An old story I’ve heard…actually, I’ve heard and read multiple versions of this story. I think they’re all based on one root story from the Yogic tradition. The version I’m going to tell here differs from that version in a few ways, and I want to be clear that I mean absolutely no disrespect in telling it a bit differently. This is just the way it was told to me and how I’ve passed the story along over the years…
Many years ago, two monks were sitting in silent meditation under a tree. They had been practicing in this way for many months, each day settling under their respective tree to calm their minds and hone their focus. Each was well respected in their community and had a reputation of honesty and commitment. They both were adept in the skill of meditation and each had committed himself to a life of poverty, study, and service.
On this particular day, it came to pass that one of their community’s traveling masters was returning to the ashram after a long absence. The path leading through the forest was clear and straight, and as the master approached he saw and was seen by each monk. Approaching the first monk, the master stated, “It is good to see you again after being away for so long. I can tell that you have been studying and practicing diligently while I have been away. Tell me, do you have any questions for me this morning?”
The monk, excited to see the master and eager to learn replied, “Why yes master, I have been studying and meditating every day. Please, can you tell me for how much longer I must practice before I am enlightened?”
The master smiled and replied, “Well, do you see this tree under which you sit?”
The monk said “yes.”
The master continued, “And do you see all of the leaves on this tree?”
The monk said “yes.”
The master finished, “You must live one lifetime for each of these leaves, and then you will be enlightened.”
“WHAT?” replied the monk, “REALLY?” Dejected, the monk slouched in his posture and returned to his meditation. Or, at least he tried.
Continuing down the path, the master then came to the second monk. Approaching, the master stated, “It is good to see you again after being away for so long. I can tell that you also have been studying and practicing diligently while I have been away. Tell me, do you have any questions for me this morning?”
The second monk, excited to see the master and also eager to learn replied, “Why yes master, I have been studying and meditating every day. Please, can you tell me for how much longer I must practice before I am enlightened?”
The master smiled and replied, “Well, do you see this tree under which you sit?”
The second monk said “yes.”
The master continued, “And do you see all of the leaves on this tree?”
Smiling and seeing where this was going, the second monk said “yes.”
The master finished, “You must live one lifetime for each of the leaves on this tree, and then you will achieve enlightenment.”
“REALLY!” said the second monk, “That’s all?”
And instantly he was enlightened.
—–
This story is a favorite of mine. I love its simplicity, symmetry, and powerful message about intention and attitude. As a practitioner of yoga myself, it has a special meaning to me in terms of my personal growth, but I also love to use it as an educator when talking to students and their parents about their attitudes toward learning. I’m reminded of this story today as I reflect on the past four years here at Lincoln School as we’ve worked to reform grading practices in the High School.
When I came to the high school, we used a traditional system of grading on a 100 point scale. I say traditional because it’s basically the same system the public schools I attended used some 30 years ago. Assignments and assessments were graded out of 100 points, and these grades were averaged to determine quarter grades. Quarter grades were averaged again to determine semester grades which were then averaged again to determine year-long course grades. Of course, all of this was added and averaged again after four years to determine a student’s GPA.
I’ve written about the reasons why I’m opposed to these grading practices in other blog posts and spoken about them in several podcasts, all available on this website. Today, I’d like to show some of the work we’ve done these past four years to reform our grading practices. To do so, let’s look at the evolution of the Lincoln School report card over the years. As Jay McTighe put it when speaking with us four years ago, “If you want to know what a school values, just look at their report card.”
Our first sample report card (screen shots below) is from the 2017 school year, my first as principal of the high school here at Lincoln. This is a screenshot of an actual Lincoln School report card with the student’s identifying information removed. As you can see, each of the student’s courses is listed along with a final academic grade using a 100-point scale. There is also a behavior grade, again using a 100-point scale. Finally, there is room for teacher comments, most of which were generated using a drop-down menu available to teachers from which to select such classics as “He/she is a pleasure to have in class.” This was a commonly used system of reporting student progress, but as I’ve said in other places it lacked specificity in reporting students’ strengths and opportunities or the basis for the student’s scores. A student might have an 85 because they performed well on tests, because they completed all of their homework, or some combination of the two…there was simply no way to tell which from the report. The behavior grades were marked out of 100 possible points as well, but there was no centralized scale or system of deducting points. In some classes, a student might lose points for forgetting to bring a pencil, while in other classes it might be based on tardies and absences. Each teacher had their own system of determining these marks. I stand firmly by the assertion that these systems of grading and grade reporting lack systemic validity and generally do not accomplish their purpose of accurately reporting student learning or contributing to the learning process. The emphasis in such systems becomes the accumulation of points, not on learning.
So, we set to work. We researched assessment systems and grading practices, went to seminars and invited guest speakers, and worked in-house to reform our practices and reporting. Many of my earlier blog posts outline this work.
Our second report card (screen shots below) is from the 2019 school year and features significant changes to our grading systems. For example, academic grades were now categorized as being formative or summative. We already recognized that formative assignments / assessments should not “count” as grades since they are “practice,” but this was a necessary, intermediary step for our community in our process of reform. Behavioral grades were also reformed and categorized into four “Behaviors Supporting Learning.” Instead of reporting them as a percentage on a 100-point scale, they were assessed holistically and were reported as being practiced rarely, occasionally, usually, or consistently. Descriptors of these behavioral categories and the rating scale were explained in each class at the beginning of the school year and included in the report card. Finally, narrative comments from teachers were provided without the use of a drop-down menu of pre-written indicators. While this represented more work on the part of teachers, the comments provided an authentic window into the teachers’ interactions with students and opportunities for them to continue to improve.
Of course, our work to reform assessment and grading practices was nowhere near done at that point. We continued our work to create a grading policy that emphasized learning as an ongoing process and included specific, actionable feedback for students. We adopted the IB MYP program in grades 6-10 to help facilitate this work and continued to emphasize professional development opportunities for our administrators and teachers focused on these efforts.
Our third report card, published for the first time in January, 2021, represents the current culmination of the past three and a half year’s work. Instead of splitting academic grades between formative and summative marks, we now have removed formative tasks all together and have indicated students’ progress in terms of criterion and standards. Formative tasks are now regarded as practice and their completion is noted within the Behaviors Supporting Learning indicators (under responsibility). Students receive feedback for their formative work, but this feedback is intended to function as a part of the learning process and is delivered through our LMS or alternative platforms. In fact, by not “grading” formative work we’ve been able to emphasize the importance of the feedback and reframe the conversation. In terms of students’ summative work, the criterion/standards used and indicated on the report card are those of the IBO to match either the MYP or IBDP programs, or they are developed in-house to align with the goals of the MEP courses aligned to Costa Rican expectations. The aforementioned Behaviors Supporting Learning remain, and the teachers’ narrative feedback has taken a more prominent role in the report card in order to emphasize that learning is viewed as an ongoing process.
Instead of quarterly report cards, we now issue semester report cards and “Interim Feedback Reports” (screen shots below) halfway through the first and second semester. These reports include only the Behaviors Supporting Learning and narrative feedback from teachers. Students and parents can still access academic scores through the grade reporting platform we use (ManageBac) but the emphasis at the mid-point of the semester is on students’ behaviors, attitudes, and progress. These reports are issued half-way through each semester and are followed first by student reflections (completed in advisories) and then by student-led conferences in which students share their progress, goals, and plans for improvement with their parents. The purpose is clear: learning is an ongoing process owned by the student and facilitated by the teachers with the support of the student.
Oh, and there’s no averaging of grades at all. We now report real-time, “best fit” grades. By eliminating averaging we aim to incentivize creativity and risk-taking on the part of the students. This aligns with our efforts to bring entrepreneurial thinking and action into the students’ learning experience and to normalize failure as a natural and even beneficial part of the learning process. We’re not teaching enlightenment at Lincoln School, but we are intentionally teaching an appreciation of the process of learning. Hopefully, our report cards reflect that. We’re certainly not done, but we’re definitely making progress.
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