The EBR Challenge
Wendy Custable - Applied Arts Director
During the 2013-2014 school, after reading a formative assessment and standards-based grading book authored by Robert Marzano, one of our Family and Consumer Sciences teachers, Sara Lohrmann, challenged the Applied Arts teams to think differently about how they grade and report student learning. For years she was frustrated with the “traditional” approach of communicating how students were growing in the courses she taught. She did not feel that assigning points to projects and tests told students anything about the knowledge and skills they were learning, or more importantly, not learning. That year, Sara began to lead the division down a new path of grading and reporting called Standards-Based Grading.
Now four years later and a new name, I am proud to report that Evidenced Based Reporting (EBR) is being used as the method of providing feedback on student learning in 32 of the 40 courses we offer in the division, with all 40 scheduled to “be” EBR in the next couple years. More importantly, if you asked the teachers, not one of them would return to traditional grading and reporting practices. So, why do the Applied Arts teachers believe in EBR so much? When asked, they said the following:
Applied Arts teachers believe that evidence based reporting encourages a growth mindset in their students and within their teams. With that said, the EBR path is not an easy one to travel. There are a lot of twists and turns and hills to climb. It can be exhausting. However, it was worth the time and effort. Not only do the Applied Arts teachers feel their curriculum, instruction, and assessments are better than they have ever been, their team conversations and data reflections are more meaningful and productive.
When asked what tips they would give to a team interested in converting their courses to EBR, the Applied Arts teachers reported that teams must:
I am so proud to work in a division where the teachers and students focus their time and energy on learning the amazing knowledge and skills offered in the Applied Arts courses. The teacher teams worked extremely hard the past four years to make their vision of success for every student a reality. Therefore, I challenge all of those teams who feel that their current grading and reporting practices do not match their teaching and learning beliefs to begin to walk down the EBR path that Sara and many others paved for them.
Now four years later and a new name, I am proud to report that Evidenced Based Reporting (EBR) is being used as the method of providing feedback on student learning in 32 of the 40 courses we offer in the division, with all 40 scheduled to “be” EBR in the next couple years. More importantly, if you asked the teachers, not one of them would return to traditional grading and reporting practices. So, why do the Applied Arts teachers believe in EBR so much? When asked, they said the following:
- Our team conversations are more focused on student learning.
- It gives students the opportunity to grow. That first “thing” that I grade now does not have to haunt a student for the entire semester.
- It helps align our team’s curriculum, assessment and instruction.
- Teachers and students can better track progress/growth.
- Students are more reflective.
- Students stop focusing on their grade and start focusing on their learning.
- EBR creates a more relaxed classroom environment because it removes some of the high stakes feeling of the grade. Students can actually learn from their mistakes.
- When students begin an EBR course, they are aware of what targets they will work towards mastering, rather than just assignments they will be completing.
- Once we were able to narrow down our learning targets, we “graded” less and our students reflected more.
- Rather than accumulating as many points as possible (or competing with each other over who has the highest percentage in the class) students brag about growing as an individual and mastering the targets.
Applied Arts teachers believe that evidence based reporting encourages a growth mindset in their students and within their teams. With that said, the EBR path is not an easy one to travel. There are a lot of twists and turns and hills to climb. It can be exhausting. However, it was worth the time and effort. Not only do the Applied Arts teachers feel their curriculum, instruction, and assessments are better than they have ever been, their team conversations and data reflections are more meaningful and productive.
When asked what tips they would give to a team interested in converting their courses to EBR, the Applied Arts teachers reported that teams must:
- Have a growth mindset. Think Carol Dweck!
- Be willing and able to let go of pet projects, assignments, and assessments. It is hard to let go. However, if it does not provide evidence of student learning towards a learning target, then it does not need to be in the curriculum.
- Align (not lock-step) curriculum, instruction, and assessment with teammates. Your collaborative team conversations will be more rich and purposeful.
- Be willing to take risks and embrace mistakes.
- Trust team members and the process.
- Communicate triumphs and pitfalls with teammates so everyone can learn.
- Ask for and accept feedback from teammates and from students.
I am so proud to work in a division where the teachers and students focus their time and energy on learning the amazing knowledge and skills offered in the Applied Arts courses. The teacher teams worked extremely hard the past four years to make their vision of success for every student a reality. Therefore, I challenge all of those teams who feel that their current grading and reporting practices do not match their teaching and learning beliefs to begin to walk down the EBR path that Sara and many others paved for them.