Measuring Growth, Not Just Grading Papers!

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In a recent twitter conversation #sblchat, several tweets really hammered the point home:

Grading is not the end result. It is merely a communication or reporting tool. Learning is the end result. And growth towards learning is what needs most critically to be measured and reported.

Measuring Growth is...

An idea for learning & grading.
  • encouraging
  • rewarding
  • easy to automate and use technology
  • evidence that effort works
  • evidence that students are progressing toward goals
  • evidence that teaching is or isn't work quickly enough to reach the goals in time
  • data to use for reflection and professional learning
  • easy to understand for parents
  • measuring progress

Grading is...

  • a sense of finality
  • a dead-end street, it sits still
  • complying with policy
  • stating whether you did or didn't master it
  • rewarding if you learned it quickly enough
  • demotivating if you haven't learned it quickly enough
  • tiring for teachers
  • error-prone


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