Those of you who know me, know that I took a Research Methods course this summer, (a compulsory course for my MEd in Curriculum and Technology at UOIT), through which I struggled immensely. I have never been a strong math student and so interpreting statistics was definitely a challenge. You can read the specifics here.
My first assignment was worth 35% of my mark and when the instructor gave us the rubric, it did not have a Level 1 or 2. Instead, she said that if the assignment did not meet the Level 3 or 4 criteria, she would be in contact with us. What that meant exactly didn’t register for me because I have always done well in school and so it was superfluous information for me–or so I thought! Imagine my dismay when soon after my submission, I got an email from the instructor. My assignment could not be graded because it did not meet the criteria.
I was mortified. I cried. I felt like such a failure. (on a side note, I had a really great heart to heart with my 12 year old who told me this is how she felt when she got a C+ on her science assignment and how she wished my husband and I were more understanding. Gulp.)
And so, I contacted the instructor and we met virtually (Abobe Connect) to discuss my paper, my methodology, and what was missing. I was able to explain my thinking; she asked me clarifying questions and helped me to rethink my research methodology. I revised it and re-submitted it hoping for a B- at best.
Imagine my surprise when I received an A+!
No mention of the fact that I should be penalized because I was able to re-submit my assignment. No late penalty. Nothing but feedback that praised me for the revised focus and how well it now met the success criteria.
As a result, I approached my final paper with so much more confidence. I actually submitted it early, knowing that I would have a chance to revise it if I didn’t quite get it. Truth be told, the content was still a challenge, but my attitude had definitely changed. I’m not sure what my final grade is, and honestly, I don’t care.
I have been instrumental in helping teachers to understand Assessment FOR, AS, and OF learning in my District. I’ve got the theory, I’ve taught the theory. I think we all have the “theory”. We talk so much about Assessment FOR learning in Ontario (Growing Success) and how powerful it can be.
So often, it takes a personal experience for us to move beyond the theoretical to the heart of what truly matters.
I don’t teach a class, but if I did, the idea of leaving out Level 1 & 2 really appeals to me. Students need to create quality work and need to work at it until they do. The role of the teacher is to support students to get there. So simple, really.
What impact would having regular conversations with students about their progress and their learning have on their ability to meet with success? Are we still only valuing products to evaluate learning or do observations and conversations play as vital a role?
As a District Leader, what does the feedback loop look like? Do I push? or pull–do with? (a phrase I borrow from George Couros), providing support and feedback along the way to teachers with whom I am engaged in Collaborative inquiry? Do I help create an environment where learners feel empowered to take risks in the pursuit of learning? Do we engage in courageous conversations about learning that move beyond theory? Is the process of learning as important as the end result?
Here are other posts about Assessment by Ontario Educators in my Professional Learning Network which have in many ways influenced my thinking on the topic:
“Unleashing the Promise of Assessment FOR learning” found in Donna Fry’s post, Do Schools Create Non-Learners
Exploring the role of pedagogical documentation in Assessment FOR Learning, My evolving Thoughts by Aviva Dunsinger
Stepan Pruchnicky explores pedagogical documentation and the idea that grades aren’t the only things we should value in Numbers vs No Number
Would love to get your feedback (pun intended) and any other links you think will continue the conversation!
Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing your very personal story. I think that this is a post that others really need to read … not just because it speaks to the value in feedback, but because your experience with feedback, I think makes it easier for adults to relate to why it matters. We can read what Growing Success says about allowing students to submit work again and not penalizing for past attempts, but maybe, until something happens to us, we don’t understand the real value in either of these things.
Thanks for sharing my post and others as part of your blog! I’m very interested in reading the other posts and hope that others will share their thoughts on assessment for learning.
Aviva
Thanks, Aviva!
I worry about how personal some of my sharing on this blog is sometimes! But I think that when we are teachers, every experience and every encounter makes us think about our students; at least it does for me, and based on the posts of yours I’ve read, it’s true for you as well. Doug Peterson said it well when he said it’s about balancing the theoretical with the practical. At the end of the day, assessment should be about learning. Period. I was definitely reminded of that in this experience. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Terrific story Jennifer! This experience is the reason why teachers must continue to be learners. We do need to ‘feel’ the learning process, not just think we know or remember what it’s like to be a learner. One year, Damian Cooper came to our board to deliver PD on assessment and backwards design. Afterwards, the Board wanted someone to write an article for the local paper. I asked one of the English teachers if she might like to do this (getting your name in print might get the attention of the Board and help pave the way to permanent contract!). She struggled with the task and finally commented that she never realized how hard it is to write a news article. Her experience gave her a new perspective of her grade 10 students who struggled with news article writing and supported our conversation about the importance of teachers ‘doing the work’ and modelling writing for students.
The challenge that assessment AS and FOR learning presents is that their value and power can only be realized IF we
–understand learning as a process towards permanent change in our understanding,
–know our curriculum deeply,
–open ourselves up to the conversations with students that might occur in the process.
Consider how your professor’s actions modelled this process:
1, Clear expectations and success criteria up front.
2. Follow through on the expectations.
3. Conference with specific, valuable feedback.
Before, I can even begin to talk with teachers about assessment, I need to know what they believe about learning.
Thanks so much for sharing this post directly with me. It has given me a chance to articulate my thinking about why we can ‘know’ that something is valuable, like the feedback loop, yet not ‘do’ it.
Julie
Julie,
I shared the post directly with you, Diana, and Aviva because I felt so much support from you ladies when I first started to struggle in this course. This post is the continuation of that learning journey. You make so many great points. We featured the work of Damian Cooper in our District when Growing Success first came out and one of the things that stuck with me was his Driver’s Licence analogy. He reminded us that no matter how many times it takes someone to write the test, in the end, we all get the same licence as the person next to us. I remember it making me think of the “redo” in a completely different way. Thank you for sharing the story of the teacher and the news article. I can’t remember who said it, but basically: you should not be giving your students something you don’t do yourself. That’s a whole lot more work for teachers, but would go a long way in terms of empathy–putting yourself in the learner’s shoes. Finally I really like how you articulate the nature of assessment and I agree with you that it really is about the belief and value placed on learning. I am grateful to my prof for such an excellent reminder. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.
Jen
Hi Jen, your comment that “it takes a personal experience for us to move beyond the theoretical to the heart of what truly matters” struck a chord with me. It places a greater onus on us as educators to “live out” what we preach. Sometimes what appears “great” on paper is really not that great when applied in certain contexts. Also, you bring up an interesting idea about “leaving out Level 1 & 2”. Perhaps not making that an option is what’s needed to encourage consistent feedback that prizes alignment with success criteria.
Hey Daniel,
I agree with you. We need to juggle the “great on paper” with real life and real kids. Leaving out Level 1 & 2 would be a good start, for sure. But creating a culture of assessment as opportunity for growth and learning will also go along way.
Thanks so much for your comment.
Jen
Jen, thank you so much for sharing the “update”. I’m delighted that your final assignment was a positive experience submitting! Please don’t apologize for making your blog personal – I would rather read a heartfelt reflection based on experience vs a thoughtful but distant post on the same topic.
I am TOTALLY going to try the “leave out the level 1-2 on a rubric” this year. This may be the technique or tool that helps me to incorporate more re-dos in my program. (& thanks Aviva and Julie for the great comments to this post).
Thanks, Diana! I guess I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t help but be personal here and that it’s ok. I love that the comments here are helping me to refine what I think and know! Such a powerful medium for that (140 characters only goes so far!) As for leaving out Level 1 & 2, please keep me posted as I’d love to know how it works out for you.
Thanks for your feedback and for your support.
Jen
Not sure if she would be comfortable with it, but I would LOVE to hear this story from your daughter’s perspective!
I often wonder how badly we’ve poisoned the assessment waters. We can say as much as we want that assessment is FOR learning, and it helps us move learning forward (assessment AS learning), but we’re typically only talking about one side of the assessment game. The donor of the assessment. We rarely talk about the recipient. The funny thing is that it’s the recipient that matters.
At this moment (and it’s likely that I’ll change my mind 😉 I think that we need to focus way more on culture of assessment in a classroom rather than methods. We have lots of methods! We need to humanize the process. Moments like these are a really nice reminder.
Thanks for sharing with such openness and vulnerability!
Hey Stepan,
I think your idea about focusing on culture over methods is absolutely right on! Assessment should be primarily about supporting a student to do his/her best, and thus, is entirely human. You are right when you say that we lose sight of that sometimes. I wonder if we put ourselves out there a bit more and asked kids what they think of the feedback we give, or the assessment practice, if it would make any sort of difference? As for my daughter’s perspective, I’ll ask, but I know that she has often felt the sting of evaluation and unfortunately it has impacted on her confidence. We’re working on that.
Thanks for your comment and for continuing the conversation here.
This article was insightful and useful for my own assessment practices. What a great way to set students up for success by providing time to conference and reflect on the work with the student. So often, the Assessment OF learning is one-sided, but after reading your article, I’ve realized that through conversation with students who did not fully achieve the succee criteria, teachers can gain much insight themselves about their practices and any misunderstandings/obstacles the student may have. Thank you Jenn!
Hey Rob, Absolutely, having a one-on-one conversation really helped me to clarify the expectations and helped my prof to give me direction. You’ve got me wondering though…the students who did meet the expectations did not get the same opportunity I did, and so is it just the kids who do not fully achieve the success criteria who would benefit, or is there merit in meeting with all kids? One of my colleagues complained she didn’t feel she had enough feedback to move forward to the next stage.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!