Who Decides What Should Be Measured? – 5/10

This post is part of a 10 day posting challenge issued by Tina Zita. You can’t be a connected educator if you don’t contribute. Sometimes we need a nudge to remember that if nobody shares, nobody learns. Thanks Tina!

_______________________________________________

Who gets to decide what we measure when we assign a

number to our students?

Today I want to pull together thinking from some diverse sources.

Yesterday, while searching for an old tweet, I came across this gem from six years ago from Ira Socol.

Screen Shot 2016-01-21 at 4.12.20 PM

As well, my friend Sheila Stewart brought this post to my attention:

Screen Shot 2016-01-21 at 4.18.00 PM

We SAY that we value all of our students equally, but do our structures provide a very different message?

Screen Shot 2016-01-21 at 3.47.20 PM
University of Toronto General Admission Requirements http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/futurestudents/admissions/guidance/grades

In a culture that assumes schools will rank students in a way that determines their future, should we be asking deeper questions about our practice?

What does student voice say about this?

In Saskatchewan, there has been some deep thinking into what needs to be taken into consideration before we decide what needs to be measured.

Help Me Tell My Story (Holistic Assessment App) uses technology, integrated with the voice of the community, to ensure that children are comfortable with the types of assessments being conducted.

Screen Shot 2016-01-21 at 4.27.36 PM

As we consider the work being done in Saskatchewan, we must remember the incomparable Joe Bower’s last powerful blog post.  It is worth your time.

Screen Shot 2016-01-21 at 4.31.33 PM
Joe Bower – Another Powerful Blog Post. Please read his work. http://www.joebower.org/2015/12/assessment-and-measurement-are-not-same.html

 

Is a culture that assigns two-digit numbers to our learners still appropriate in 2016?

 

Featured Image: Joe Bower and Deborah Meier from Joe Bower’s blog: http://www.joebower.org/2015/12/assessment-and-measurement-are-not-same.html

Further resources:

Edutopia – When Grading Harms Student Learning (Andrew Miller)

One thought on “Who Decides What Should Be Measured? – 5/10

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *