From Grades to Student Voice: The Community for Learning Story

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Very quickly I heard from student after student telling me that they just wanted to get really good grades and how did they do that? And they no longer felt an interest in what they were learning.

—Carla Meyrink

When Students Become Partners in Learning

At The Community for Learning in the Dominican Republic, curiosity and student-centered learning have long been central to the school's philosophy. But when grades were introduced, head of school Carla Meyrink noticed an abrupt change: students began focusing on marks rather than learning. What followed was a schoolwide journey toward assessment practices that put students back at the center.

In this conversation, Carla and I explore how students can help shape assessment criteria, use exemplars to understand quality, and develop the capacity to evaluate their own work. We discuss how writing conferences can transform feedback into genuine learning, why teachers need opportunities to reflect on their own practice, and how student voice can extend beyond the classroom. Carla shares the story of a student-led think tank that helped create Project Day—an example of what becomes possible when schools invite young people to help shape their own education.

Topics

• How introducing grades changed students' relationships with learning.

• Involving students in developing assessment criteria and understanding quality.

• Using exemplars and self-assessment to build student ownership.

• Why writing conferences can be more powerful than written feedback alone.

• Helping teachers reflect on and improve their assessment practices.

• Moving from student feedback to meaningful student voice.

• How a student-led think tank helped bring Project Day to life.

• What school leaders can do to create the conditions for learning beyond grades.