Teacher Candidate ePortfolio

Week #3 – January 20, 2022

Choose a question from the “Pause and Ponder” section on p. 39 or 40, from the text.

How have your grading practices evolved over the course of your career?

Are there any specific changes you’ve made where you are now doing the opposite of what you used to do?

When I started as a TTOC, I didn’t think about assessment; I thought only about survival – keep them alive for the day! Then in my position at McNaughton, I unknowingly taught using formative assessment through means of reciprocal feedback. I constantly asked the students what they needed from my teaching to help them learn while also giving them feedback about their progress in my various courses. However, I also kept records like a Summative Spreadsheet Tracking Queen. There needed to be a paper trail for everyone I taught and everything I taught them.

I found an assessment sweet spot for my Math students a few months into my position. It was like a weird blend of formative into summative where my students knew they could work up to any grade they wanted on an assignment. When they were done a workbook, they would submit it, and they could choose if they wanted a straight-up mark or if they wanted feedback and a chance to improve their work. Ninety-five percent of the time, they would select the feedback. I would never put an “X” on anything incorrect; I would circle the question and then suggest to think about the subject differently or draw them something to prompt and guide them to the next step. On the front of their workbook, they would not receive a mark; I would write something like, “Only 10 corrections to be worked on. Awesome!” That student could then work on as many as they wanted to fix and then resubmit. We would go through this process as many times as necessary until they got where they wanted to be. It was clear that their learning increased every time they worked on their corrections. Students in my classes who wanted to pass with a “C” would get a “C” because that was their effort. Students who wished for an “A” would work for an “A” and would better understand the unit they were working on.

I am beginning to recognize how special my experience at McNaughton was and that it has left what I hope will be a positive imprint on who I am as an educator in the future. I also recognize that this process of learning allows me to uncover new ways of thinking, like how I will be able to weave much more breadth of formative assessment throughout my teaching practice and a new insight into when and how to use summative assessment. As an educator, I want to strive to be more explicit regarding my assessment practices with my students. I think that at any grade level of learners, the more straightforward I can be with why we are doing something as a class, my learners will understand the process of their learning more and that their growth is what is important.