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ROLE On Update: Results-Only Evaluation

Nov 20, 2010 » by Michael Barata

Mark Barnes, who is being featured in our “ROLE On” series, is back with another update about his Results-Only Learning Environment. Today, he explains how he and the students evaluated assignments and projects…

At the end of our first quarter in a Results Only Learning Environment, the time came to assign a letter grade to my students, who had seen no points, percentages or grades on any activity or project for the first nine weeks of the school year.

It took only about two weeks for questions about grades to disappear. This was a truly transformative experience. For the first time in 18 years of teaching, my students were less interested in a grade and more enthusiastic about producing something and receiving meaningful feedback on the activity or project.

Sadly, I was forced by district policy to assign a grade, and this left me in a quandary. Of course, I could do it, based on the students’ production and my feedback and how they handled the feedback. I was reluctant to grade them, though, because grading is so contrary to the environment that we had created — one of self-pacing, production, feedback and change. The students had bought in, and now I was going to do what I had told them all quarter that I was so against — assign a letter grade.

After much deliberation, I decided that it would be best for us to agree on the final mark. I emphasized that the report card grade was a product of school policy and that in the second quarter we would return to no grades and a system of results followed by teacher feedback. Then, I told the students that it was their grade and they should have a role in deciding it. Needless to say, they were shocked; this had never happened to them.

I instructed students to spend a night self-evaluating. “Go home and consider what you’ve produced during the first quarter,” I said. “Look at ProgressBook (our online grade book), and review the comments I’ve left on every activity. Also, look at the feedback I’ve left about your performance in general.” Several times weekly, I placed a comment on each student’s online record that they and parents could see. For example, I might write, “Excellent small-group discussion, demonstrating understanding of the concept of flashback in a short story” or “You contributed very little today, and these small-group discussions are critical to my evaluation of your reading comprehension.”

The following day, my classes met in our school learning commons — the library and media center. While they did project work on laptops, I met with each student individually for 2-5 minutes and we looked at their results and my feedback. After several minutes of evaluative comments from me, I asked students for their feedback; then, I said, “Now, you assign a letter to your work for the first quarter.”

There were roughly 80 of these meetings and, remarkably, there was not a single disagreement on the final grade. Several students, some on the brink of tears, admitted that they had produced very little and assigned themselves a grade of “D” or “F.” Can you imagine a student saying I deserve an “F?”

Admittedly, there were more “A’s” than I’ve had in recent years, but this was more a product of eliminating useless homework and jaded summative assessments, which serve only to damage grades, than it was students misrepresenting their work.

My students and I agreed on a final grade, based on overall results: two major, month-long projects, much feedback from me and from peers and their handling of that feedback.

After one quarter, I believe my students are learning more than ever — both about language arts and about how to be better life-long learners.

Parent conferences are in a few weeks; I’m looking forward to their feedback.

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  • lily

    How fascinating to watch you transform the learning culture in your classroom, Mark! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I so look forward to seeing the parents’ reactions!
    Congratulations for taking on the system and showing people how it *can* be done for better results.

    • Cali

      Yes – I think we’re all looking forward to the parents’ reactions! For all of you that are parents out there, how would you feel if your children were in a scenario like this?

  • Concerned Employee

    Mark,
    This is fantastic. You are giving the students a great tool to be able to learn and assimilate the knowledge they will really need for their future. You really are ahead of your time. I hope more teachers will follow in your footsteps. You are showing results of young people becoming aware of their potential to succeed and be happy about themselves. Keep it up!

    • Cali

      Hey Concerned Employee – we hope more teachers follow in Mark’s footsteps, too. He’s walking us through the play-by-play of how he’s going about instituting his ROLE and it certainly takes guts and vision…and we know there are others out there like him. We’ve had some comments here from teachers in the past about how they’d love to see more ROWE principles worked into their line of work…let’s hope we hear from them in response to Mark’s update…

  • KellyK

    Having taught in a traditional environment and seen kids argue over every point, I think the fact that the kids honestly evaluated what they learned and some said they deserved a D or an F really shows how Mark created a different culture in his class and that the kids are getting on board with it. And de-emphasizing grades and getting back to a sense of intrinsic motivation is even better.

    • Cali

      Completely agree. When a child can actually admit that they’ve done work that deserves a D or F, something has fundamentally changed within them. Talk about accountability – wow. What Mark is doing will have tremendous effects on the education arena…these are seeds that will grow in big ways…

  • John

    In my organisation I see so much time and energy wasted on managers playing the blame game and employees expecting to be spoon fed. There is very little accountability. I wonder how different things would be if everyone had gone through the sort of education experience that Mark’s students have gone through. ROWE in the workplace undoes a lot of negative behaviours and habits. ROLE will stop those behaviours and habits from ever having been formed in the first place. Brilliant work Mark. Can’t wait to hear more.

    • Cali

      Right on, John! In my last comment, I stated that Mark’s work will have huge effects on the education arena, but hold everything…it will have effects on a much wider realm than just education. You’re exactly right – as children have this sense of accountability and intrinsic motivation infused at a young age, this is exactly what they’ll bring with them throughout their lives – and into adulthood. My head is spinning with the possibilities!

  • Lynn

    As a teacher in a large, suburban, Minnesota school district…..having students accountable for their own learning would be a remarkable change in education. Right now it feels as if everyone else is responsible for their learning, except the students. Allowing students to learn how they learn, when they are ready to learn, would be a positive step in the right direction.

  • http://www.learnitin5.com Mark Barnes

    Wow, what amazing feedback from the readers and from Cali.

    I am grateful for all of your kind words. Truthfully, the praise goes to the kids. Without their willingness to embrace change, this new method of teaching and learning might be a complete flop.

    Lots has happened lately. We’re heading into winter break. I’ll be sure to send a new post.

    Hope you’ll all keep reading and commenting.

    Thanks again for your amazing support.

    • Cali

      Mark – I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re in a state of high suspense waiting for your next update. Really, really looking forward to hearing what’s happening with the students and what the parents are thinking.

      You’re becoming well-known in ROWE circles – several times this month I’ve been in conversations with people who say “I’m very intrigued by Mark’s ROLE experiment that I’ve read about on your blog”…yes, they’re on a first-name basis with you :)

      You’ll always get support here for what you’re doing – so keep the updates coming!

  • Rachelle Hijazi

    I love this idea. I think it is great to have the students involved in their learning and assessment of their learning.

    My students do a mid-quarter and end of quarter evaluation of my teaching and their efforts. Most are really honest with the work they did or didn’t do.

    But to get them involved in this way can really work well I think as many students get bogged down with making up assignments and doing well on tests.

    I would love to know and see how he structured the class and the details of what was required on a day to day basis with the students.

    Love the new ways to motivate because the candy and pizza parties are not what I think motivates. They reward kids who are already doing what they should and it leaves out the kids who for whatever reason are not performing as well. Not fair in my mind.

    • http://learnitin5.com Mark Barnes

      Hey Rachelle, my class is structured much differently than my colleagues’ classes. First off, as you might imagine, there is much more freedom in my classroom. Students leave their seats when they wish; they go to the restroom at their leisure, without asking (they just grab a pass and sign out); and if they’re uncomfortable where they are and there’s an open seat, they simply move.

      We have ongoing reading and writing projects, so students always have something to work on, apart of any current unit. We read daily and, of course, they choose their own books either from my shelves (I have hundreds) or from our school or local library. I coach them on selections but never force them to finish a book they don’t like. They have a reading plan and a goal — it’s all about production. I ask for simple reflection, and they’re happy to give it.

      They totally get the “results-only” mantra. I even have students take online assessments on snow days, without me instructing them to do so.

      Not that I don’t still have plenty to learn, but I often have other teachers report that students tell them that they wished their class was more like Mr. Barnes’ class.

      When colleagues ask me how I do it, I answer simply, “Give up control.” Most aren’t willing, though.

      Thanks for commenting.

  • Luke Crocker

    I’m in an adult learning centre right now that has implemented this towards most of their courses. We see many adults resisting this because it contradicts their expectations that were built from their first attempt in high school. Once they come to terms with the change they love it!

    • http://www.gorowe.com Cali Ressler

      @Luke Crocker- It is amazing to see the transformation in people when they first dig their heels in and then end up loving ROWE. Thank you for sharing!