CAC PV 5th Grade

Last Friday, Mrs. Custer shared how grades will be recorded in RenWeb during this remote learning time (click here for details).

I’m a huge proponent of this grading philosophy as we move forward into this unexpected and uncharted time. Never in my time in education (either as a student or as a teacher) have I experienced what we are going through today, and it’s important to view everything we’re doing as different— including everything about grades.

As you might have noticed, our class has relied more on self-checks and completion assignments during this remote learning time, but that’s not much different than when we were in the classroom. Each day, in math for instance, students would complete an assignment and we’d check it the next day. We wouldn’t check for accuracy (i.e., a grade given based on the number correct) but rather for completion. We used math practice sets as just that— practice. We’ve been doing the same online and we’ll continue that process going forward.

The difference going forward will be on tests. Since there’s not a great way to "give a test" the traditional way during this remote learning time, we’ll have to change that up a bit, but I don’t think that’s the end of the world. In fact, a regular assessment is just as beneficial as it was in the classroom to check for understanding, but maybe it’s even better now because there will be less external pressure and more internal pressure (i.e., students want to excel not for the grade but to prove their understanding).

It’s definitely a shift in the traditional grading approach, but I love it, and I think you will, too.

Today, I’ll begin to enter in grades for the first two weeks of remote learning. Please don’t panic if you are notified of a missing grade or of an NI (needs improvement) because your child didn’t meet mastery. That’s ok. I’m just letting you know, and your child can resubmit the assignment for full credit (once mastery has been achieved). Ultimately, I believe "Grades are communication, not compensation" and this new grading format allows just that.

I know remote learning wasn’t what any of us signed up for back in August, but none of us signed up for a global pandemic, either. It’s just where we are, and we’re going to make this a great experience. Whether in the classroom or the living room, I want your child to learn, to grow, and to be prepared for the next year, and I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen— even though I’ll be doing it from my back deck rather than the front of the classroom.