Summary
This blogpost has three objectives.
Objective 1: Please click on these two links. TinyURL.com/NoGradesVideo (a video) and his report TINYURL.com/NoGradesScott.
Start using Scott Looney’s phrase “School Should Not Hurt.” #SchoolShouldNotHurt
Share those two links. Subscribe to the channel
Objective 2: Take time to learn about where Looney came up with his proposal (and why 150 private schools are preparing to switch to the “no grades” transcript
TINYURL.com/NoGradesBoston (an article by the Boston Globe)
Objective 3: Visit a site with quotes and websites that back up the procedures that support the “no grades transcript.” TINYURL.com/BadgesSchools.
Background
Looney is a headmaster. He is worried about anxiety and the focus on grades in students. What would shift the focus to learning?
Boy Scouts
Looney takes a look at the Badges program used by Boy and Girl Scouts.
- Students culd earn badges in skills like “persistence” and “oral communication.”
- The badges can be earned at any time during the school year (no pressure for a high-staes test).
- IT’s like pass or fail. The teacher says, “You show clear mastery of this skill” and you get the badge. Or the teacher says, “See me” and the student listens, works on the skill and resubmits the work.
- The student’s work is sotred and displayed on a webiste. It’s called a “digital portfolio.” You can see examples of a portfolio at TINYURL.Com/exampledp and TINYURL.com/abelSite. New Tch High uses this system and there are four portfolios by students at www.newtechhigh.org/portfolio.
- The high school “no grades” transcript shows the badges as dots. A college admissions officer or other teachers click on the dots and the student’s work and the teacher’s comments (and the tstudent’s reflections) appear on the portfolio.
Examples
In the video “Imagine a transcript” the formats are shown. The report at TINYURL.com/nogradesscott (delivered at the New York State Association of Independent schools NYSAIS conference in November 2017) shows several possible formats of the “mastery” transcript.
The headline of the Boston Globe’s article has a clear title: the “no grades” transcript. That feature removes the stress associated with testing and the focus of student work is less about the nubmer. Do you remember when you wrote a report and turned it in? When the teacher handed it b`ack, what did you look at`? I didn’t look at the teacher’s feedbak or the marking in the text. I looked at the grade on the cover or on the last page. Under Looney’s program, the teacher’s comments are extensive to guide a student who has not met the standard so that the student can resubmit the item.
Why wait?
If you are a parent, why not ask your child’s teachers to start going “no grades” and focusing on skills?
Get the Skill List
New School in Virginia has a list of 12 skills TINYURL.com/12SkillsVirginia
An amended list of skills from a press release published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s website can be found at TINYURL.com/ListofSkillsSheet.
Use those lists to discuss with teachers
- How can the school work in your class be linked to developing skills?
- Can you give feedback without using nubmers or grades?
- Can you give students opportunities to resubmit work?
If you are are teacher, why not go to Mastery.org and learn more about the program? Sign up for the Mastery electronic newletter. http://mastery.org/stay-connected/newsletter/
Steve McCrea is a fan of the “no grades” transcript and personalization of schools.
He maintains a website with six teachers who have collaborated to describe 17 procedurs to “personalize the expereince of school for each student” using projects, presentations, portfolios and personal learning plans. To learn more go to TINYURL.com/CPPPsite
The Center for Projects has a free ebook to descirbe the 17 procedures. Ge the ebook at TINYURL.com/cpppClickHere
CPPP: Five of the Procedures
1) Focus on skills (not grades)
2) Micro badges (an alternative to grades) displayed in portfolios or free websites
3) Big projects that earn academic credit in several subjects (displayed to digital portfolios) [instead of smaller projects prepared for one subject]
4) Personalization with Personal Learning Plans for each student
5) Alternatives to lectures:
Flip the Classroom, arrive ready to discuss the topic of the lecture (which was delivered before the class). The class includes concept checks and "Turn to your neighbor" using the techniques of Eric Mazur and the Peer Instruction Network
We welcome additional suggestions for videos to support personalization of schools -- send your links to ManyPosters@gmail.com. See our free courses about “videos to support the transformation of education” with a series of links that resemble a video game. Go to TINYURL.com/BadgesSchools
