Changing the mindsets of students and families around grading and reporting can be difficult. Adjusting the long-held beliefs about letters and percentages can be an uphill battle. And for many educators who are working to shift the focus away from transactional learning and toward growth and progress, the road can be full of twists and turns. Especially when you work in a setting that still requires a quarter grade.

After my thinking about grading evolved, I recognized how traditional practices harmed students. My classroom always focused on building relationships, on growth and progress, but the way I graded was not in alignment with those values. I knew I needed to make a change, but I had to work within the expectations by my district.

From that impasse came Conferencing Week. 

What is Conferencing Week?

In the week leading up to the end of the quarter, my students spend time creating a portfolio of their learning. I provide a template with the learning targets we covered during that time, and it helps them to organize their work. They can include formative and summative assessments, as well as any re-assessment.

They have the entire week to go through their learning from the quarter and put together this portfolio. Many of them also spend time working with myself or with peer experts in the room to revisit the learning goals they have not met yet. They also re-assess on anything they feel compelled to, and they have time in the classroom to do it.

When their portfolios are completed, they sign up for a time to conference with me to discuss their growth as a reader and writer. We focus the conversation on our learning targets, with students explaining how their understanding has evolved over time. 

Ultimately, we collaboratively determine their quarter grade for language arts. In the past, these have always been measured as an average of all the scores from that grading period. That is no longer the case. Now, this conference is how those scores are determined.

What happens in a summative conference?

During our time, we start by going through each of the standards, and the students tell me where they are at in their learning with that particular target. Have they met the objective? Do they understand the learning goal? What is still confusing them? How did they get to that level of understanding?

These discussions are powerful, and the kids do a great job articulating their progress. My favorite part of the process was seeing my students take ownership of their learning and how seriously they took these conversations. Not only did they recognize that the grade and learning were truly theirs, but they were able to speak to it eloquently.  I even had a couple of students who went above and beyond, creating Google Slides presentations outlining their growth and understanding.

After going through their portfolio, I asked students what grade they think they earned for the quarter. They have a chart that helps them with this part of the conversation so they have some guidance and it can remain objective.

After the students tell me where they fall, they have to justify it. We revisit the portfolio and their growth, and they defend the score. Ultimately, we both agree on a quarter grade, and students walk away from the conference knowing what the report card will read and they have a direct say in the process.

My students do a phenomenal job at these conferences. Our conversations are powerful, focused on growth and progress, and the students are incredible at speaking to their learning. 

Each of them will walk me through a learning target, telling me about their understanding at the start of the quarter. They will share examples of their work and how it has evolved over time, explaining the feedback they received or the way their understanding improved during our lessons. They then speak to their current understanding or ability, sharing the re-assessments they have done or the summative assessment they completed. 

Having this structure in place is helpful for them because it provides consistent expectations and an expected layout for my “type A” learners. But there’s an opportunity for choice and creativity too. For example, one of my students decided to create a presentation that demonstrated her proficiency at each of our standards, with links to all of her work from the quarter. She also included commentary on her growth with each learning goal, discussing her learning over time. I was impressed with how well she could discuss her learning. It was an authentic ownership, and I loved it. 

Do you still report grades during the quarter? 

I do report progress throughout the quarter in our online gradebook, using my district’s 1-4 scale. But every “score” is weighted at zero. They do not calculate a percentage or letter grade for the class. The only time a percentage or letter grade shows up in the gradebook is after we conference to determine what it should be.

How do the students feel about it?

The students themselves report feeling real ownership over their learning. Overall, they honestly like the structure because it puts them ‘in control,’ as they say. They do not feel like they are being ‘given’ a grade, but rather that they are determining it. Their voices are valued and taken into account, and that is important to them.

After we finished our first Conferencing Week, I sent out an anonymous Google survey asking students for feedback. I wanted their honest opinions on how they thought it went, why they liked or disliked it, and what we could improve going forward.

Their responses shed light on the process and how they truly felt. They also helped me make some changes for the second quarter so I could better meet their needs. 

Some of the responses:

• I thought it was okay because I liked the idea of being able to discuss what you think you did and how well you did it. I also liked how there wasn't just an average that was made based on your scores, it just depended on if you improved throughout the quarter.

• I feel as if it prepares for anything like this in the future, it's almost like a job interview.

• I loved it because it let us talk together of our personal progress throughout the term. It let you figure out where all of your students are with their learning, so you can see who needs more help. Then you can talk with them about it how they understand the concepts that you're giving us.

• I liked it because then I had a chance to get the grade that I deserved. With the conference, we were able to prove that we should get that grade, where as last year the teacher decided my grade. 

• I loved it because most of the time teachers are like this is your grade but the conference lets you put your thoughts into your grade.

• I liked not having my parents stressing about my grade because they would be mad I didn't get proficient the first time, so I liked having some freedom.

• I loved it because I now get to explain what grade I think that I deserve and why. I also like it because I feel more independent.

Overall, the students were really happy with the structure. I did, however, have several students share some insight that was not as positive.

• I think it is just nervousness for knowing my grade right away, I'd rather look at it on Tyler.

• The one on one part of the conference was okay. I get kind of nervous when I am trying to convince someone of something, especially with a teacher.

• It was ok I was really nervous but when I was done I felt better about it.

• I thought it was okay because preparing while I was preparing for the conference, I felt that the spreadsheet didn't really show the progress I made.

After hearing from several students about their apprehension, I decided to provide them with a little more scaffolding in the second quarter. First quarter, I provided a spreadsheet with each of our learning targets and example activities they could use to show their learning. This structure was difficult for them to follow, and made it harder for them to see their growth.

Second-quarter, I provided options for them to create a portfolio. Google slides, paper and pencil, charting tools…they had the opportunity to pick the tool that would work best for them. I still provided the learning targets and sample activities, but it was done in a cleaner, simpler way. Students reported feeling much more confident, not only because they had done a conference before, but also because they felt more prepared. The favorite was the slideshows, by far. Students pulled them up during the conference and they had something to reference while discussing with me, which made them feel more comfortable in the moment.

What are the benefits for students? 

In this model, students reflect on their progress throughout a quarter, focusing on specific goals and the growth they’ve made over time. This reflection is highlighted as they must be able to explain it and provide examples that demonstrate their growth. Students also must advocate for themselves, deciding what the quarter grade should be and then defending it. I do not tell them what I think their grade should be, but rather, I ask them what grade best demonstrates their understanding. They are in control of that conversation, and we reach a collective decision…together.

Conferences also help take the focus away from points and grades and shift toward making real growth in the classroom. Last year, a student told me that “Grading was like being punished for not understanding something yet.” Rather than penalizing students for being at an earlier stage in their learning, we focus on continuing to grow and strive to learn more.

Marginalized students—those who do not fit in a traditional grading model—often flourish in this model. Students with learning disabilities, especially those who may take longer to master a skill, are provided the time and support they need. Rather than existing within a punitive structure that punishes them for taking longer, they are encouraged to continue learning. They are not discouraged by immediate lack of success or not being able to keep up with their peers but supported in continuing their journey through to the conference. One of my students, in particular, felt that conferences provided her with an opportunity to reassess and then ‘really show what she is capable of’ in a way that a traditional grading structure simply would not. 

In a gradeless classroom that uses conferencing, all students are empowered to grow and progress without having to fit a mold. They are able to demonstrate their growth in a way that works for them and then see that progress right there in black and white. 

Conclusion

When rolling this out, I described it to parents as a performance review. Because in truth, that’s exactly what it’s modeled after. In most jobs, a performance review is done between the employee and their supervisor. Their job performance is discussed and action is taken based on the quality of their work. 

This model promotes student advocacy and places the ownership of learning directly on the student. It also helps take the focus away from points and grades and shifts it toward making real growth in the classroom. We do not discuss grades outside of this week, and students are fully aware of that. It is not even on the radar, and they know that when the time comes, they will be able to show their learning and it will truly be valued.

Katelynn Giordano is a middle-level Language Arts teacher in Illinois and Digital Content Editor for the Teach Better Team. She writes on her blog, Curriculum Coffee, and for the Teachers on Fire Magazine. Katelynn is a dynamic educator who is passionate about student voice and empowerment, promoting equity, and valuing teachers as professionals. Follow Katelynn on Twitter at @kngiordano.