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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Stop Grading Students during the Pandemic<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Marcia J. Wick, The Write Sisters<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>December 2020<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Word Count: 573<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Life on all levels has been disrupted during the Corona Virus pandemic, yet we hold onto pre-pandemic grading practices that are arbitrary and unfair for students and teachers under these circumstances. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Over the decades, our educational system has become data driven. We’ve developed standardized tests that measure progress from grade to grade; we even track learning from fall to spring. We’ve established benchmarks so we can assign points and letters to equate learning. That’s all well and good during a “normal” school year, but soon we’ll be entering the second year of “abnormal,” as this global health crisis continues into 2021. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>On top of stress and concerns over life and death matters, our children, parents, and teachers feel pressure to meet a host of educational expectations, compounding their capacity to manage mental and emotional health challenges during this unprecedented time. The impact of the virus on our economy, travel, public health system, small businesses, and public entities like libraries is beyond our imagining. We look for the silver lining in little things like spontaneous acts of kindness and creative insights into coping with our solitude. But in the midst of our chaos, we demand the security and comfort of sending our children off to school every day, as if nothing is amiss.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Let’s relax. History shows us that the disruption of a child’s education during the worst of times – war, famine, the age of cholera, the holocaust - although having short-term impact, may be overcome over the long-term. Most children continue to learn and develop naturally under difficult conditions, especially if allowed the freedom to experience and explore while living history in the making. On the other hand, under the best of circumstances, many children resist learning when required to conform to standards. What if a child who often fails wasn’t graded relative to the performance of his peers, but relative to his own progress and effort? Until students are able to return to a structured classroom, why not allow them to explore learning under their own terms during this epic time of difficulty and duress? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If I were a social scientist, I’d jump at the opportunity and design a study on the impact of “observing,” not “measuring,” the enthusiasm, motivation, inspiration, and confidence children gain without a grading system to gauge success. Might a student who often “fails” relatives to fellow students seize the opportunity to explore any topic of interest to her? Rather than drilling each fifth grader to master division, for instance, let each child develop their own curriculum. If a student is interested in trains, yoga, or video games, allow them to study the history of trains, yoga, or video games. Ask the child to write a report on the impact of their topic on the economy, health, or technology. Could the student apply their passion and energy to ultimately qualify as an “expert” in his area of interest? After all, that’s what’s required to advance, excel, earn a living, and build a career.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Learning is a process. Children arrive at understanding at different points along the road. Must they meet a specific milestone by a specific age or grade in school? What if a student learns beyond her years about space travel, but she can’t identify a pronoun? What if the lad who is dyslexic can engineer a mouse trap that produces solar energy? What if we gave each student a passing grade and a pass for 2020?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal># # # <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>