On Grading and Values

Grading is something I’ve always hated. How can teachers be asked to determine what’s meaningful about a child’s academic journey, then rate it and rank it? Of course, the realities of teaching dictate that all teachers are asked to do just this, daily. Grades, in theory, should capture what a student knows and can do and communicate that information to interested parties. The reality of grading often falls quite short of this ideal and frequently serves much less noble purposes. All too often we use grades to encourage compliance. 
 
We use grades to punish, taking off points when work is late or when students’ leave off their names or, god forbid, vear from our project’s intended direction.

Because we have to quantify our teaching, we base grades on arbitrary requirements, defining what “good” application of technique looks like, when the one thing that art history tell us is that “good” is a moving target that’s always in flux.

​Grading like this seems at best a waste of time and at worst lacking the moral compass that should govern our interactions with children. Instead, we need to develop grading systems that reflect our values as educators. 

What are those values? I'll start with my goals: 

I want students who make decisions instead of following the steps I sent. 
I want students who experiment, take risks and grow into independent artists. 

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• I value the journey of art-making.
• I value personal growth and effort.
• I respect that each learner’s journey will look different.
• I want my students to develop the skills and abilities to pursue their own creative goals independently.

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For me, a grading system that reflects these goals and values looks like, in part giving students a weekly grade that reinforces their use of the Artistic Thinking Process as they create original art during class.  

I've been capturing grades like this, along with grades at the end of units and a final portfolio grade the the end of the course, for a year at this point. I've found that grading this way aligns with my value system and reinforces the artistic behaviors I want to foster in my students.