From the 起点传媒Standing Committee on Literacy Assessment
This blog was written by 起点传媒member Kathleen Blake Yancey, a member of the 起点传媒Standing Committee on Assessment
During the summer months鈥攏ow coming to a close, alas!鈥擨 try to step back and pay attention to what is going on in education generally. What new teaching strategies are helping students learn? What new assessment strategies can credit students鈥� literacy achievement and support their future literacy learning? Of course, the way I have just defined literacy assessment, it鈥檚 a credit鈥攁nd learning-based activity鈥攅xactly the way the members of the Standing Committee on Literacy Assessment have understood it.
Two new practices came to my attention this summer, both of them assessment practices located in learning, with one of them worth watching, I think, and another worth adopting.
The first of these, the brainchild of the 聽reimagines the high school transcript. Rather than simply listing courses and grades as the conventional transcript does, the 鈥淢astery Transcript鈥� displays students鈥� accomplishments in several areas without numerical representations.
In this model of the transcript, it鈥檚 not that achievement doesn鈥檛 count: it does, but it鈥檚 targeted to mastery, in this case mastery of a 鈥渟pecific skill, knowledge block, or habit of mind鈥� (Mastery Transcript Consortium), each of which can be evidenced by 鈥減rojects, employment, or internship experience鈥� (Anderson).
As important, this digitally interactive transcript can include cross-disciplinary credits as well as school-defined credits. In conceptualizing accomplishments so capaciously, this transcript thus can provide opportunities for students to showcase attributes and experiences like leadership.
Of course, the proof is in the pudding, and while I looked for an example online, I was unable to find one, so I鈥檓 not sure what these transcripts actually look like. That might be expected, though, given that the effort is still in a pilot phase. Still, some in higher education are optimistic about this digital transcript鈥檚 potential.
Zina Evans, Vice-President for Enrollment Management at the University of Florida, for instance, noted that this transcript, unlike the traditional one, could help college admission officials understand not only what a student accomplished, but also how he or she 鈥済ot there.鈥�
She also said that such a transcript might 鈥減roduce more diversity and equity in the admissions process . . . making it easier for colleges to admit more standout nontraditional students with an array of personal and educational experiences鈥� (Anderson). This new practice is promising, I think, and I鈥檝e signed up for their newsletter鈥斺�攕o I can see how this Mastery Transcript develops and what impact it has.
The second practice, the 鈥淏ackpack of Success Skills initiative in Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in Louisville,鈥� invites students in elementary school, middle school, and high school to collect their work in a digital portfolio, which they call a backpack. It focuses on five areas:
- Emerging innovator
- Productive collaborator
- Effective communicator
- Globally and competent citizen
- Prepared and resilient learner
Then, at three transition years鈥攆ifth, eighth, and twelfth grade[s]鈥斺�渟tudents have an opportunity to defend their growth and readiness鈥� for the next school context (middle school, high school, postsecondary) by presenting their work to a panel that often includes community members, much like the portfolio presentations teachers in our identified
Moreover, in this learning and presenting process, students don鈥檛 fail. For one thing, students can use the presentation as a chance to think about 鈥渢he projects and assignments that did not work, and how some even took multiple attempts to master, but why they felt more resilient and prepared because of learning from their failures鈥� (Sullivan).
And for another, students who are not ready to pass receive more opportunities to learn before presenting again. In this sense, it reminds me of the way medical school works. During my daughter鈥檚 first year in med school, she had a colleague who was failing one of the classes. Alarmed, I asked her what would happen if he failed: 鈥渙h, he鈥檒l just take it again until he passes.鈥� That kind of opportunity鈥攍earning until achievement is accomplished鈥攕hould be available to all learners, I think, and in the Backpack Project it is.
And a bonus: is a wonderful video with elementary school kids talking about what they have learned, explaining their test scores as well as their projects, and responding to panelists鈥� questions.聽It does a wonderful job of showing both learning-completed and learning-in-action.
These two promising practices point us toward better ways to support learning, especially by learning from the learners themselves.
Sources
Anderson, Greta. Inside Higher Ed. July 29, 2019.
Sullivan, Terrance. Knowledge Works. May 22, 2019.
CHAIR, Peggy O鈥橬eill (Loyola University, Baltimore, MD)
Josh Flores (Birmingham, AL)
Bobbie Kabuto (Queens College, Flushing, NY)
Becky McCraw (Goucher Elementary School, Gaffney, SC)
Kathryn Mitchell Pierce (Saint Louis University, MO)
Elisa Waingort (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
Kathleen Blake Yancey (Florida State University, Tallahassee)