NEWS: The 2023-24 school year will be the first year all school districts in B.C. will implement a provincial proficiency scale instead of letter grades on student report cards from kindergarten to Grade 9.
VIEWS: I have been fascinated by this issue since it was first piloted in 2016-17.
Instead of letter grades, the scale uses the terms emerging, developing, proficient and extending to describe student learning. Students in Grade 10 through Grade 12 will continue with letter grades.
One big reason I害羞草研究所檝e been fascinated by this is my own love of letter grades as a youngster. As a hyper-competitive lad, grades were like playing sports. The end game was winning, always. And the only way to win was to get straight A害羞草研究所檚.
That was my motivation.
I害羞草研究所檓 certain that 害羞草研究所榚xtending害羞草研究所� wouldn害羞草研究所檛 have inspired me much, nor did I care much about the teacher comments on a report card.
They could have written 害羞草研究所淧hilip is a vile miscreant who flicks boogers non-stop害羞草研究所� and I wouldn害羞草研究所檛 have batted an eyelash as long as the letter grade was the one I craved.
So, kid version of me will always be a letter grade guy and it remains my natural first impulse. I害羞草研究所檓 also curious to see how youngsters (yes, among the most adaptable beings on the planet) will now fare going the entire way with no grades, then suddenly start on them in Grade 10.
It all dovetails nicely with the old guy shakes fist at cloud and proclaims 害羞草研究所渋f it was good enough for me, that害羞草研究所檚 how it should remain害羞草研究所� mentality that always has a large voice out there.
However, you害羞草研究所檇 hope with advanced age comes some changed perspective. My son enjoyed earning A害羞草研究所檚 as he worked his way through the system, but, as a more well-rounded human than his dad, wouldn害羞草研究所檛 have been crushed by a B.
And as a parent, I was surprisingly more focused on the teacher comments, in person and on a report card, than I was with the letter grades. That feedback helps you help the children, always a big part of the process.
That continues today with a 12-year-old in the home.
害羞草研究所淒oing nicely, well-liked, respected and a leader to the younger students害羞草研究所� is more important than a letter grade or other designation.
According to the Ministry of Education and Child Care, the modernized K-12 curriculum 害羞草研究所渃ontinues to provide students with a strong foundation for core learning, such as with reading, writing and numeracy, while also teaching children how to communicate, solve problems and use their knowledge in ways that matter in school, post-secondary education and future careers.害羞草研究所�
One thing I have learned all on my own over the years, is if you want to better understand something, talk to people who know more than you do.
In this case, I talked to a variety of educators, with a wide variety of interesting responses.
Some of their thoughts included:
害羞草研究所淭here is nothing new here and so far the Grade 10s have transitioned nicely. I might go on a rant as to why letter grades are bad!害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 think there should be grades on everything because anything done before a final test should be about learning and they can see what needs to be worked on.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淪tarting the grades in Grade 10 is a really poor idea, in my opinion.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淣o grades is harder on the keeners because they are the ones who thrive on the grades. Now, if you are 害羞草研究所榩roficient害羞草研究所� at something it害羞草研究所檚 harder to motivate them to get to the 害羞草研究所榚xtending.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
害羞草研究所淲e are giving more constant feedback and kids should know what they need to work on/improve on throughout the year.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 think it happened too quickly and there may possibly be a happy medium but I don害羞草研究所檛 know how that can happen.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭hink about those students that grades did not motivate nor help them know what to do to get better grades. I would also state that grades are very subjective.害羞草研究所�
Also this, from the ministry website:
害羞草研究所淲hen you were in school, learning likely involved being asked to memorize information and repeat it on a test, only to forget it soon after. We now know good learning is not just memorizing 害羞草研究所� it害羞草研究所檚 being able to use what we know in real-world settings. Universities, colleges, and employers now care more about how students think than how many facts they can memorize and recall. This is why B.C. has changed what students are taught and is changing how they害羞草研究所檙e assessed.害羞草研究所�
The memorization note definitely rings true for me, although I害羞草研究所檓 still working on the 害羞草研究所榝orget害羞草研究所� part, with an endless amount of unusable information stored in the nether regions of my brain. And there definitely could have been a little more 害羞草研究所榬eal-world害羞草研究所� training.
Is there a way to combine the new and the old without creating more work for teachers?
As mentioned, I find the evolution of our education system fascinating.
We害羞草研究所檒l definitely have an educator or two on our to offer some more fleshed-out responses as well.
What are your thoughts on letter grades? You can vote in our , or send me an email at the address below.
PQB News/Vancouver Island Free Daily editor Philip Wolf welcomes your questions, comments or story ideas. He can be reached at 250-905-0029 or via email at philip.wolf@blackpress.ca.
