When was the last time you wrote a test? A serious test, not one of those online quizzes designed to make you feel smart while simultaneously collecting your data so they can blast the perfect advertisements your way tomorrow. No, I’m talking about the high-stakes tests where your future is on the line. Your job depends on it. Getting into university depends on it? Unless you’re under the age of 40, I’m guessing it’s been a decade or more since you studied late into the night, trying desperately to hang on to copious facts, formulas, and quotes long enough to pour it onto the page the next day, only to forget seventy-five percent of the material by the end of the following weekend. On the other hand, if you are a high school student, chances are you wrote a fairly important test last week, maybe several, and are preparing to write countless more before the end of the school year. If you are in grade twelve this year, you know that, in addition to the English 12 provincial exam, final exams in academic classes will partially determine whether or not you get accepted to a post-secondary institution. Along with other class projects and activities, the marks from your exams will be combined to make up your final grade in each course. Despite the many changes in education in British Columbia over the past several years, traditional grading practices, including high-stakes written tests, is still the norm. The reasons for the lack of progress in grading practices, especially in the graduation program, are numerous. A distinct lack of resources from the ministry of education on grading and assessment, and the sheer complexity of determining authentic summative assessment are the two most interesting to me.

 

The revised curriculum in BC, from first consultations years ago, to first drafts, to the unveiling and implementation has led to tremendous changes in teaching practice. The K-9 classroom of today looks very different from the classrooms that I went to school in. Today’s students have a much different experience than even students of a decade ago. The shift to standards-based grading, along with the redesigned curriculum that blends curricular competencies with content has allowed teachers to shift attention from the acquisition of knowledge to a broader educational experience, where students demonstrate what they know, what they understand, and what they are able to do. Emphasis on formative assessment, with near-constant feedback on student learning, has created classrooms where students spend large amounts of time practicing skills, working collaboratively with peers, and exploring the “big ideas” within curricular areas, often completing cross-curricular projects that help them make the connections between what they are learning and the world they are trying to make sense of. This is an exciting time to be in education. Students receive feedback on the skills and knowledge they are developing, and teachers have the freedom to guide student learning and report student progress against standards. For teachers working with students from kindergarten to grade 9, assessment has moved from “keeping score” to a more authentic assessment of a student’s progress toward appropriate standards of performance. And yet, for those working and learning in grades 10 through 12, the “game of school” is very much alive and kicking. And keeping score is still a major aspect of the game.

 

The BC graduation program still uses letter grades and percentages when assessing student achievement. As such, much of the traction for changes to pedagogy and assessment gets lost as students move from grade 9 to grade 10. Teachers working with students from grades 10 to 12 are required to report letter grades and percentages. Where their colleagues are able to provide feedback to students on their progress on a curricular competency, a teacher of a science 10 class is still required to report to parents in the form of a letter grade. Your mark in science is a “B”. No wait, now it’s a “C+”, as your mark went from 73% to 72%. With such narrow margins to play with, teachers become very defensive of their grading practices. Students and parents occasionally challenge a teacher on a mark. The experienced teacher will be prepared with a grade book full of marks, an elaborate weighting scheme, and an abundance of professional knowledge and credibility to defend the mark. In my experience, I’ve seen teachers go “all in” on a 72% they have assigned. Despite the absurdity of it all, and regardless whether the 72% stands, or gets adjusted to 73%, the game of school is the winner and both the student and the teacher are the loser. Authentic assessment and grading does not lead to a percentage point. It simply doesn’t. Not for an entire course, not for unit of study, rarely even for a single-concept test or assignment.

 

Take, for example, the skill of serving in badminton. One could argue that it is easy to assess a student’s ability to serve by having them demonstrate the skill. Hit ten serves, record the number of successful serves and come up with a score. Okay, there are two service courts, so have the student serve a set number from each side, record and report. But wait, badminton is a game, not a skills competition, so perhaps make them serve during a game and record. But wait, what if the opponent smashes the return for a winner? Do you count it as a good serve or do you count it as a bad serve, as equally poor as a serve that would have flown long of the receiving box? And of course, serving the final point to win a game can be more stressful than serving the first point in a game. Simple skill, difficult to determine proficiency. And that’s just one little skill in a complex game, which would only make up a small part of a final grade for a Physical Health Education 10 course. Going “all in” on 72% is ridiculous, as is going “all in” on 49%, 73%, 90%, or 100%.

 

The revised curriculum has freed our K-9 educators from having to play the percentage game. Unfortunately, those working with the graduation game are still stuck trying to make a better mousetrap. Teachers work on their own, or in collaboration, to establish a grade book that “gets it right”. They organize their units, give more weight to important concepts, and figure out what to do for those occasions where students miss assessment opportunities. For the most part, requiring percentages results in most students being given the exact same opportunity to demonstrate their learning. Teachers find it easier if their grade book entries are the same for each student. Providing percentages and letter grades is at odds with teaching to diversity, honouring the fact that students learn at different times and in different ways, and restricts teachers from matching their assessment practices with any new and emerging practices in pedagogy. This is most apparent with teachers whose teaching assignment straddles both programs. Living in a standards-based grade book for some of their classes, and a percentage-based “traditional” grade book for other classes shines a light on just how incomplete the revised curriculum process has been to date.

 

The curriculum alignment and organization of ministry resources related to the Core Competencies, Learning Standards, Curricular Competencies and Content is consistent from kindergarten through to grade twelve. The reporting order and expectations, however, have created a huge divide between grade nine and grade ten. Student, parents, and teachers alike are frustrated and confused by this mismatch.

 

Some students and parents have adopted the view that “nothing counts” until grade ten, when percentages and letter grade become mandatory. Other are disappointed that the emphasis on formative feedback and skill development is replaced by the requirement to “keep score” and report percentages…the need to go “all in” on 72%. Parents wonder how a standards-based approach prepares students for the “game of school’ demands for top marks to get accepted to post-secondary. And teachers retreat from advancing their craft when it involves assessment and grading.  “I’m just following the same assessment and grading practices as I’ve done for the past decade or more until the ministry provides some direction.”

 

On top of all this, I am convinced that the weakest element of any teacher’s practice is their ability to accurately determine grades. Ask a master teacher what they are confident in and the list will be long. Ask about what they are least confident in and you will most often get some version of the following. “I’m not convinced that this student’s achievement fits their letter grade and percentage? My grade book says 72% but I think it should be higher, perhaps even 80% or 82%.” They could just as easily mentioned that the mark could have been much lower instead. The range within any given assessment is quite wide, if we’re being honest.

 

I work with an amazing ensemble of teachers. Each of them is working tirelessly to improve the learning experiences of our students. They work alone, on evenings and weekends. They work together, during our prescribed PLC time, and in the hallways and classrooms at lunch and after school. They share best practices and emerging strategies that help their students. They share resources, plans, tests, and projects. They share their struggles, their successes, and even their snacks and treats. What they don’t share is a confidence that the current grading practices in the graduation program are authentic and accurate. It is one of the worst kept secrets in education.

 

So, why am I writing such a negative blog about current assessment and grading practices in BC? Partly because I am tired of waiting for the ministry documents to come out and want the conversation to get going, but mostly because teachers deserve the opportunity to grow and develop their craft in the area of assessment and grading. Students deserve an education system that accurately reports their learning, their development of skills, and their preparedness for continued learning once they graduate from high school. It is time we delivered. I’m no longer willing to go “all in” on 72%/C+.

 

As always, I am interested in your thoughts, feedback, criticisms, and ideas. Heck, I’ll even let you give me a letter grade and percentage, if you like!