How do we help students set goals when there are no grades?

Does this conversation sound familiar?

  • Student: “I want to do better in this class.”
  • Teacher: What does “better” mean?
  • Student: “I want an A.”
  • Teacher: What does an A look like?
  • Student: “I need to get 90% of the questions correct.”
  • Teacher: OK, so how do you do that?
  • Student: “Um… study more!”
  • Teacher: Right, but study what more, and how much is “more”?

When a student’s goal is a grade, or a percentage, it is difficult to create a useful action plan in order to obtain it. Many students spend a lot of time doing homework and studying, but the effort isn’t enough. It needs to be time well-spent, and effort well-directed. Merely pulling back the bow and launching the arrow is not enough if they aren’t going to aim for a specific target. It is a good use of class time to teach students how and what to study, how to set goals, and how to create an action plan.

We are just starting a new unit, and yesterday I took 15 minutes of class time to teach the students how to evaluate their progress without grades. I shared this chart with them:

 

Goal Setting Worksheet

Our standards, with their corresponding performance levels, are the targets. Listed in the first column, these will be our focus for the entire school year.  I shared the Unit 2 benchmarks (listed in column 2) on the first day of the Unit. I set those benchmarks by seeing how the classes did (as a whole) on those same standards in Unit 1. If the majority met the unit 1 benchmarks, then I progressed to the next level; on those that the majority were below the benchmark, I left the performance level where it was. It is important to give the students time to assimilate new skills so that they become automatic. I would not want to rush them to the next level; if their foundation is shaky, there won’t be anything stable upon which to build.

In column 3, I listed the most current assessments in Unit 2 that were used for the evaluation.  We just spent 8-10 weeks practicing all of those skills on multiple labs and multiple checkpoints (quizzes). The scores we used to evaluate students are based on the most recent set of assessments.  For example, students did 4 lab reports in unit 2 alone, with the Freefall lab being the tenth opportunity to demonstrate his/her level of mastery on the 4 different skills we have been building since Sept 1.

Each student downloaded their own copy, then went into Genesis or Canvas to find the scores for each standard. They recorded these in column 4. Comparing their scores to the desired benchmarks in column 2, students simply write “met”, “exceeded”, or “below” in column 5. (Note: the order of progression is not enough evidence, beginning, developing, proficient, advanced, and expert.)

Now here’s where I chime in: humans can only work on a few things at a time. It is simply not feasible to make improvements in everything at once. So you may pick a max of 3 standards to work on right now, checking them off in column 6. (When you have done those 3, we can talk and revisit what’s next.)

Here are the guidelines:

  1. If you have any skills at the not enough evidence level, you must work on those. You cannot pass the class if you have even one of these in June!
  2. If you have any skills that are labeled “below,” pick from these next.
  3. If you still have fewer than 3 skills chosen, then look at Column 7. These are the new benchmarks for unit 3. Chose any that you need/want to work on.
  4. If you have more than 3 checkmarks in Column 6, delete them until you have only 3. If you aren’t sure, ask me.
  5. Submit this.
  6. Make an appointment to conference with me.

I have them submit this to me so I can look it over, and I reference it when they conference with me.

Benefits:

  • This process allows me to differentiate and tailor strategies and practice to individual needs.
  • Students see more concretely and more specifically their areas of strength and areas of weakness. It is a rare student that doesn’t have at least a few areas in which they are meeting the requirements. It is an opportunity for praise!
  • It is a great opportunity to compare to where they were at the end of Unit 1. Seeing progress is so encouraging.
  • I ask them “How do you think you are doing?” Today, one young man, who is very hard on himself, said, “I’m doing much better than I thought I was, I’m usually so bad at science.” Another young woman said, “I think I’m doing much better, especially on problem solving! But I am still struggling on using feedback. Can you show me how to do that?”
  • I get to say “What can I do to help?” over and over again. Sometimes I give suggestions, like “Try studying your flashcards just three minutes every day.” Or we make plans for follow up meetings to see if they make progress, without letting too much time pass “After the next lab, I want you to see me for extra help so we critique your CER before you hand it in.”

There are students who are reluctant to ask for help. One girl said this to me while we were talking yesterday. I said, “You make me so happy when you let me help, pretend you are just doing it out of kindness and generosity to me! And if there’s a side-benefit to you… hey, nothing wrong with that!”

As each year passes, I am finding more concrete methods of teaching students how to evaluate their progress independent of grades. If they can realistically measure their performance and outline an action plan to address any weaknesses, they will better equipped to handle challenges in the future, whether in life, in school, or in sports.

If you would like an editable copy of this worksheet, I am happy to share. Just contact me on social media or through our website!