PD Lessons For Everyone

What We’ve Learned With Our PD Experience

Over the past few years, we’ve worked with several teachers and schools.  Some of those connections came through ROEs, some through professional development conferences,  some through administrators, and some simply through word of mouth. While every school is different, the issues we see inside classrooms are usually very similar.

Most of the people we have worked with are very good teachers.  Some were simply trying to improve on an already successful system, while others just wanted to try something new.  None of these schools had teachers who didn't care or weren’t working hard. In fact, most were doing everything they could. The problem was usually that the systems in place weren’t helping teachers or students the way everyone hoped.  Here’s what we’ve learned.

The Grading Issues Show Up Everywhere

When we walk into a training session, grading is almost always where we start.  It’s not because teachers are grading wrong, but because grades aren’t telling a clear story.

Grades Are Being Asked to Do Too Much

 In many classrooms, a single grade includes tests and quizzes, notes, homework completion, late penalties, and participation or effort. Everyone thinks they understand how to decipher all of it, but the end result is a grade that’s hard to explain and even harder to defend.  Certainly throughout schools, and even within the same departments, students can have very different grading experiences depending on the classroom. This inconsistency creates confusion for students and frustration for teachers.

Compliance Grades Get In The Way Of Communication

Not only do gradebooks frequently over-compensate students for completion grades, participation, and executive functioning skills in general, but they often unfairly punish kids who lack those skills.  We could go on and on about how this interferes with the communication the grade is supposed to provide, but the bottom line is that compliance should be separated from the academic element of the grade entirely.  When schools recognize this, and how to fix it, then clarity returns. 

Too Many Assessments - Too Little Feedback

Teachers often feel pressure to cover more, assess more, go faster, and don’t look back.  However, well-designed skill checks give teachers more useful information than a pile of points that don’t identify specific learning gaps. The reality is that without proper feedback and time for reteaching, it really doesn’t matter how much you cover because very little information will be retained.  Successful teaching is not about how much you can teach, it’s about how much you can teach well.

What Actually Helps Schools Improve

The schools that start to see real improvement don’t overhaul everything at once. They focus on a few key changes that actually make classrooms work better.  They have specific issues they want to address and they simply need an avenue to address those issues.  

It Begins With Clarity

One thing we like to ask educators is if they can determine what a grade is supposed to do.  What is its purpose?  When teachers agree on what students are supposed to learn and how they can communicate that to the students, instruction improves almost immediately.

Teachers Need Systems That Save Time 

If a grading change creates more work, it won’t last. The schools that make progress use systems that reduce arguments over grades, cut down on busywork, and make retakes manageable.

Common Misconceptions

Misconception #1: You Have to Blow Up the Grading System

Improving grading does not require abandoning traditional grades altogether. We still use a traditional grading scale in our school.  A standards-based mindset within a traditional grading scale is often the most realistic place to start.

Misconception #2: You Have To Abandon Your Old Beliefs

There’s nothing wrong with hanging on to practices that have worked for your students.  But you need to reflect on all of your teaching practices with a critical eye.  Keep in mind, there’s a difference between what works and what you like. Trying something new doesn’t inherently mean you have to overhaul your entire system.

Misconception #3: Kids Don’t Care About Learning And They Will Always Manipulate The System

Actually, we would agree that many kids will often look for the easiest path to an A.  But if we can create a system whose easy path travels directly through learning and retention of academic standards, then it's a win-win for everybody.  

What We’ve Come to Believe

Throughout our travels as providers of professional development, every school we’ve worked with has strong teachers who want their students to succeed. The issue is rarely effort. It’s clarity.

When grades reflect learning instead of compliance, students engage more. When teachers know exactly what they’re assessing, instruction improves. And when systems make sense, schools can actually sustain change.  It really is that simple.