Musings from a Sarcastic Teacher: A Trip Down Report Card Memory Lane + Second Chances Policy Periscope

Hey everyone,

As I bear down for the upcoming hell that I like to call "report cards", I would like to take a moment to reflect on some of the changes that have taken place in the world of assessment/report cards/grading since I started teaching 25 years ago.

1. Years 1-16:

Each school developed their own report card and decided what was necessary to report.
Work habits were measured with E/VG/G... and academics were usually marked with similar grades or 1/2/3/4. (At the elementary level)
Sometimes only checkmarks in columns were required.
Scores and comments were handwritten.
If numerous teachers taught the same class, the class set of report cards were passed from teacher to teacher.
Duplicate/triplicate copies were often used. Just rip one off -give one to the parent, keep one and have one for a permanent file.
Sometimes percentages were given in the upper elementary grades or middle school. High school was reported in percentages. (I don't think I have ever given letter grades.)

*Estimated Time Spent Marking and Writing Report Cards Per Term:

Approximately 3 hours + marking time

2. Years 17-25:

Standards-based grading (SBG) was explored and adopted by my present school. It was a huge shift, but at the onset, was a much needed change to our reporting practices.
Each subject was now assessed separately by outcome (from the curriculum document).
Achievement descriptors were in words to show achievement in each outcome. (Instead of a smushed up average)
In ELA and SS there were 4 categories of outcomes in each subject so you were essentially preparing 4x the marks to report.
Descriptors included: 4/3/2/1; Excelling/Meeting/Not Meeting (I think-I can't remember); Excelling/Meeting +/Meeting/Meeting-/Approaching/Limited; Excelling/Proficiency/Meeting/???/Emerging/Limited and our present system of Mastery/Advancing/Progressing/Emerging/Basic/Limited.
DO NOT ASK WHY SO MANY CHANGES OR IT WILL INVOLVE A LONG CONVERSATION AND LOTS OF DRINKING. You know what they say. Don't poke the bear...or the Sarcastic Teacher.
Extensive commenting after each subject area and areas to improve/next steps were incorporated.

*Estimated Time Spent Marking and Writing Report Cards Per Term:

Approximately 40 hours + marking time

My Present School Report Card - Copyright RVSchools

As you can see, the expectations have changed dramatically and I can honestly say that as a SBG teacher, I know my curriculum documents more thoroughly than I ever have previously. The learning curve was steep, but I think necessary. Along the way came many other changes to my grading philosophy whether I wanted them or not:

Using Rubrics to Assess Achievement
No-Zero Policies
Formative/Summative Assessment Practices
No Grades Given for Homework
No Deducting Marks for Late Assignments
Achievement Test Exams in Grades 3/6/9/12 (Which lead to "ranking of schools")
Grade Level of Achievement (GLA) Indicators (At the end of each year in LA/Math
Online Gradebooks (So parents/students could access marks anytime. Apparently, students have lost the ability to speak and tell their parents their marks) **BEEP BEEP TIME SUCKAGE ALERT!!**
Second Chances Policies for Assessments

Yep. I've seen and lived it all. I've gone from "You are the teacher, you must know something" to "You are the teacher, prove that you know something, and make sure you repeat it at least 3 times, report it in at least 3 places and be prepared for a beat-down because students don't have to be accountable, you do. " BREATHE. I'm good enough...I'm strong enough...and gosh darnit, people like me. (Thank you Stuart Smalley)

After 25 years, I've rolled with the punches. I jumped head first into policies I believed were based on strong pedagogical research and merely complied with other policies as much as I could, without throwing up. Or throwing a fit. Some of these policies have been good for kids and some of them have not. But the bottom line is I AM THE PROFESSIONAL and I need to be sure that my kids are always aware of what is expected of them and always aware of their progress and achievement in my classes.

One of the policies I have strongly embraced is the Second Chances Policy. I have spent a lot of time and energy compiling a policy that ensured that kids can SHOW ME THE MONEY so I can accurately assess them, but made sure to keep the their commitment to learning in place. Kids that really want to have a second chance get one and they work hard to get it. Those that don't want to put in the work, do not get a second chance or they don't even ask for one.

I estimate less than 5% of my students apply for a second chance. So when parents say to me, "Why didn't I know that my child was struggling?" my reply is firmly, "I don't know why. It is his job to tell you. AND he didn't take advantage of my Second Chances Policy so obviously he/she is not as concerned about it as you and I are concerned." BOOM.

Below is a Periscope I recorded explaining the policy and a link to my policy is here. If you decide to adopt this philosophical shift in assessing student learning, it really puts the emphasis on the person that it should put the emphasis on - THE STUDENT. Any extra work for me, the teacher pales in comparison to the opportunity to teach a child that they are responsible for their own learning.