Grades are so 20th Century

To change our current educational outcomes, schools need to change the way they collect and use data.

The current model starts with students completing assignments handed out by a teacher.  The teacher grades those assignments and then enters the grade into a gradebook.  As a grading period progresses the teacher creates a collection of  graded assignments which form an overall picture of a students progress and knowledge.  These grades, both for the individual assignment and for the grading period, represent the bulk of the recorded data collected by teachers about students.

Additionally here in Virginia, students will take a Standards of Learning (SOL) test for certain subjects upon completion of those classes.  This serves as an additional form of data collected on that student, but those tests are not designed to compare a students individual progress from year to year.   

The problem with this data is it can be subjective.  It is dependent upon the teacher to create these assignments in such a way as to properly evaluate the students knowledge.  Yet so many other factors come into play with this data.  Grades encompass more then just what students know.  For example, a homework grade might be influenced by when a student turns it in.  Many teachers that I know take points off from students who do not turn in homework on time.   That grade then is not merely a reflection of student knowledge, but also a measure of a students work habits.  

Another issue with the current grade system, is the lack of consistency between a grade from one teacher and a grade from another teacher even when they teach the same subject.  Each teacher creates their own system for grading.  One teacher might say that tests are worth 50 percent of an overall grade while a different teacher might say only 35 percent.  One teacher might give zeros for late homework, while another might give students two weeks to turn it in for a reduced grade.  This creates discrepancies between students.  One students A might be another students B.   

We take all of these pieces of information put it all together into a messy formula and come up with one letter or number grade that is supposed to represent the students understanding of the knowledge being taught to them. 

We can do better....

Instead lets move to a system that actually shows student performance in each of these different measures rather than one letter or number grade with a couple of comments to denote a students knowledge.  We should use technological tools to collect data on what students know coming into a class and then what they learned coming out of it.  That way we can actually measure true learning gains.  Lets harness the powers of technology to create learning environments that let students explore topics at their own pace.  We can use a model like that of the School of One or of the Khan Academy.  Then instead of showing a student has a C+ we can say that they have mastered the Reformation, but are still struggling with the French Revolution and the Interwar period.  Additionally, we can include non-learning information on work habits like showing how often a student turns their homework in on time.  Wouldn't parents want to know this kind of information?  Wouldn't teachers want to have this detailed information on their students?  

The tools exist to implement this kind of schooling.  Some are already doing it.  I think the education profession (myself included) should be doing more to make this a reality for education as a whole.

Do you agree?