew what it was like to do them because I had gone to school once too. On a whim one night, after a particular groan-filled day, I did one of my grammar packets. 9 pages, front to back copied, neatly stapled to teach me all about proper nouns versus common nouns. 45 minutes later, I threw it in the trash. How many times could I write the same answer over and over or be asked the same thing? Yikes. The next day I apologized to my students and we found other ways to do grammar.

So now, I live by a simple rule. Whatever I ask my students to do I have to do as well. So if they have to write an assignment, I write it too. If they have to read outside of school every night, I do too. I discuss my struggles and problems that I encounter hoping they will feel more confident to try something new. I tell them when I stop reading and I recommit in front of them, I tell them when I don’t feel like doing any work but now I have to. My students will not learn from having a perfect teacher, they need someone that they can relate to, even if our years push us apart.

I know that I am not 12 years old and that I have an easier time doing their work. That only cements my resolve to do every assignment. If it takes me 30 minutes to write a great constructed response, then imagine how long it can take for a student?

We cannot keep forcing our ideas on kids without experiencing them ourselves. So commit; whatever your students have to do, make yourself go through it. Trust me, the things you will change will surprise you. Be a learner, just like them, and tell them that you know what it feels like. But don’t just say it, do it and mean it.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

assessment, being a teacher, grades, Student

Do Our Students Understand Our Standards?

October 16, 2014March 9, 2016 Pernille Ripp

I could see the disappointment creep through the room like a fog enveloping us all. Those kids who had been bright and cheery when they entered our room now sat there sullen, shoulders dropped, barely meeting my eye. I tried to explain again; I thought you needed some honest feedback…I know I have high expectations…it is not too late…

My students had done halfway through the quarter reflections and some of them had really missed the mark on their own engagement and work quality. Or maybe I had missed the mark as a teacher, but something was not lining up between their perception and reality, something was not right. Thus Tuesday’s conversation; a quick “If grades were handed out today” sheet and now lots of broken hearts. Sometimes being a teacher just sucks.

That night, when I couldn’t sleep, I realized what we needed to do, ashamed that I hadn’t thought of it before; we needed to deconstruct the standards. Tear them apart, put them in our own language, but most importantly discuss ways of showing mastery, so that they could be in control of their 7th grade learning journey

So today we started with our very first standard. The students and I reworded it, spoke about what it meant, and also spoke about my ideas for second quarter; show me mastery in your own way. Tell me when you are ready to give me evidence that you can do these things. Yes, you can choose to do a written assignment, and yes there will still be certain milestones that we have to reach, but you can also show me in another way; sculptures, videos, conversations, blogs, whatever we can work out, whatever you can dream up.

After today, I feel like it finally makes sense. Not just to my students who function under the scope of these standards; but to myself, the wielder of the assessment. I hadn’t thought to do this because I made the assumption my students had figured it out themselves. That they had figured out the standards. That they knew how they would be assessed and how to show me their growth. Why I would assume this I am not sure, but I know I cannot be the only one. I know others like me must have assumed that students know what they are supposed to learn, know what they will be assessed on. That’s a mistake I will not make again.

After the day was done and the new standard hung on our bulletin board, I have hope. Hope that my students will start to understand what I take for granted in their learning journey. Hope that my students will see that they there is room for all of their abilities and not just the ones determined by me. Hope that my students will embrace the push for personalization, hope that it will make them understand more where they need to go and how they need to grow. I should have done this day one, I am glad it is not too late.

I am a passionate teacher in Wisconsin, USA, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

assessment, grades, students

Why Do I Ask My Students to Grade Themselves?

March 11, 2014March 12, 2014 Pernille Ripp

Keep Learning, Keep Growing- 11x17 typography print, inspirational quote, teacher gift, university, dorm decor, modern wall decor, christmas — image from etsy

I first gave up on percentages the day I found myself overriding a student’s average and changing their grade to something else. Mind you that average was calculated by me on worksheets I had assigned. I remember erasing the letter I had written, so meticulously calculated, and then arguing with myself over whether I had the right to do so. Would anyone know that I had changed the grade to more accurately reflect what they knew and that it was no longer based on an average? Would I get busted for this? I felt like such a fraud.

Today I asked my students to once again assess themselves. Assign 4 through 1 to their learning in all subjects and then hand it in to me. The numbers are not my invention but rather my district’s take on standards based grading and so that portion is out of my hands, it is the end of the trimester so report cards must be written. I gave them their previous report card, also filled out by them. I gave them an explanation of what the categories meant and then I gave them time to evaluate. They thought, they asked questions. and then they handed them in. Yet some people may wonder why I bother?

I don’t have them write their own grades because I’m lazy. It is not because I don’t know how I would assess them. It is not to give them a fake sense of control. Or a fake sense of ownership.

I do it so it is their voice that is heard when they are judged. So that their input determines where they are and where they need to go. I do it because every time there is a surprise. A child always evaluates themselves differently than I would, and it is in that difference that some of our most revealing discussions take place. This is where a child reveals their broken self esteem, this is where a child reveals their confusion, their lack of belief in their own capabilities. This is where a child shows that they perhaps are less clued in then they have led me to believe. Or where they prove to me how much they know but were too afraid to share. It is within these conversations that my students truly take control of their learning journey and set the goals. It is where they find their mistakes and take ownership. It is where they realize what they have mastered, how far they have grown. It is where we celebrate their successes and think about our failures.

I may not be a believer in grades, but I will always believe in the power of a good conversation. These conversations shape the next trimester, the next month, the next day. These shape the journey my students continue to take. My students know that I am not the only one assessing them, they have someone else that is much tougher than me; themselves. And they don’t want to let that person down.

assessment, feedback, No grades, Student-centered

How Do You Assess Without Grades? 5 Tips to Ease the Transition

July 19, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Two great questions came my way yesterday in regard to assessing without grades and then communicating that information. We are so used to the ease of a letter grade that gets recorded in a book, averaged out and then translated into a letter, that moving away from that can be daunting and just a bit overwhelming. So two years into my process I thought I would share some tips I learned the hard way.

Discover your goal.

Whether they are based on district standards, common core, school outcomes, or even those listed in the curriculum, figure out what the goal is for each thing you teach. These can be large or small (don’t do too many small ones though, trust me) and then figure out what the outcome should be. Everything you do should have a learning goal because without that there is no point to the lesson.

Determine the product. What does it look like when students have accomplished the goal? What is finished? What is just another stepping stone? How will students show that they have mastered the goal? I love to have this discussion with my students, they have amazing ideas for this.
Determine assessment. Will it be written feedback? Will it be a rubric? Will it be a conversation – great tip; record these with a Livescribe pen and you have it for later! Once again, ask the students, what type of assessment will help them? How do they learn best?
Keep a record. This has been my biggest hurdle. I have had charts, Google Docs, grade book notes, relied on my faulty brain, and yikes. This year I am bringing my iPad in and using Evernote to keep track of it all. Students will each have a portfolio in Evernote with conversations, pictures of work, links to blog posts, as well as videotaped events. This way, everything will be at my fingertips when needed.
Communicate! Assessment is not helpful if kept to yourself so have the conversations with students, take the time, write things down, communicate with parents. All of these things need to be taken care of for this to work. The allure of letter grades is just that; the ease of communication, nevermind that they can mean a million different things. So when you step away from those make sure you replace that with communication. Give students ownership of their goals and have them write a status report home, send an email, make a phone call. Something. Everybody should know where they are at and where they are headed throughout the year.

My 5 biggest tips for today and something I continue to work on. Whatever your system is, take the time to reflect upon it, refine it, and make it work for you. Ultimately stepping away from letter grades should lead to a deeper form of assessment, not a larger headache, but for that you have to have systems in place.

achievement, alfie kohn, assessment, being a teacher, No grades

Not Grading is Awful

June 10, 2012 Pernille Ripp

I am just going to admit it; not grading sucks! Not grading means I cannot assign an average, translate it into a grade and be done. Not grading means I have to have anecdotal evidence to back up my final grade on the report card, anecdotal evidence I have to collect throughout the year and then actually keep in one place. Not grading also means that my students have not been given percentages at any time throughout the year, which means that when I have to give them a letter grade (as mandated by my district) it is my job to make sure that they have an idea of why they are getting what they get. Not grading means I cannot just zip through a pile of papers, correct them according to my answer key, and whip out my calculator. Not grading means that a product can take weeks to truly be complete because that student has to rework it or revisit it in some way. Not grading means I have to find the time in our super packed schedule to have discussions with kids about their progress. And it sucks, honestly, because it is so much work. I am not going to lie. It is a lot of work not to grade in the traditional sense.

And yet, despite all of this, not grading in the traditional sense of percentages and letter grades makes so much sense to me. Giving feedback rather than a letter leaves room to start a conversation. It leaves room for the student’s voice to be part of the deliberation. It leads to more learning situations as I cater my curriculum to fit the needs of that particular student. It leads to much more time spent with the student rather than at home going through their piles.

For one, sitting down with my students to discuss why they have assigned themselves whatever grade is eye-opening. To hear 5th graders take control of their learning, to own up to where they should have worked harder, to set up the future path for learning they need to travel, wow! I even used my Livescribe pen for some of these conversations just to record what the students had to say, even though no one but me would listen to it.

Second, I am amazed at how often my students and I land on the same grade. These kids really know where they are in their learning journey and they know why they are there. It is rare that I have to steer them toward a different grade and even then it is something we discuss.

Finally, having these reflective discussions is a great way for me to culminate the year. The students give me feedback on what worked for them, they give me ideas on how to improve and we discuss where they are headed. All of them set learning goals for the summer, not through assigned homework, threats or promises from me but because they want to read or want to remember their math concepts.

And yet, I still struggle with taking that conversation and distilling it to a letter grade. That letter seems so shallow compared to the rich discussion we have had. That letter doesn’t seem to reflect all of the growth they have done. That letter doesn’t seem to describe their journey at all but instead boils them back down to a percentage, to a number and a grade that says nothing. So I return to my constant state of reflection on grading; what am I trying to accomplish with it? What is the true purpose? What am I trying to classify and portray? How can I ever hope to capture the essence of a child’s growth in a mere letter? And the time? Where will I continue to find the time as our school gets more focused on tests and data? I am not sure I have all of the answers but in my heart and mind I know what I am doing makes sense for me. Even if it is one of the most time consuming changes I have ever integrated into my room.