Beyond Grades: Competency, Mastery, Assessment, and Feedback | Tara Quigley, Princeton Day School
What do grades measure? We use them on a regular basis to evaluate the work our students do, and others use them to determine where students rank in several different groupings, while another institution uses them to predict future success in their upcoming academic program. But what is a grade, really? A symbolic representation of discrete assignments or the average of many discrete assignments? Grades do not take into consideration improvement over time nor do they communicate a set of strengths and weaknesses unless they are accompanied by a good written narrative. This workshop is designed to provide teachers with alternative methods of assessment, feedback, and evaluation while continuing to maintain the traditional grading systems that schools have used for so long. Learn how to develop or adapt mastery- or competency-based standards starting with the "Six Cs", develop assessments that measure progress toward those standards, and a method of feedback that clearly lets students know in what areas they have met the standard and where work is still required. Develop a translation table so student progress can be restated in the form of a grade that will appear on a report card or transcript.
Daniel Pink suggests that we all need three things to keep motivation at a high level: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. A competency- or mastery-based system with appropriate assessments and feedback meets all three criteria. Members of this workshop should expect to begin a process that each will be able to continue with the support of their workshop colleagues and the instructor.
Daniel Pink suggests that we all need three things to keep motivation at a high level: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. A competency- or mastery-based system with appropriate assessments and feedback meets all three criteria. Members of this workshop should expect to begin a process that each will be able to continue with the support of their workshop colleagues and the instructor.