Giving Compass' Take:

• Innovative schools are redesigning their grade books and how they measure students knowledge through setting creative skills, analytical skills, complex communication, and quantitative literacy as standard expectations rather than using a formal and traditional grading system. 

• How can other schools emulate innovative grading models and share with other schools the results? 

• Learn about how to create a school environment where teachers lead schools in innovation. 

There are a multitude of schools seeking to make learning more relevant in the 21st century. And while we have a plethora of new strategies for learning, from ‘STEM’ to ‘PBL’ to ‘Flipped Classroom,’ most of us still have an archaic way of grading and reporting.

One good example to learn from and keep an eye on is the Mastery Transcript Consortium (see their example here). Over 200 schools are developing a new way to grade and report on student work, focused on reporting on 21st-century skills and dispositions rather than subject-specific letter grades. Skills will include ‘analytical and creative thinking,’ ‘complex communication,’ and ‘digital and quantitative literacy.’  Behind each mark are links to a student portfolio of work that demonstrates growth and competence through real work samples.

And while the transcript design it is still in its relatively early stages, it has some of the innovative and well-recognized schools guiding its development, including Columbia University and High Tech High. Moreover, the time is ripe, as many innovative universities are reconsidering their admissions criteria.

Changing how we measure and report learning can seem like a daunting and unobtainable task, but given the right process it can be far easier than it sounds.  It can also help to think of this as merely an extension of reporting and assessing on what you already do well–the following (relatively) simple five step process will help you take a step in the right direction.

  1. Determine skills, dispositions, and habits of mind for school graduates
  2. Establish ‘I can’ statements and assessment rubrics for each skill
  3. Choose an Edtech platform for digital portfolio building
  4. Determine minimum requirements and provide time for reflection and goal setting
  5. Create/ Find models

Read the full article about new grading system by Kyle Wagner at Getting Smart