# @edutopia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CPHcLrorI4K
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20303804-edutopia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/58566ee8cf.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-05-21T01:17:22.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Edutopia (@edutopia) — https://gondola.cc/edutopia

## Caption

The challenge of keeping students engaged during distance learning “has been compounded by points-based grading systems,” writes Justin Wells, the executive director of Envision Learning Partners, an organization that helps schools and districts develop performance assessment systems.

When a course is designed mainly around points, teachers send a signal that “school is a game. Everything counts. No failure allowed while you practice,” which can push kids to disconnect from the learning process, says Wells. 

Wells shares a few ways to assess student performance while making learning less about grades and more meaningful:

Avoid Adding Up Points: For many learners, having their final grade be the sum of routine graded assessments, such as quizzes and homework, creates the impression that learning is only about getting a good grade every single time. When Wells ignored his students’ aggregated grades calculated by the grading software, he found it “easier to awaken them, rather than coerce them, into the understanding that practice and performance are strongly correlated.”

Experiment with Portfolios: A portfolio, or “a demonstration of skill through the curation of evidence,” is a concept borrowed from visual arts but can be applied to various disciplines including math and science, says Wells. Use portfolios for small units or an entire course, and have students curate any kind of evidence—even graded items—to show what they’ve learned, Wells recommends.

Opt for a Rubric: Ideally, students should see grades not as a formulaic assessment, but as evidence of their learning, writes Wells. He suggests using a four-point rubric that helps them identify areas for improvement and brainstorm actionable steps to get there. In this model, an A means “you nailed it,” while a D or F tells students that “something isn’t working here.”

For a grading system to be useful and motivating, teachers should solicit frequent feedback from their students, especially those having difficulty engaging in class. “Improving things for students who have been struggling usually improves things for everyone,” writes Wells.

#StudentAssessment #StudentEngagement

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## Tags

studentassessment, studentengagement

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