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Motivation

This side of the Year of No Grades: How it changed (me)

Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell June 13, 2016 3 Comments

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Seeking the future of world language learning at the intersection of comprehensible input, project-based learning, global education, and love.
This side of the Year of No Grades: How it changed (me)
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell June 13, 2016
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Here’s a question for your summer: Can you dare to go YONG?

Time to move on? Finally?

At the end of the 2013-2014 school year, I was finishing a seven-year stint at a particular school.  In a nutshell, the school had a new administrator that year and had swung from what some might call a little too much chaotic familiarity to what some might call an environment where fun was a precious commodity.  Here was the grading environment:

  • 16 “daily” grades required per quarter
  • one to two (recommended) test grades per quarter
  • daily grades count as 50% and the test grades as 50% of quarter grade
  • first quarter counts as 45%, second quarter as 45%, and final exam as 10% of semester grade
  • It was strongly suggested that all subjects give an “academic” final exam (Scantron was mentioned), including art and world language, with a hint that this would be required in future years.

My job, teaching AP Spanish, was phased out at the end of that year due to lack of student interest (drill and kill in Spanish 1 and 2 will do that to a school- the “kill” refers to motivation).  And so I didn’t quit and I didn’t get fired, but the school and I parted ways.  After a teaching break of a year being Mom + Musicuentos, I partnered with a local homeschool cooperative to begin teaching again.

In some ways, it’s a difficult challenge: I have 60 to 90 minutes per week, once a week, with my students.  I teach in a shared space I have to leave exactly how I found it every week, which made me develop some interesting set-up techniques (the shower-curtain word wall, for example). In many other ways, it’s a teacher’s dream that makes my heart happy: motivated learners, small class sizes, involved parents (like a mom or two usually sitting IN CLASS), total freedom in curriculum design, and the final hurdle that was keeping me, in my opinion, from being a truly progressive, future-minded teacher: no grades.

As I reflect on what this change meant, here are three ways the YONG changed our class me.

YONG

A whole new language

I mean, a new language besides the one that’s the overt goal.  When you’re in the YONG, it’s stunning the things you don’t ever talk about:

  • Homework is not a word. We talk about out-of-class activities.
    I posted these activities on Edmodo once a week.  They were optional. (Yes, you read that right.)
  • GPA – not an issue. I had a couple of parents bring up the word transcript once, in the context of how many “years” of seat time they could count the class for on transcripts for college applications – you know, because postsecondary institutions have us so well trained to focus on seat time.
  • The concept of due changes completely. Deciding when and how to complete activities becomes a collaborative conversation.
  • The question of “What do I do to get a higher grade?” was never uttered.  Here’s what I heard instead:
    “Do you think I’m getting close to Novice High?”
    “I’m nervous about this assessment but I think I’m ready to show Novice High on it.“
  • The biggest change? Silence.  I can’t even tell you much more about what traditional language changed to what proficiency-based language.  The biggest change was that questions about how much to complete, what kind of answer was required, how many uses of X feature, what went wrong on an assessment, simply disappeared.  This was particularly evident in my younger class with children ages 6 to 12.  They just came in every week ready to experience whatever it was we were going to do that day. Ready to explore new real skills, because getting an A is not one of those.

A whole new purpose

On my reading list

Here’s a test of what your purpose and theirs is: when talking about “failing” a class or assessment isn’t an option, you discover that you’re forced to talk about the real purposes for being there, and only those.

Since our out-of-class activities were optional, I’ve been asked how I assessed them or what the purpose of them was.  But I was so committed to the YONG that doing anything else wasn’t part of the conversation.  And so, when there are no grades to hold over kids’ heads, there are no grades to hold over their heads.  They did the activities outside of class if and when they wanted to.  But I did keep track of who was completing them.  So, what were the results?

  • No one student completed every assignment every week.
  • No one student didn’t complete any assignments.
  • The vast majority completed 3-4 of the 5ish assignments most weeks and had an occasional week when they did none at all and several when they did them all.  Sometimes they’d bring it up in class but usually it was a mom who would offer me a reason the child hadn’t done it.  Sometimes I’d bring up an assignment if I had a question.  Once I talked to a mom about her daughter routinely submitting an assignment with a response of “hi” when I’d asked for more explanation or description of the activity.

Summary: Most of my students interacted with Spanish regularly outside of class for two and only two reasons: 1) because they wanted to and 2) sometimes, because the parents required it.

A whole new future

Do you want to share the statistics on how many students you taught 5 or 10 years ago still have measurable proficiency skills?  I do not.  I’m guessing my 5-year record would show somewhere in the 20%-30% range from my best years.  Is that success?  I don’t know.  It sure doesn’t feel like it.

I have a sneaking suspicion that our success can be defined not by our end-of-year assessments nor even by retention into upper levels but by how many of our students still have any measurable proficiency in 5-10 years.  Researchers can debate whether or not acquisition is permanently stored all they want but I don’t care – what we do know is that language attrition happens, and acquisition is not permanently retrievable (as evidenced by speakers who no longer speak their “native” language).  Your brain is efficient, and the old adage may have some touted exceptions but normally proves true: If you don’t use it, you lose it.

Also on my reading list.

But not now, I hope.  I’ve never been so optimistic about students developing long-term proficiency.  Students and their families are almost without exception asking me what they can do to keep the learning going through the summer!  They want to talk about future travel, jobs, friends, and experiences.  The future is bright and endless.

Think you can’t go YONG? Can it be done in a school? Why not at least start the conversation?  If teachers need further convincing, just think about what you would do with all the time you spend finding or developing, administering, and yes, grading your assessments right now.

And I am not the only one who is suggesting you think about how to “break your classroom’s dependence on the “A-through-F” grading system that does little more than silence student voices.” About how to “stop reducing students to a number, letter, or any label that misrepresents learning and assessment in education.”

I’ll end here by mentioning that for family records and our own information, at our last meeting in each semester I administered one integrated performance assessment.  See an example of my early learners’ work on that here.  You can check out my secondary assessment for the end of the year here.

Have you taken any steps toward a grades revolution? What’s it been like?

assessment grades homework motivation
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Previous Seven things I will (should/would/might) do next year
Next Welcome, again
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell
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One thing at a time: Step Three September 23, 2019
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3 Comments

  1. Eric says:
    January 25, 2018 at 6:20 am

    in my public school our grading requirements are not explicitly stated but there is a cultural expectation of standard homework, participation and test/quiz grades. I have shifted to performance based assessments in an attempt to shift the conversation away from points and towards proficiency. I have students complete participation SELF assessments to reinforce what I believe are the behaviors most likely to lead to success in foreign language learning. I count homework completion as a mere 5% of the final grade, and honestly it seems like too much. I do WAY less grading now than I did earlier in my career and it has made my life and classes more enjoyable. I do think having some kind of final assessment like an IPA is useful to be able to know what students can do. Personally I always pushed myself in language learning whenever I was preparing for some language certification test (AP, DELF/DALF, DELE). I think test prep, if it’s a good test, is a reasonable approach. But the only grade should be one that reflects proficiency, just like in the real world.

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      January 25, 2018 at 6:44 am

      Thanks for sharing that with us, Eric!

      Reply
  2. Reflections on our AAPPL experience | Musicuentos says:
    May 21, 2019 at 7:38 am

    […] years to get to your level of contact time.)  I assigned at-home activities via Edmodo, but since I didn’t give grades, I really had no leverage except moms pestering them.  Everyone did some activities.  Some did […]

    Reply

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      • Repost: Valentine's #authres from Twitter
      • How I use verb charts
      • Guest post: What students need- A leader (David Seibel)
    •  January (10)
      • Every language teacher's biggest mistake
      • My new favorite digital storytelling app
      • Why Genius Hour can't work in a novice classroom
      • Website review: Geoguessr
      • 2014 resolutions #5: Use more authentic sources.
      • 2014 Resolutions #4: Take a step outside the textbook
      • Reviewing 2013: Five blogs to watch
      • 2014 Resolutions #3: Survey your students.
      • 2014 Resolutions #2: Collaborate with someone
      • 2014 Resolutions #1: Read a book
  •  2013 (110)
    •  December (13)
      • The #1 Musicuentos post of 2013 (and the six years before that)
      • Best of 2013: #2 - Tips for the new AP
      • Best of 2013: #3 - Choice in homework, updated
      • Best of 2013: #4 - Novice song for Spanish Class Idol
      • Best of 2013: #5 - Can you control vocabulary?
      • Best of 2013: #6 - Is your lesson plan out of whack?
      • Best of 2013: #7 - Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • AP Spanish final exam: Controversia navideña y Vacunas para niños
      • Best of 2013: #8 - Novice high vs. Intermediate low
      • Best of 2013: #9 - Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Best of 2013: #10 - Spot-checking conversations
      • First-ever Musicuentos ebook: Reader's Guide to Ciudad de las bestias
      • Happy December!
    •  November (8)
      • AP Spanish essay - Obamacare
      • Vote: Musicuentos proposal for ACTFL '14
      • Setting goals
      • Don't go to ACTFL '13 without TELLing
      • Repost: A story for demonstratives
      • Listen to some Grammy music
      • Caring about the Really Big Deal
      • Calm before the excitement!
    •  October (4)
      • Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Just some fluff: Makeup for busy mom teachers
      • Top 3 mistakes teachers of novices make
      • Book review: Teach Like A Pirate
    •  September (7)
      • Interacting with authentic materials: a guide
      • Using audio-lingua
      • Seven keys to a great story
      • Stations: Exploring music
      • It's a myth: Equipping students to communicate with... themselves
      • Turn a Novice Song into "Spanish Class Idol"
      • Is your lesson plan out of whack?
    •  August (12)
      • Children's literature for the world language class (Helena Curtain)
      • App review & Giveaway! High School Spanish
      • Choice in homework, updated
      • Back to school: Proficiency posts
      • App Review: Storykit (bonus - meet my family!)
      • Back to school: Evaluate traditions
      • Back to school: Blogs with great ideas
      • App review & giveaway: Word Magic dictionary and thesaurus
      • My authorized AP syllabus
      • Back to school: Musicuentos "first days" posts
      • Back to school: Give them signals
      • Going back to school with Musicuentos
    •  July (6)
      • Tips for the New AP
      • Don't be fooled! What the AP does and doesn't measure
      • Illustrating proficiency with a laugh
      • Snag some free apps while you can!
      • Stop asking for unnatural language
      • Fun video: Animals, present, feelings
    •  June (9)
      • Targeting problems with a pop quiz
      • Song, irregular present, part 4: Tengo tu love
      • It's my birthday - check out our presents!
      • A meaningful approach to grammar
      • Websites for creating online magazines
      • A world with no magazines
      • Guest post: Coaching with choice
      • Screencast: Photopeach
      • Communicative grading made easier
    •  May (10)
      • Health infographic: Novice - Intermediate Activity
      • A lesson in finding authentic sources easily
      • Tips and songs for past participles
      • Foster higher-level thinking from the beginning
      • Summer: Language for the fun of it
      • Novice high vs. intermediate low
      • E-magazines with learner appeal
      • Step outside the textbook: Tell a story
      • Repost: Novice description with Jengibre and Pin Pon
      • Interpersonal communication by choice
    •  April (11)
      • Novice speaking: Describing self with Sie7e
      • Can you control vocabulary?
      • Activities from authentic resources: Future tense
      • Why I love mistakes
      • Maternity leave!
      • Lots of your class gone? Pick up a book.
      • Abandon the multiple-choice question
      • Songs for future tense
      • I choose béisbol: sample "homework" report
      • 300 times thank you
      • Reporting like kindergarten
    •  March (11)
      • Training in circumlocution: Ban the dictionary
      • Fun activity #9: A leer
      • Last tips on avoiding burnout
      • Cortometraje for narration
      • Make developing curriculum even easier
      • Even more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Authentic resource: trivia games
      • Still more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Two more ways to ease into developing curriculum
      • Song, irregular present, part 3: Carmelina
      • More tips on avoiding burnout
    •  February (10)
      • Intermediate news activity for all three modes
      • Easing into developing curriculum
      • If you don't pay attention to comprehensibility...
      • Burning out or burning bright?
      • Keeping the class engaged: Change activities
      • Fun activity #8: A cantar
      • Twitter/relationships activity, just in time for Valentine's
      • Tech tools gone wrong
      • Grading regular free-topic writing
      • Add more music to homework choices
    •  January (9)
      • Spot-checking conversations
      • Song, irregular present, part 2: Hace tiempo
      • Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • Paragraph form
      • Myths 8 & 9: I don't do it because they can't handle it.
      • Assigning homework
      • Song, irregular present, part 1: Sigo con ella
      • More choice every day
      • A novice cross-curricular activity from authentic materials
  •  2012 (39)
    •  December (2)
      • 5 New Year's resolutions for every WL teacher
      • It pays to have a focus
    •  October (2)
      • Best and worst games I've seen
      • Example: authentic text for novices
    •  September (7)
      • Success with Stations
      • More student choice in homework
      • Prezi: The Choice is Theirs (KWLA 2012)
      • Prezi: Kick the Vocab Quiz (KWLA 2012)
      • Take the leap to standards-based assessment
      • Fun activity #7: Conecta cuatro
      • A song for feelings
    •  August (11)
      • Screencast: Edmodo
      • Myth #7: Spanish Mike is a taco.
      • A study in motivation, part 2: Self-assessing abilities
      • It's my blogiversary - but you get the gift
      • Menus
      • Reading guides: Cajas de cartón & Esperanza renace
      • A re-post for your first days back: Abecedario
      • Screencast: Finding authentic sources for prompts
      • Maintaining personal proficiency
      • Ideas for the first days of school
      • AP redesign: Units & EQ's
    •  July (9)
      • A study in motivation
      • Advice for teachers in training
      • More uses for Amor de mi tierra
      • Book review: The Talent Code
      • Songs for 'duele'
      • The Case for Commands
      • Got idioms?
      • Like Musicuentos? Like it on Facebook.
      • Very short times with very young kids
    •  June (1)
      • 5...4...3...2...1... LAUNCH!
    •  March (4)
      • Another change: Survey says...
      • Design your own final exam
      • What I'm changing this week
      • Repost for CSC12: Increasing target language
    •  February (1)
      • A storytelling success story
    •  January (2)
      • Not going to ACTFL again, but for the best reason ever
      • Free Ebook for WL educators
  •  2011 (57)
    •  November (1)
      • Dear novice-learner teacher - love, an AP teacher
    •  October (3)
      • Learning from #langchat
      • Not your average health unit
      • Presentation: Target Language: Expect More, Say Less
    •  September (6)
      • Spanish 3 assessment documents
      • For KWLA 2011: Media from Reel to Real
      • Accuracy vs. proficiency: an illustration
      • Fun activity #6: A escribir
      • App review: Tour Wrist
      • Myth #6: Memorizing vocabulary
    •  August (5)
      • Trending topic = authentic comprehensible input
      • Got the rubric!
      • New year, new units, new assessments
      • Jumping on the Animoto bandwagon
      • Rethinking "late" work
    •  July (1)
      • A song made for early Spanish 1
    •  June (9)
      • Proficiency & tacos
      • Proficiency levels shouldn't be a secret
      • Flipbook illustration
      • Ethics in the language class - we aren't their parents
      • Activity #5: Gira la botella
      • Symbol Illustration
      • Connecting your classroom
      • Myth #5: The textbook is all I need
      • Taking paperless to the blog
    •  May (2)
      • Combat the 'este tiempo' monster
      • Children's DVD giveaway!
    •  April (6)
      • Activity #4: Drama Inmóvil
      • Myth #4: The Time Whine
      • Have you used PhotoPeach?
      • The myths aren't going to ACTFL
      • Fun activity #3: ¡Arriésgate!
      • Fun activity #2: A conversar
    •  March (3)
      • Dismantling Myths 2 and 3: Learning about language and its cousin, Grammatical Terms
      • Activity 1: Cuento poco a poco
      • (Trying to) Make learning fun
    •  February (10)
      • Two new options for out-of-class fluency
      • Great resource from la Sra. Birch
      • Dismantling Myth #1: What's a qualified teacher?
      • Keep singing: 189 pages of Spanish lyrics
      • #Charlando para aprender
      • Vote for this week's #langchat topic
      • It's time for them to use their time
      • For tonight's #langchat: A game for description
      • Short listening activity tailor-made for beginners
      • Ciudad de las bestias: Guides public & streamlined
    •  January (11)
      • Instead of the vocab quiz
      • Best songs for stem changing irreg. present
      • Do something drastic - kick the vocab quiz
      • Topic for #LangChat 1/27
      • Topic for the first #LangChat 1/20
      • Low-level learners can't understand authentic media, what?
      • They can't speak, and it's our fault: Dismantling the myths
      • Don't teach a health unit without this song
      • New: A language teachers' weekly chat on Twitter - choose our first topic!
      • Since I stopped teaching to the [AP] test
      • Faith and Culture: help me decide our AP topic
  •  2010 (38)
    •  December (4)
      • 9 ways to increase students' TL use
      • I love collaboration
      • The problem with translation (from a student)
      • Why music is more powerful than anything (& how to use it)
    •  November (2)
      • iPad giveaway!
      • A collaborative project for our Spanish-teacher PLN
    •  October (2)
      • And the winner is...
      • In the spirit of open source: Ciudad de las bestias
    •  September (10)
      • Books recommended as 'easy'
      • Pure present tense & at least 22 repetitions of 'ya no'
      • For a conference attendee: resources in math
      • Searching BBC Mundo
      • Prompts with Power: writing/speaking prompts
      • Prompts with Power: Prezi
      • Prompts with Power: German & French resources
      • Prompts with Power: Dating in high school
      • KWLA Presentation: PLN-ology
      • Tweet with double objects
    •  August (6)
      • Interactive comic creator using Maya & Miguel
      • Ads of the World | Creative Advertising Archive & Community
      • Added some great new links
      • First 12 days of Spanish 1
      • My supply list
      • Scope & sequence, word list for Spanish 1
    •  July (4)
      • 5 tips for increasing (your own) target language use
      • A warm-up from @samocamila: por vs. para
      • Camila's all on board! (well, on Twitter)
      • Getting vocabulary from a tweet
    •  April (3)
      • Huge toy giveaway from SpanglishBaby
      • A case for avoiding "pet" grammar
      • Authentic audio with future tense
    •  March (2)
      • Interesting blog post about iPod as language lab
      • News article: appeal + subjunctive for influence
    •  January (5)
      • A high-interest exercise for imperfect/pasado continuo
      • A song with 17 verbs in past subjunctive
      • My corporate Spanish links, all in one place
      • "Adora la Exploradora"-the week we didn't feel like a boring past-tense review
      • My level 1 and 2 stories (for Bethanie, and whomever else)
  •  2009 (80)
    •  December (2)
      • A song with 37 repetitions of "más que"
      • Switch to a communicative set-up
    •  November (10)
      • Print & audio sources for AP synthesis essay re: efficient energy
      • Two songs for voy + a + infinitive
      • A case for free-topic blogging
      • It's 19 de noviembre!
      • Camila's new single: "Mientes" (release date 11/24!)
      • A case for pleasure reading
      • Noviembre - a popular month for songs
      • Zachary Jones's "Clozeline"
      • Two songs + resources for Ojalá + subjunctive
      • A song just for @mamitati
    •  October (13)
      • You can't buy this in a textbook
      • Cultural connections: Four songs to explore using Google Earth
      • David Bisbal's YouTube channel
      • Correction on Pin Pon in Shrek
      • Four songs for contrasting que & lo que
      • Nominados en la 10a entrega de los Latin Grammy
      • Story and songs for subjunctive: indefinite/negative antecedent
      • AP sythesis essay sources: Los indocumentados y el sistema de salud
      • Blog that does what I do, only better
      • My October playlist
      • We must not ignore the Paz Sin Fronteras (video)
      • Build your perfect tenis (en español)
      • Video with por, haber, past participles, commands, from Coca Cola
    •  September (10)
      • Latin Grammy website gets a cool makeover... and nominations!
      • Songs for the elusive 3rd pers. sing. preterite
      • I just made my first Yodio
      • KWLA Fall 09 Conference presentation
      • Found Juanes on Twitter
      • For you French teachers
      • Bilingual toy giveaway, gracias a @mamitati
      • Keeping your eyes open for gold nuggets
      • CNN launches Latino in America
      • Bob Esponja on Mundonick
    •  August (4)
      • A correction on the correction of La Frase Tonta
      • I am in technology heaven
      • An AP oral presentation, with past tense: "Consecuencias"
      • I love crossover songs
    •  July (2)
      • Raimundo, the bilingual Latin American snail
      • A song for object/refl pronoun 'te'
    •  June (6)
      • A song for your hip-hop fans
      • Developing world citizens
      • Follow me on Twitter
      • Aquí Estoy Yo: video oficial
      • A new group on my radar
      • Two months later, back to the blogosphere (with a companion)
    •  April (5)
      • A most fantastic performance at Premio Lo Nuestro
      • The heroes speak Español
      • A brilliant pair of songs contrasting por/para
      • Useless grammar I used to teach
      • Adding some links--check 'em out
    •  March (7)
      • Negative commands + culture
      • Winds of change
      • Our students aren't the only ones who have speaking problems!
      • Activity: News interaction (present perfect)
      • A new smash hit with a subjunctive benefit
      • A shout out for Jacob & Joshua
      • El campesino y la princesa (a Spanish 3 story test, with a bit of subjunctive)
    •  February (15)
      • More interactive websites, courtesy of my students
      • A product I love
      • Good stories for commands
      • a story for imperf. vs. pret. and subjunctive influence
      • Interactive websites: practicing house/location/color vocab
      • Subjunctive for doubt: Story, song, activity
      • A good story for 'tiene'
      • A song for subjunctive/nosotros commands
      • A story for demonstratives
      • Rules in a communicative class
      • Cause and effect
      • Relating everything to English
      • A correction on La Frase Tonta
      • Equipping and informing, for free
      • A project based on motivation
    •  January (6)
      • "How much is estuvo de pie?"
      • One more song for subjunctive
      • A couple more subjunctive songs
      • An example of vocab
      • Internet scavenger hunts
      • A Spanish 2 story test
  •  2008 (51)
    •  December (7)
      • Videos from Jesús Adrian Romero
      • Alex Campos's YouTube channel
      • A story test
      • A video for Navidad
      • Great new song for subjunctive
      • ¡Nueva música!
      • A fantastic blog post
    •  November (14)
      • Ever heard of Patito feo?
      • Two groups you just can't go wrong with
      • Things to be thankful for
      • Grammar learning vs. acquisition
      • Forced to give grammar tests?
      • High aptitude is a beautiful thing
      • Another Spanish 1 reading
      • New media list!
      • At the ACSI conference in Dayton
      • Story success: Huevos verdes con jamón
      • Another story source!
      • Words we don't use
      • Song success: Hace tiempo
      • El carro de sus sueños
    •  October (12)
      • Overgeneralizing, again
      • Spanish 2 Story: La llama se llama...
      • Song success: Me voy
      • Not posting lately
      • overgeneralizing
      • The outcome of Pin Pon
      • Pin Pon in Shrek?
      • Best practices
      • Reading in Spanish 3
      • SCORE!
      • My media list
      • Awesome YouTube video
    •  September (18)
      • KWLA '08: Assessing comprehension without English
      • Song success: La llave de mi corazón
      • Spanish 1 Story: Insectos grises para el almuerzo
      • Finding stories
      • How do I find the music?
      • Modeling the billingual lexicon
      • Summaries of some classroom SLA articles
      • Love/Hate Krashen
      • Another article that rocked my world
      • More sunshine
      • When it's not all coming up roses
      • What on earth is going on here?
      • So, what are the cuentos?
      • The verdict on pop test 1
      • People I love
      • A pop test
      • Some assumptions
      • Starting to share my journey

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