My world on the web
Our next challenge is to turn an improving ‘back end’ tracking tool into a more interactive and intuitive online experience for students and parents which engages them more than twice a year.
A Perth school uses the coronavirus disruption to education to rethink school report cards, placing an emphasis on personal development and character over grades.
How might we create a report that aligns with what we believe about learning? What if we report on what we really value in learning? What if we elect to report only on transferable skills? What if we let go of expected ‘levels’ (real or imagined) and pay more attention to who each child is as a learner? What if we focus on assessment FOR and AS learning, rather than only assessment OF learning? How might we support students and parents to value and reflect on skills that really matter?
As promised, here is my second post about Making Learning Visible and Digital Portfolios . . . Forgive me for any technical problems, or the lack of digital craftsmanship; I am still learning.
Although Vogstad focuses on Freshgrade, I think that much of this could be completed using a range of applications and platforms. It is also a great example of ongoing reporting.
Continuous Reporting has the following five goals: 1. Increase formative assessment (Black et al., 2014; Black & Wiliam, 2005; Wiliam, 2011…
via TER Podcast
For older students in primary schools and secondary schools, marks for each subject will be rounded off and presented as a whole number, without decimal points – to reduce the focus on academic scores. Parents will continue to receive information about their child’s progress in school during parent-teacher meetings.
I talked to some VCU people about ePortofolios1. It’s a conversation I’ve had any number of times over the years. I think that experience is leading to a better understanding of what’s going on structurally and the space we have to navigate competing interests. I’m also in a better position to show how certain technologies might help people find a middle way. However, I’m still trying to be honest about the complexities involved in an environment with shrinking resources and expanding expectations. That’s a rough line to sell when vendors have no compunction about pitching simple answers that aren’t exposed until after contracts are signed. For the record, I didn’t start with this peppy intro when I spoke.
Woodward provides a lot of nuance throughout his discussion and provides a number of examples to support this. It is a worthy addition to the discussion of ways to blog.
We ditched ‘traditional reports’ at the start of last year for exactly these reasons. We have every child on a collaborative google sheets document shared with parents, teachers and Principal. Through this we have goals, evidence, feedback, learning stories, summative assessment, formative assessment, self-reflection, parent feedback……24/7 access……learning conversations available every term, sharing evenings twice a term….there’s a mid year and end of year summary as well to meet the legislative requirements for ‘reporting in plain language twice a year’ – up to parents whether it’s printed off or not…..Leaders just need to be brave enough to lead change and educate their communicate to come on the journey with them!
Why do governments and administrators continue to dictate not just the existence of report cards, but often the format and parameters they should fit?
What if the hours teachers spend writing and proofreading reports were instead allocated to professional learning and collaborative planning that enhanced future learning?
and…
WHY has so little changed in the four years
since I last wrote those questions?
It has been good to see some of the schools that I have spoken to really strip back some elements, especially in regards to specialists. It always amazes me the amount of time spent by a teacher who would potentially see the children for an hour a week.
It will be interesting to see if Gonski 2.0 brings any changes, but I guess that is your point about solutions being pushed on schools. I also look forward to reading ACER’s research into the area and the general guidelines that they put forward.
“Video killed the radio star” but what will kill report cards? This is what you’ll see after a short ride into the future in the “Educational Delorean”:
Teachers and students use personal digital devices in the classroom. When learning happens it’s recorded on the device. This could be video (student does something), audio (student explains something), pictures, digital documents or written observations. Teachers and students tag the learning with the relevant expectations, add comments and save it on the server.
The student receives feedback from the teacher and others, reflects and reviews. When learning is ready to ‘publish’ it’s evaluated and added to the student’s portfolio.
The student’s digital portfolio is shared with parents and anyone else the student chooses. Automatic notifications are sent whenever something is added or parents can subscribe to a periodic digest. Parents or others add comments, ask questions, or just click “Like”.
When the reporting period ends the student and teacher select the best work for sharing, write reflections and curate the work. Parents add comments. Growth is easily seen because previous work is already in the portfolio.
Do you think that the conversation has moved much? I have written about ongoing report, however I worry about the schools that do both and the burnout that this may cause.
