Feedback Goals
So, here we go....time to up the ante and GO FOR THE GOAL! At the end of last year, I had set a goal to focus on grades representing standards, not just numbers that were somewhat randomly assigned to work. Oh, OK, we had rubrics, we could justify the numbers - but a student would just see an 80%, not how they got it. Were conventions an issue? Was organization letting them down? Was there evidence and elaboration? Who knew? I knew as I was grading, but after that, work had a value given - and that was it. It wasn't working for me. I hate grades. Period. They cause issues. They create unnecessary concerns or put a band-aid on a real issue. Students work for grades and not for learning. Parents hone in on the number and not why the number was realized. We all fall into the trap of using grades like candy. We find ourselves describing children as a number. It's wrong. So very wrong. Think about a world...