Reflecting on the 2023-2024 School Year
Introduction
Because I was so busy with finalizing the book, ending the school year, and starting my graduate coursework, I never really processed the achievements of last year. So, before filling you in on my goals and intentions for this upcoming year, here are some significant accomplishments that I noticed at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
Best year ever
Last year was the best year of my teaching career, hands down. Almost nothing about the classes themselves changed from the previous school year. We all know there can be huge variations in a cohort from one year to another. But if my curriculum was the same, the course requirements were the same, and the pacing was the same… then it’s either the students or the teacher. While I do evolve, I am essentially the same person. So what has changed? I have become much better at implementing the Learning Progression Model (LPM).
Why would LPM be the reason?
Relationships
I put much more attention into my relationships with the students. While you don’t need to use LPM to do this, it is embedded in the LPM. And it’s something I’ve been getting better and better at. From goal setting to conferencing, talking to the kids about how they’re doing and what path they’re on was a conscious decision. One-on-one conferencing occurs a minimum of three times each year. I call all parents at least once to ensure they know my expectations, my philosophy, and my advocacy for their child. I see myself as a coach, and therefore, I am always on their side. How can you get better? Why should you care? What actions can you take? It’s never about me; it’s always about their power. I have no skin in the game except that I love and support them. (This is very different from my earlier days, where it felt much more adversarial.)
Finalized Learning Progressions
The learning progressions have been tweaked and adjusted for years, and finally, I think they are done! This is huge. I made no significant changes to the rubric from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024. The achievement levels are logical. The language makes sense to the students. I can explain what I am looking for, and I know what cues to provide to help them move to the next level. I know the rubric well enough to talk about it fluently and with confidence.
A Streamlined Assessment Process
I have streamlined the assessment process. I’ve found a good balance of experiments, projects, and checkpoints (quizzes and tests). While the courses are rigorous and challenging, there is a systematic and predictable approach that students can count on. They know the expectations, and they know the effect of each assessment on their grade (none). Therefore, they don’t stress out about each individual item. Don’t get me wrong, some students don’t get it; their perfectionism leads them to not hand things in. But they are easily identified, and I can intervene (usually) before there is a problem.
Swift Feedback
Because of the streamlining mentioned above, my turnaround time to give feedback is short. I can return checkpoints the next day, lab reports before the next lab begins (less than one week), and projects in a handful of days. This is also because the learning progressions are easy to use now that the language is perfected.
I’m not going to lie—it’s not easy. It’s my least favorite part of teaching and frequently eats into my evenings and weekends, especially during the second half of the year when students are working at higher achievement levels. But it is still easier and less time-consuming than it used to be.
In addition, I don’t have to stress about someone’s occasional (or frequent) poor performance. I can be honest and give straightforward feedback. Then I usually request a meeting so they can get back on track. In the old days, I would hesitate to “ruin” their grade or have to deal with a difficult student or parent. But now, it’s all just data.
I should also add that I do not score every assessment. Sometimes they self-assess. Sometimes they peer-assess. These are essential parts of the learning process (see post on Assessment for Learning) because they need to understand how to use the rubric and success criteria themselves.
Sensible Grade Translation
The Grade Translation chart makes sense to kids, so they can use it to work towards their goals. While I hate referring to grades, I am an island at my school. My students will not experience this in any other class. Therefore, if they need to set their goals as a grade, so be it. However, that grade is going to be tethered to achievement on the Learning Progressions. So our conversations will be anchored in what they know and can do.
How do I know it’s working?
I have several observations, some anecdotal while others are data-driven. Let’s look at the data first.
The end-of-year grades class averages are higher.
In both Physics and Honors Physics, the earned grades were significantly higher than the previous year. This continues a trend that I’ve been seeing for some time.
While I hate talking about grades in and of themselves, because the grades correlate to specific achievements on clearly communicated criteria, it is a useful shorthand. The charts below show the percentage of each grade band at the end of the school year.
On the right are the Honors Physics classes. The number of A’s almost doubled! On the left is regular Physics. The number of A’s more than doubled, and the number of C’s greatly reduced. And this is with increased enrollment of students who moved from Chemistry with in-class support up to regular Physics or from regular Chemistry classes up to Honors Physics. Being able to change tracks AND have grades increase is very encouraging to me.
My average course grades, since I began using learning progressions:
I also think the ups and downs from 2016 through 2022 were partly due to our poor grade translation chart. We fixed that issue in January of 2023. I’m curious to see what happens over the next few years.
Improved scores on Learning Progressions
The average scores on individual LPs have improved. (To find an average score, I used NEE=0, Beginning=1, Developing=2, etc. Therefore, an average of 2.9 is roughly Proficient.) This is especially notable in regular Physics. By the end of the school year, students increased across the board in regular Physics. Compare the pink row (2023-2024) with the orange row (2022-2023). I want to especially highlight the changes from LP6 to LP10. These are jumps of 0.4 to 1.1!
In Honors Physics, it wasn’t as dramatic. Comparing the pink row (2023-2024) with the orange row (2022-2023), you can see that much was the same, with a maximum increase of 0.2.
This data is important because it highlights the successful growth of the students.
Evidence of Progress (or not)
If you look at the bar graphs for both classes, you can see that students made fairly consistent progress on most LPs. I was especially pleased with LP9 and LP10, which have generally stalled out at the developing level. I love these charts because I can really see how things moved from unit to unit. (To find average scores for each unit, I used NEE=0, Beginning=1, Developing=2, etc. Therefore, an average of 2.9 is roughly Proficient.) I examine this at the end of each unit to identify what skills to address in the subsequent unit. I can dial up the practice if needed or back off if they are on track. I can also look at this kind of data for individual students to help them target their specific learning needs.
(I dig into this type of recording and reporting of student progress a lot more in the book.)
End-of-Semester Grade Negotiations
At the end of each semester, I create a contract with students to set a “floor” for their semester grade. As long as they meet the requirements of the contract, they will earn that minimum grade. (For more details about this, read this or this.) The first time I tried this was in Spring of 2023 and it was only partially successful. This year, everyone met or exceeded the requirements for their “floor”. I attribute this to better execution, better explanation, and implementing it twice (Semester 1 and 2, not just end-of-the-year.)
Anecdotal Evidence
There are three things that I have noticed.
- Kids come to talk to me, often. Spontaneously, we have the types of conversations that I have not been able to have in the past. Sometimes emotional, sometimes confused, but expressive and open in a way that I greatly appreciate.
- I did not have a single issue with students or parents at the end of the year. No one cried. No one called my supervisor or the principal about their grade.
- All of the kids walked into the last test knowing what they needed to do, and while some were nervous, none seemed anxious or crazed.
These social-emotional wins left me feeling very buoyed, even amidst the usual flurry of end-of-year tasks. I am still riding that wave of well-being, as I am planning for the new school year.
Conclusion
I have to admit that I had an amazing cohort of students last year. I loved them, even the knuckleheads, worrywarts and goofballs. It was the first year in a long time that I didn’t have a single student that drove me bananas… and there seems to always be one, right? I don’t want you to think they were all perfect. I had to call home, prod and push. But it was all within the range of normal.
In education, we can never know for sure if the results can be replicated. We can never have a “control” group. This is an imprecise and unscientific endeavor.
That said, it’s clear to me that the Learning Progression Model has been transformative not just for my students, but for me as well. By deepening relationships, refining learning progressions, streamlining assessments, providing swift feedback, and making grade translation more sensible, I’ve seen marked improvements in student outcomes. Last year’s success reminds me, as always, that education is a dynamic process—one where both students and teachers evolve. I’m excited to continue refining these practices, knowing that each step forward brings us closer to truly unlocking every student’s potential.
If you’re ready to transform your teaching practice and see the same kind of results, I encourage you to explore the Learning Progression Model. Start by deepening your relationships with students and refining your assessments. Let’s continue this journey together—share your experiences, challenges, and successes in the comments below. Together, we can make every year our best year yet!
Please consider buying or recommending my latest book, The Learning Progression Model, available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, ebook, or (coming soon) audiobook.
