What does public education fail?
In a word – grades.
Grades reduces the complexities of learning and performance into one uninformative number or letter. The only use of a grade is to compare “performance” of one student or school system to another. It is not a true measure of performance.
The problem with any comparison system is that there are few winners. No wonder so many students are turned off to schools. Who wants to be a loser?
Evaluation for Growth
In real life (outside of schools), proficiency in a variety of skill results in a record of performance. This track record of performance is what is most highly rewarded.
The level of performance for each individual skill is measurable. In athletics, systems that measure track an athlete’s growth may lead to self-directed activities to increase performance.
My analysis is not new. Teachers, principals, district administrators all know this. But nothing is done. Why? As Einstein said, “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created them.” And the grading problem involves layers and layers of political systems in which school are embeded.
Will we have the political will to truly change this broken system? Only if each of us advocate for that change. Join me. Think about this, how can you contribute?
If you are a education researcher, study learning progressions for your subject area and develop diagnostic assessments for teachers to use.
If you are a teacher, create a performance assessment and an interim report that provides information on proficiency of skills rather than a summary of grades.
If you are an administrator, nurture innovative teaching that has relevance to the real world.
And write your representatives, include Arne Duncan.
