You should assess more. You should grade less. Those two statements seem mutually exclusive, but they aren’t. The longer that I teach, the more I change my classes and the more I assess. But I am grading less than ever. But here’s the kicker, I know more about my students than I did all those years ago. Here are some ways to assess more while grading less.
Use warm-ups
Every day, there is a three question warm up on the board. Question 1 is a past question. That means it’s asking about a skill that I already think they have. Question 2 is a today skill. It makes the students use the knowledge they already have and guess how that will connect to today’s lesson. And then Question 3 is a future question. It asks about something that we will eventually learn. Here’s the best part, I never grade these. I get near 100% participation because I am working the room as they do them. Then I talk to kids that seem slow. I find out what is missing so that I can start the day’s lesson in the right way. It makes the kids feel seen and known. It also makes them feel safe because I am tailoring the lesson to them.
Don’t grade labs
I rarely grade a lab report. They do them. I collect them. But I don’t grade them. Instead, they get credit for completion. Then on the unit test, there will be questions that deal with the lab. The students know this. In AP classes, the students will use their digital notebooks to take a lab final. That lab will be adjacent to a lab they have already done. But there won’t be instructions. Instead, they use their prior lab work. This allows me to assess them without constantly grading lab sheets.
Only grade SOME homework
I produce partial keys for all of the homework. These are posted online. The students know that these questions will be graded for completion and others will be graded for content. In AP classes, I give them the entire key. The graded questions must prove through their work that it is complete and correct.
Collect it, don’t grade it
It is perfectly acceptable for you to collect an assignment and not grade it and put it into the gradebook. It is an assessment. Sometimes, I give the kids a quiz. We grade it in class. I take the quizzes and search through for the kids that I need to have a specific sit-down due to their grade. Then I throw them in the garbage. I assessed the students. They know where they are at. I know where they are at. Isn’t that the goal? I get some students that figure out my method come ask me nervously after a bad quiz, “Mr. Koch are you putting that one in the grade book?” This gives me the most amazing opportunity to ask a really exposing question. “Should I?” The answer is always no. But then I get to talk with them one on one about what went sideways for them. We can make a plan to solve it. I love that.
Give less homework
I really don’t care about what volume of homework you assign. But you should ask yourself if an assignment really gives you and the student feedback about new skills they have gained. If it doesn’t, then take it out of their homework. Assess things that you believe allow the students to get closer to completing the goals of the unit. Period. That’s it. Don’t give them fluff. Students can recognize fluff from a mile away. Then they start to wonder about your intentions. Are you just giving them stuff to pass time? Stop. Give them stuff to grow and assess.
Assess for planning. Not the other way around.
If you make a whole semester plan, you will be wrong. You don’t know this year’s students. You don’t know how well a subject will stick this year. You don’t know when they will be able to successfully accomplish an assessment. If you plan and then assess, you will be grading gosh-awful performances which takes a lot of time. Instead, be flexible. The students are the ones that say how fast to go, not you. You can challenge them. You can push them. You can take them far from their comfort zone. But they drive the speed and therefore, they should drive when assessments are give and graded or not. Don’t get me wrong, I am not literally asking them when they want a test. Instead, I am constantly assessing so that I know when they are ready. We get the privilege of teaching a skill-based subject. Let them grow in their skills before you deeply assess. That will save you and your red pen.
Grade hard
When you do grade and give them the assessment back, grade hard. Create the standard and hold to it. This helps create the culture of striving in your room. I just gave my first honors chemistry test of the year. I happen to have my son in the class. He is bright. He should get an A in the class. But he didn’t show his work correctly. And he got hammered on each and every one. He definitely did not get an A due to his lower standards. He will in the future. Or dinners will be a little awkward. But the standard is set high. Kids will reach the standard if you show them where the bar is through assessment.
Keep assessing. Use your voice. Use your eyes. Use conversation. Use anything but your red pen. But keep assessing.
Ever tried assessing by using games? I sure do. If the games are curriculum-centric like Stoich Decks games, then using them as an assessment can really help. Check out the opportunities to assess in a new way.
