BRIGHT SPOTS

Your weekly source of learner-centered inspiration

May 23, 2024

Dear Educator,

Last week, we hosted a competency-based assessment and reporting conference to highlight schools creating new and different systems to help young people develop the knowledge, skills, and mindsets critical for our modern world. The schools highlighted will be included in our Competency-Based Reporting Playbook, which will be coming out in a few weeks (sign up for early access)!

It was inspiring to explore these models and connect with innovative education leaders, but my favorite part of the convening was the student panel. Four high school students, from two different schools, shared their experiences and highlighted the impact of grading systems on them as learners. More on what I learned from them in this week's Bright Spot.

With Gratitude,

BRIGHT SPOT OF THE WEEK

People Over Percentages

Even though sometimes it is hard to hear, listening to the impact of our polices, practices, and relationships with students is critical. Our student panel highlighted two vastly different experiences in high school and the role grades play in what they learn, how they get feedback, and how they view themselves as learners.

Listening to their stories moved everyone at the convening and the students shared how impactful it was to have adults listen to them. When they were asked to share advice for educators, Shea, one of the panelists, summed it up beautifully: “It’s the person, not the percentage.”

The panel showed that we place a great deal of value on grades, but we rarely pay attention to how those grades are determined and what they tell us about what young people know or can do. While listening, I noted how each panelist spoke about grades and grading, and which grading paradigm each comment fell into:

These comments showed a powerful distinction between traditional grading and competency-based grading. Each grading paradigm shapes the behaviors of teachers, students, families, and institutions in ways that we may or may not be intending. One thing was clear to me though, the comments in that right column are more aligned to the aspirations that many of us hold for our young people and can provide a model of what is possible for all learners.

What are your aspirations for learners and how does your assessment and grading system support young people to achieve them? Reply to this newsletter to share examples or tag me @katiemartinedu and #LCBrightSpots on social.

RESOURCE ROUNDUP

Explore the resources below that will deepen your practice on providing assessments that center learners by design.

1. Blog: 3 Key Shifts from Traditional Grading to Competency-Based Learning and Assessment. Shifting from traditional grading to competency-based assessment can be an intimidating change to make. Bryanna Hanson breaks down the three shifts needed to bring competency-based assessment to life. Dive in.

2. Online Course: Plan with a competency-based approach. Design meaningful and aligned assessments that truly measure the desired learning outcomes of your learner-centered experiences. Start learning.

3. Tool: Coming Soon! Competency-Based Reporting Playbook. Gain actionable insights to support your school or district in making the shift toward competency-based education. By being among the first to receive the playbook, you’ll have the opportunity to provide valuable input that will shape the final version. Access here.

LET'S SHARE OUR BRIGHT SPOTS!

What are your learner-centered Bright Spots?

Share your #LCBrightSpots on social media!

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