Spokane Pubic Schools "Secondary Standards-Based Grading and Reporting Handbook"

I enjoyed reading about how schools in Spokane are implementing the common core standards into their curriculum. I was surprised by the suggestions for grading, particularly to omit grades from early in the semester. Section four goes over the negative impact of zeros, stating that zeros can have a debilitating effects on a student’s motivation, especially when that will be averaged into other scores. I think it’s an interesting concept that I would not have considered before. On one hand, it allows students to get away with not doing their work early in the quarter. On the other hand, if at the end of the quarter the student can prove that they have met standards what does it matter? I like that the district has found a way to incentivize students to focus on learning instead of grade. It takes away the question of whether or not a student can do busy work and replaces it with “can the student meet the standards?” Averaging a 0 into a student’s grade does irreparable damage; if a student knows they have a limit on the grade they can get, it is easy for them to get discouraged from trying in their future work.

                I was also intrigued by the section on homework. The section states that homework should not be counted as part of the student’s grade, which goes back to the thinking about the negative impact of zeros. The district believes that homework should function as practice for the standards rather than homework for the sake of doing homework. The way that the school models homework is more similar to a college; students can study at home as needed, but the bulk of learning should be done in class when the teacher is there to provide guidance.

                I really like the philosophy of the Spokane schools; they have acknowledged that students who make progress will be more motivated to continue progressing. In order to ensure the majority of students stay motivate they are straying from the traditional norms of the classroom and adopting new homework and grading policies.