MA INE DO E

B OO K STU D Y
SE SSION

GRADING
FOR
EQUITY
By Joe Feldman
Today's Webinar

CH A PTE R PR E VI E W & D ISCU SSIO N – MO RE O F I T !

Chapter 3:
How Traditional Grading Stifles Risk-Taking and

Grading for Equity

by Joe Feldman
Supports the"Commodity of Grades"
 Guiding
question:
What's best for students?

GRADING FOR EQUITY

BOOK STUDY
 BREAKOUT SECTION BREAKOUT
DISCUSSION 1 DISCUSSION
GROUP PREVIEW GROUP
STRUCTURE
LEARNING

SECTION BREAKOUT WHOLE

2 DISCUSSION GROUP
PREVIEW GROUP R E P O RT O U T
AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT
AGREEMENTS

Short Presentations Longer breakout Chat box

group discussions
Mute TQEs
Video off Share the air Discussion prompts
Break out Groups
Factors for Success

Facilitator Timekeeper Engagement

Discussion Question

Reflect on your reading of chapters 1 & 2

What changed, challenged, or confirmed

your thinking?

Groups of 4, 10 minutes to discuss, at least 2 minutes each!

 PA RT 2 | T H E C ASE FO R CH A N GE

INTRODUCTION
TO THE CASE FOR CHANGE
20th Century
Beliefs

Student achievement occurred on a curve

Students were motivated through

extrinsic rewards & consequences

Key purpose of schools

was to sort students
21st Century
Beliefs

All students are capable of

meeting academic standards

Extrinsic motivation may work for rote

behaviors but intrinsic motivation works
better for higher-order thinking

Schools should not sort students

 Yet–
Part 2 | The Case for Change

W E ST I L L U SE
G RA D IN G SY ST E MS O F T HE
E A RLY 2 0T H CE NT U RY

and there is
"no meaningful research to support
it." (Marzano, 2000)
 HOW TRADITIONAL GRADING

CH A PT E R 3

S T I F L E S R I S K - TA K I N G

A N D S U P P O RT S T H E
"COMMODITY OF GRADES"
CH A PT E R 3: SE CT I O N 1

R I S K - TA K I N G , T R U S T, A N D T H E
TEACHER-STUDENT
R E L AT I O N S H I P
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the
Teacher-Student Relationship
H O W D O W E BU I L D T RU ST ?
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the
Teacher-Student Relationship

T E A CH E RS
B UI L D T HI S
PO SIT IV E R E L AT I O NS HI P
T H ROU G H
IN TE R AC T I ON S W I T H
ST U D E N T S
 PO S I T I VE
TE A CH E R- ST U D E N T
R E LAT I O N SHI PS=
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the

.5 5 E FFE CT SI Z E
Teacher-Student Relationship
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the
Teacher-Student Relationship

PO S IT IV E RE L AT I O N SH I PS

“It is teachers who have created positive teacher

student relationships that are more likely to have
the above average effects on student achievement.”
(John Hattie)
 PO S IT IV E RE L AT I O N SH I PS
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the

I MPR OV E :
Teacher-Student Relationship

Engagement
Motivation
Academic Achievement

(Research by Delpit, Hattie, Noddings, Pianta, Wentzel)

 PO SI T I V E
T E ACH E R- S T U D E NT
RE L AT I O N SH I PS=
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the

ST U D EN T 'S FEE L S AF E TO TA KE
Teacher-Student Relationship

RISK S AN D MA K E M I STAK E S
 Yet–
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the
Teacher-Student Relationship

W HE N W E G RA D E
E V E RY T H IN G T H RO U GH O U T
T H E L E AR N I NG PRO CE SS
STUDENTS FEEL:
Judged
Pressure to be Perfect
Anxious
Overwhelmed
 "The message when everything is included in
the grade is clear: You are always being judged
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the
Teacher-Student Relationship

and must show your absolute best performance

in every respect–academic and nonacademic–
every day. If you make a mistake, or even are
just having a bad day, it's going to count against
you.
There is no room for error,
no safe place to make mistakes."
(Feldman, 32)
 Grading can undermine the
teacher-student relationship,
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the

leading to distrust–
Teacher-Student Relationship

Deceit--Copying & Cheating

Shame--Avoidance
 "Most of us entered teaching to build
meaningful relationships with young people, to
Chapter 3 | Risk-Taking, Trust, & the
Teacher-Student Relationship

engender in them a sense of trust and safety by

accepting mistakes along a path to proficiency,
but our traditional grading encourages us to
judge nearly everything a student does or
doesn't do, and we create pressure-cooker
classrooms where no mistake goes
unpenalized."
(Feldman, 32)
Discussion Question

How does the element of trust in the student-teacher

relationship influence a student's approach to the learning
process, particularly for historically underserved student
populations, and how does our traditional grading affect
that trust?
CH A PT E R 3: SE CT I O N 2

THE "COMMODITY OF GRADES"

& E X T R I N S I C M O T I VAT I O N
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"
and Extrinsic Motivation
H O W D ID G RA DE S G E T SO
VA L UA B L E ?
 Grading
throughout
Schooling
E A R LY E L E M E N TA RY –
Teacher feedback verbal:
encouragement, supportive
correction, reflection.

L AT E R E L E M E N TA RY –
Teacher feedback shifting to currency of
points: categorizing, tracking
achievement.

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL
Grading as economic system:
points w/incentives
and penalties
 T E A CH E R S BE L I E V E :
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"

"Point economies are a

and Extrinsic Motivation

vital incentive and

feedback mechanism
to help students
successfully meet
class expectations."

(Feldman, 34)
 But–
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"
and Extrinsic Motivation

U SIN G PO IN T S TO MO T I VAT E
A SS UM E S E X T RI N SI C
MO T IVAT I O N I S MO ST
E FFE CT IV E TO PRO MO T E
L E A RN I N G

Remember Skinner and

Behaviorism?
 Now–
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"
and Extrinsic Motivation

O U R U ND E RSTA N DI NG O F
MO T IVAT IO N HA S E V OLV E D

Extrinsic motivation works for

menial/repetitive tasks, NOT for
higher-order and creative thinking.
 Learners
throughout
Schooling
E A R LY E L E M E N TA RY –
Curious,
innate interest in learning
and growing

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL
"How many points
is this worth?"

• Bargaining over points

• Pleading not to lose points
• Requests for extra credit
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"
and Extrinsic Motivation

& Joy
Curiosity
As a measure of learning, grades:
 The teacher is the Federal
Reserve
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"

of the classroom
and Extrinsic Motivation

Can "print" more currency

Can inject more points into the

classroom economy when needed.
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"

"WE PREACH
THE GOSPEL
and Extrinsic Motivation

OF LEARNING,
BUT WE MAKE STUDENTS
GENUFLECT
TO THE ALTAR
OF POINTS."
(FELDMAN, 35)
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"
and Extrinsic Motivation

& THE POWER

IS HELD BY THE TEACHER
POINTS = POWER
 THE TEACHER'S GRADING
POSITION OF POWER DECREASES
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"

STUDENT
and Extrinsic Motivation

TRUST & RISK-TAKING

 WE OFTEN USE THE
EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"

OF POINTS EVEN MORE

and Extrinsic Motivation

WITH STUDENTS:

-FROM LOW INCOME FAMILIES

-WHO HAVE STRUGGLED ACADEMICALLY
-WHO HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY
UNDERSERVED
 WE TRY TO BRIBE THEM
WITH POINTS
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"
and Extrinsic Motivation

BUT THIS ONLY CREATES

THE ILLUSION OF
ENGAGEMENT & MOTIVATION
 "Using only extrinsic motivation incentives to
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"

inspire learning is a form of educational

and Extrinsic Motivation

engineering that implicitly views students as

inferior, inert, and in need of motivation. Such
an orientation dims our awareness of learners'
own determination
and promotes their dependency."
(Dr. Margery Ginsberg, 2015)
Chapter 3 | The "Commodity of Grades"

We complain that some students only care about

and Extrinsic Motivation

points or we wish we had more trusting

relationships with students,
but "our approach to grading
may be to blame."
(Feldman, 37)
Discussion Question

How do "points" in grading, often used to incentivize

compliance, divert a student's focus away from
intrinsic motivation to learn and instead toward the
teacher's extrinsic rewards?

Select a member to report out for your group number!

Thank you
for participating
in this learning journey!

NEXT QUESTION NEXT STEP NEXT WEBINAR

How effective are the use of Read and Reflect Tuesday, 6/16 @ 9am
points for students who are on Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Preview
the least motivated and Traditional Grading Hides
Information, Invites Biases,
engaged? (Q4, p. 37)
and Provides Misleading
Information
FI N A L WO R DS