Doug Reeves Elements of Grading

Book Review:  Elements of Grading by Douglas Reeves

The key question that Doug Reeves addresses in Elements of Grading is as follows: How can we make grading systems accurate, fair, specific, and timely?

Before answering this question, Reeves establishes an important premise: The primary purpose of grading is feedback to improve student achievement.

Reeves begins his inquiry by discussing is what he terms “the grading debate” - that is, the distorted perceptions of some educators about the purpose of grading and their subsequent inaccurate, unfair, and non-specific practices.   Reeves reveals the flawed logic behind the practice of assigning a zero for assessments not submitted.  A teacher who gives a grade of zero in such situations is making a moral judgment that goes like this:  The student deserves a zero as punishment, and this consequence is fair in that it teaches the student an important lesson.  The flawed thinking here is, of course, that the “zero” is neither an accurate nor a fair assessment of the student’s academic achievement.  

Accuracy:  In his chapter on accuracy in grading, Reeves shows that the practice of averaging undermines accuracy in that it does not reflect current student performance when the grade is awarded.  In other words, it does not reflect the student’s improved achievement over time or decline over time.  He uses the following humorous analogy to emphasize his point: “You would never decide whether or not to wear a coat on January 31 based on the average temperature during the month.”

Reeves offers 3 strategies for improving accuracy in grading:

1. Reality checks – comparison of student results in classes to external standardized measurements, and determination of whether students are receiving behavioural grades.
2. Collaborative scoring -  based on common rubrics
3. Avoidance of mathematical distortions – for example, not assigning zeros for work not submitted and not averaging marks

Fairness:   Reeves defines fairness in grading as follows: “The grade is a reflection of the student’s performance and the context of that performance.”  In other words, the disparities with which students begin their schooling – factors such as disabilities, impoverished living conditions, lack of parental support, etc. – should be taken into consideration in a fair grading process.

Specificity:  According to Reeves, the most precise way to grade a student is to report his/her performance relative to an objective standard. 

Timeliness:  Acknowledging Jeff Howard’s Nintendo Effect, which refers to the dramatic improvement in performance that students can make when they receive immediate feedback, Reeves provides 3 suggestions for teachers on how to improve timeliness:

1. Involve students in establishing academic criteria – Once students know the rules of the game, they can engage, with integrity, in self and peer assessment
2. Use the 3-column rubric -   Have one column for performance criteria, a second column for student self-assessment, and a third column for teacher assessment
3. Offer mid-course corrections – Since students who most need help do not usually ask for it, teachers must schedule assistance and intervention.

Reeves also offers some advice for administrators on improving timeliness:

-          Ensure that assessments are focused and brief

-          Create time for teachers to analyze and use feedback

-          Monitor the responses of teachers to student achievement data

Reeves concludes Elements of Grading by offering some advice for leaders on how to successfully implement change to teachers’ grading practices: articulate an explicit vision, specify behavioural expectations, and assess and continually refine the implementation.

Easter in Our Catholic Schools

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER EASTER MURALS

The first Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectation indicates that students, "should grow to be discerning believers formed in the Catholic faith community who illustrate a basic understanding of the saving story of our Christian faith."  The murals below, creaed by visual art students in Mr. Ketcheson`s class at St. Francis Xavier High School, are clear and poignant demonstrations of how this expectation is being met in our Catholic Schools. 



These original depictions of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ will be on display in the school`s atrium throughout  the Easter Season.

 CELEBRATION OF EASTER MASS

The second Catholic School Graduate Expectation related to becoming a discerning believer is 

"participation in the sacramental life of the church and demonstration of an understanding of the centrality of the Eucharist to our Catholic story."  With this goal in mind, St. Francis Xavier High School held, on April 3, an Easter Eucharistic celebration.  Ottawa Catholic School Board Chaplain Father Peter Saunders presided.

Easter Mass at St. Francis Xavier High School

Although my hectic schedule did not allow me to attend this school mass, I was able to hear, at a later mass, the thought-provoking Easter homily that Father Saunders delivered to the St. Francis Xavier students.  He began by asking them all,  "Àre you a Roman soldier?"  No doubt the students were perplexed at this question.  He then singled out students and repeated, `"Are you a Roman soldier?"  Of course, each replied, "No."

Fr. Saunders asks SFX students, "Are you Roman soldiers?"

Father Saunders explained that the Roman soldiers who put Jesus on the cross to die an agonizing and humiliating death, were "death dealers".  In their ignorance, they tried to destroy the One who is the giver of all life.  Having made this point, he then cautioned the students that "when you bully other students, you are Roman soldiers - you are death dealers, not life givers, because you destroy the spirit of others."  Likewise, he noted that when they disrespect their teachers or misbehave in other ways, they are also Roman soldiers.  His Easter Season challenge to the students was to, instead, "be life-givers" by being kind to one another and following the example of Jesus.

A KINDERGARTEN STUDENT'S VIEW ON EASTER

  

Sometimes, we who devote our lives to Catholic education may wonder just how effective we have been in fulfilling our mission of bringing children to Christ.  As well, ocassionally, parents may have questions about the impact that Catholic schools have on their children.

And then there is the reassurance that comes when we put our adult cynicism aside, and instead, listen to the testimonials of our children. 

My prayer during this Easter Season is that everyone who values Catholic education is inspired by this simple Easter message from a kindergarten student at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton:

     



Equity & Diversity

BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT ST. FRANCIS XAVIER

 The students and staff of St. Francis Xavier High School were involved in a number of initiatives during Black History Month (February). 

Students learned about significant people and events on the daily oral announcements. . As well, students in grades 7 and 8 were invited to participate in a poetry writing contest. On February 21, an assembly was held featuring traditional African dances, speeches and readings, and a fashion show.

Under the direction of art teacher Mr. Ketcheson, four students painted beautiful mural panels for the school atrium. The student artists were Alexandra Bouchey, Sarwa Ali, Subin Lee, and Christian Padrones. The murals commemorate significant events including Rosa Parks' courageous decision not to move to the back of a bus, the Underground Railway to Canada, and Martin Luther King Jrs' I Have a Dream Speech.

CHINESE NEW YEARS CELEBRATIONS

On Saturday, February 9, I was pleased to attend the Chinese New Year celebrations hosted by the International Languages programs at both Holy Trinity High School and St. Joseph High School.  Hundreds of parents attended both celebrations and were treated to many performances by children in the Chinese Manderin classes.   At Holy Trinity, the parents even got into the act with  a few dance performances!  At St. Joseph, the children enjoyed a number of traditional Chinese games.  Notre Dame High School's International Languages program also held a Chinese New Year celebration.

Dragon Dance during Chinese New Celebration at St Joseph HS

The Year of the Dragon was certainly welcomed in style by the staff, students, and parents of the Ottawa Catholic International Languages program!   

EQUITY

by Randall B. Lindsey

Equity is comprised of a collection of articles by a variety of authors.

In the first chapter, editor Randall B. Lindsey, along with 3 other contributors, identifies and elaborates upon the 4 tools of cultural proficiency.  The first tool is overcoming barriers to cultural proficiency.  According to the author, the main barrier is unawareness or indifference to systems of oppression, such as racism and sexism.  The second tool is a set of guiding principles which point to the centrality of culture in society and individual lives.  A 6-point continuum of behaviours and institutional practices is the third tool.  This continuum begins with 3 unhealthy behaviours and practices – cultural destructiveness, cultural incapacity, and cultural blindness - and leads to 3 healthy behaviours - cultural pre-competence, competence, and proficiency. 

Tool 4 includes 5 essential elements of cultural competence.  These elements are standards or guides for people and institutions such as schools.   They include:

-          Assessing cultural knowledge (learning about others’ cultures and how a school reacts to others’ cultures)

-          Valuing diversity (creating decision-making groups inclusive of people with viewpoints and experiences different from the dominant culture of the school)

-          Institutionalizing cultural knowledge – making learning about cultural groups an important part of the school staff’s professional learning

In “Why Race?”, the second chapter, Glenn Singleton and Curtis Linton make the case that the most significant achievement gap in schools is the racial gap, and that institutional racism is the most “devastating factor” contributing to poor achievement by students of colour.  Factors such as inclusive hiring and promotion practices for teachers and recognizing the unique experiences and perspectives of cultural groups in the curricula are the sorts of institutional reforms that the authors believe schools need to adopt to close the racial gap.

Chapter Three, written by Ruth S. Johnson and Robin Avelar La Salle, is about school data analysis.  It is entitled “The Wallpaper Effect” – a phrase which stresses the importance of “peeling off layers of data to uncover practices, programs, and policies that contribute to and exacerbate educational inequities.”    

The multiple authors of “Teacher Quality Equity” recommend that schools and districts conduct rigorous equity audits in the area of teacher quality to ensure that students of diverse cultural groups have equal access to the most experienced and well qualified teachers available.

Bonnie M. Davis in “Reaching Diverse Learners Through Strategic Instruction” shares practical tips for teachers for supporting diverse learners.  For instance, she recommends that teachers select content materials that match the ethnic diversity of their students.

In Chapter 6, “Diversity and Power”, Carl A. Grant makes the important point that teachers – the power brokers of classrooms - must learn about and affirm diversity.  As well, school staffs must be particularly cognizant of the hidden curriculum, to ensure that their words, attitudes, and actions don’t communicate cultural insensitivity.

Chapter 8, “Connecting Home and Home” is written by Concha Delgado Gaitan and makes the important point that schools must employ “culturally responsive, systemic approaches” that allow all parents to become partners in their children’s schooling.    







Safe, Inclusive, & Accepting Schools

STUDENT VOICE ON SAFE, INCLUSIVE, AND ACCEPTING SCHOOLS

For close to 20 years, students from all intermediate-secondary schools in the Ottawa Catholic School Board have come together once a year to talk about peace keeping at the Secondary Peace Conference.  In past years, there has been a keynote speaker who ids the focal point of the conference.  This year, however, to quote Peace Confrence coordinator Principal Bill Barrett, "the students were the keynote speakers."

Students from Ottawa Catholic secondary schools gather for annual Peace Conference

So it was that on December 14, over 300 students gathered at Scotiabank Place to share their opinions on safety, inclusivity, and acceptance in high schools.  In actual fact, the dialogue began even before the conference as students were invited to post their thoughts and views on a Facebook page set up ahead of time:



http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ottawa-Catholic-School-Board-Peace-Conference-2012/122454447912319?ref=hl

During the morning of the Secondary Peace Conference, students sat in groups that were faciltated by preservice teachers from the University of Ottawa.  Each of the 30 or so groups came up with recommendations on how to amke our schools even safer and more inclusive.  Then, during the afternoon, the group lists were consolidated.

One of the Peace Conference group

Two Peace Conference attendees, St. Pius X High School students Amanda Rocca and Kevin Laporte, were then given the great privilege and awesome responsibility of presenting the student recommendations to the Ottawa Catholic School Board trustees at their March 26 meeting.  Some of the students' recommendations were as follows:

          -  Continue to provide access to guidance counselors and social workers  

          -  Promote peer support programs in all schools

          -  Encourage student involvement in kindness and bullying awareness campaigns

          -  More focus on cyber-bullying, safe internet use, mental health, and drug addiction

          -  Greater focus on rehabilitating students

          -  Anonymous reporting systems for bullying

          -  More activities that allow students to promote safety and celebrate acceptance



(L. to R.): Principal Luce Paradis; St. Pius X High School students Amanda Rocca 
& Kevin Laporte; Board Chairperson Mark Mullan; Principal Bill Barrett; and 

Superintendent Peter Atkinson.

Book Review: Creating Safe School Environments - From Small Steps To Sustainable Change

Authors Peter G.Jaffe, Claire V. Crooks, and C. Lynn Watson, conducted research over a period of 3 years with educators, parents, and students in 23 schools in 4 boards across Ontario in order to create their systematic framework for assessing school safety needs and helping schools develop plans to address their specific needs.

They begin their book Creating Safe School Environments: From Small Steps To Sustainable Change by identifying the following elements of a successful school violence prevention program:

-       Comprehensive (whole-school focus)

-       Focus on skill development (ie. Problem-solving skills)

-       Strategic selection of targets for change

-        Includes students in program delivery

-       Includes parents as partners

-       Attends to implementation issues

The authors then go on to acknowledge the barriers to implementing and sustaining a violence prevention strategy, including the diversity of needs in communities, conflicting priorities in education, the need for resources and time for professional development, and the  “pervasive societal messages about the acceptability of violence”.

A very important caution the authors give is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to violence prevention in schools.  Instead, they emphasize that principals need to work with their communities to assess their unique safe school needs and develop a plan that is tailor-made to those identified needs.

With these ideas in mind, the authors’ outline their Safe Schools Continuum:  a three-stage change model which describes the progression of schools to achieving  sustainable safe schools initiatives.  

School Safety Review with Ottawa Police Service,

Ottawa Fire Services, & Ottawa Paramedic Services

In Stage 1, Developing Awareness, principals and their staffs review current policies and procedures and assess the current climate of safety in their schools.  In order to do so effectively, the authors provide a comprehensive School Assessment Checklist.  Other assessment tools they recommend include school climate surveys and their own physical plant audit, which they dub the School Safety Audit.  

As schools progress to Stage 2, Planning & Responding, principals and staffs actively engage all stakeholders – parents, students, and community agencies – to establish goals and an overall plan for making the school environment safe for everyone.  The authors recommend the Safe and Accepting Schools Team as the mechanism for this collaborate process.

Finally, in Stage 3, Educating and Leading, a school consolidates its safe schools efforts.

Creating Safe School Environments: From Small Steps To Sustainable Change is an excellent resource for schools and boards to use in developing and sustaining whole-school approaches to positive school climate.  In fact, it was a central resource we used in the training we provided for all our principals and Safe and Accepting Schools Teams to assist them in their foundational work in building safe, inclusive, and accepting environments in their schools.  

Ottawa Catholic Principals and Safe & Accepting School Teams attend 

Whole-School Training Session - October 16, 2012