Differentiation & Grading - Carol Tomlinson

Differentiation & Grading: Can They Co-exist? Qikiqtani Teachers’ Conference Iqaluit, Nunavut February 24, 2010

Carol Tomlinson William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor University of Virginia

What is a Grade???? “…a grade (is)…an inadequate report of an imprecise judgment of a biased and variable judge of the extent to which a student has attained an undefined level of mastery of an unknown proportion on an indefinite amount of materials.

Paul Dressell, Michigan State University

Copyright 2010 Carol Tomlinson

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To Untangle the Grading Knot We need to consider two elements: 1) Grading issues of particular concern in a differentiated classroom 2) Best practices in assessment and grading 3) Whether or not best practices in assessment & grading would adequately address the issues related to grading & differentiation.

Unless we understand both the issues related to academically diverse classrooms and best practices in assessment & grading (and their interrelationship) we’ll stay tied in a knot! And unless the former leads us to solve the latter, we have a problem as well.


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All learners need a balanced success to effort ratio

Struggling Learners: Heavy Effort Little Success


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Advanced Learners: Great Success, Little Effort

The Unspoken Effect of Grades For some students, the certainty of praise and success in school has become a drug; they continually need more. For many other students, year upon year of “not good enough” has eroded their intellectual self-confidence and resulted in a kind of mind-numbing malaise.

Earl, L. (2003). Assessment as learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, p. 15.


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If the question is, “Do rewards motivate students?” the answer is, “Absolutely! They motivate students to get rewards.” Zen And The Art of Public School Teaching by John Perricone • Publish America • p. 68

In grading, as in all other teaching decisions, we need to claim a share of the Hippocratic Oath…

Grading practices should support student learning. They certainly should not undermine it—nor harm student development as learners.


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Essential Question: To what degree would adhering to the key principles of effective grading address the differentiation-related concerns about grading while eliminating error and communicating clearly to students & parents?

We should seek to ensure that grades: 1)Keep the Success to Effort Ratio in Balance That is, grades (in conjunction with school tasks/experiences) contribute to the student’s sense that when they work hard, something good generally comes of it. 2) Ensure that students develop a growth mindset That is, grades (in conjunction with school tasks/experiences) contribute to student trust that sustained effort and hard work make most things possible.


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We should seek to ensure that grades: 1)Communicate Clearly That is, a parent can trust that the grade is a very accurate representation of just what a student knows, understands, and can do in a given subject, at a given time, based on clearly understood criteria. 2) Support the parent in supporting learning That is, grades guide parents in what to do next to encourage student growth.

We should seek to ensure that grades are: 1)RELIABLE— That is, that if we were to use the same measure a couple of days, weeks, or months later, the results would be relatively the same for a given student. 2) VALID— That is, we actually measured what we meant to measure. 3) TRUE SCORE— That is, the grade really represents what a student knows, understands, and can do.


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X=T+E The Observed Score = the True Score + Error The Grade We Give Really Indicates What the Student Knows, Understands, and Can Do + Extraneous Factors that Get in the Way of Indicating Precisely What the Student Knows, Understands and Can Do. For Grades to Be Valid, We Have to Do All We Can Do to Eliminate Error. That’s the Game Plan for Grading: To Ensure that Our Grades are as Close as Possible to the Student’s “True Score”—to eliminate “error.”

Let’s examine six key principles of best-practice grading to see if they would help us address concerns that arise in regard to grading &

differentiation, balance the success to effort ratio, help develop a growth mindset, communicate clearly, and eliminate error.


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Principles of Effective Grading & Reporting Principle #1

• It’s unwise to over-grade student work


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Principles of Effective Grading & Reporting

Principle #2

Grades should be based on clearly specified learning goals

Principles of Effective Grading & Reporting

Principle #3

Grades should be criterion-based, not norm-based


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Principles of Effective Grading and Reporting

Principle # 4 Data used for grading must be valid (measure what we intend to measure). That is, the data must be free of “Grade Fog.”

Common Sources of Bias and Distortion Problems that can occur with the student Lack of reading skill/language Emotional upset Poor health Lack of testwiseness Evaluation anxiety Problems that can occur with the setting Physical conditions – light, heat, noise, etc. Problems that can occur with the assessment itself Directions lacking or unclear Poorly worded questions/prompts Insufficient time Misaligned with goals and/or instruction Based on the ideas of Rick Stiggins


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Zeros Cause Grade Fog

Grades are broken when zeros are used: Zeros distort the actual achievement record and can decrease student motivation to learn.

There are, however, many fixes in the form of grading alternatives. Schools/districts develop policies regarding these alternatives, then indicate to their teachers which alternative(s) they can or should use in their classrooms.

A zero has an underserved and devastating influence so much so that no matter what the student does, the grade distorts the final grade as a true indicator of mastery. Mathematically and ethically this is unacceptable. Wormeli, 2006, pp. 137-138 A Repair Kit for Grading by Ken O’Connor • Educational Testing Service, • p. 91-92

Assigning a Mean Can Cause Grade Fog

Whenever I hear statistics being quoted, I am reminded of the statistician who drowned while wading across a river with an average depth of three feet. (McMann, 2003, np)

The mean can be very well named -- it is truly “mean” to students because it overemphasizes outlier scores, which are most often low outliners. As we see in the following case, the calculation of the mean can distort the final grade. Ten assessments have been converted to percentage scores to calculate a final grade:

91, 91, 91, 91. 91. 91. 91. 70. 91. 91 Total; = 889. Mean = 88/9. Final grade = B This student performed at an A level, 9 times out of 10 and the 70 is clearly an anomaly. But the grade as calculated in most schools would be a B.

A Repair Kit for Grading by Ken O’Connor • Educational Testing Service • p. 81-82


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Principle # 5

Grade later in the learning cycle rather than earlier.

What About Report Cards? Some Possible Solutions


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Principle # 6

When it’s time for report cards, practice 3-P grading.

Achievement on clearly delineated content goals

Growth in achievement on clearly delineated content goals


Habits of mind and work

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1. Attach an explanatory checklist with the 3 Ps 2. Talk with parents during conferences about the 3 Ps. 3. Send an e-mail or a note with a report on the 3 Ps. 4. Have students keep records of their 3 Ps and write a summary to parents. 5. Work to change the report card. In any case, talk with your students consistently about the 3 Ps, their importance in student development, and their interrelationships. Give 3P feedback!

What Might My Grade Book Look Like?


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Remember: the learning goals typically don’t change when a task is differentiated.

Curriculum

It’s the support system, route of access, mode of expression, personal connection, etc. that generally constitutes differentiation

Assessment

Instruction

Reporting

What is the target? (KUDs) Who’s with me as we make the journey toward the KUDs? (Pre-and Formative Assessment) What do I do along the way to ensure that each student masters --&, if possible, moves beyond the KUDs? (Differentiation—and best practice assessment) How do I communicate the student’s status relative to the KUDs? (Grading/Reporting)


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Grade Inflation: Sense and Nonsense Teachers should set criteria for grades and determine what should set criteria for grades and determine what achievement level equals mastery.

The number of students who get A’s should equal the number who master the criteria set for an A. If our instruction (i.e. treatment) is effective, that number should be high!!

Phi Delta Kappan – Thomas F. Kelly – May 2009 – p. 696

Too often, educational tests, grades, and report cards are treated by teachers as autopsies when they should be viewed as physicals. (Reeves 2000, p. 10)


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