Tests, Grading, and a Growth Mindset

Matt Wallace, PhD UC Davis

School of Education

Goal for today

and beyond

Stepping Outside Our Comfort Zone

Promoting a Growth Mindset!!!

With your neighbor(s)

1. Introduce yourself if you have not yet met each other

2. Take turns sharing what (if anything) you are doing to promote a growth mindset with your students

Pair-Share

Stepping Outside Our Comfort ZoneOur thinking about a Growth Mindset

intelligence and ability is malleable we are in control of our learning & achievement success is influenced by effort, perseverance,

and input from others

I dont get ityet! But, I will if I work hard, struggle along, seek input from others, and keep an open mind.

Stepping Outside Our Comfort ZoneSome of how were promoting a Growth Mindset in our classrooms

messages noting that everyone can learn math youcubeds week of inspirational math

treating mistakes as normal & valuable my favorite no

challenges, hard questions, struggle, and genuine problems lead to learning

cognitively demanding tasks

math is about learning (not achievement), and learning involves partial understandings

place more emphasis on explanations than answers

With your neighbor(s) take turns

1. Sharing what you would do with the work sample if it was a students answer to a problem on test (e.g., what scores, grades, marks, comments would you write)

2. Explaining what a typical test & grading scenario looks like in your class (i.e., what do your tests entail, how do you grade them, and what do you and your students do after they are graded?)

Think-Pair-Share

Original problem Student work sample

Our Test & Grading Scenarios

Teacher A

Teacher B

Unit Review

Unit Test

Test Corrections

Graded w/ general rubric

4 pts. - meets standard; 3 pts. - appr. standard;..

Our Test & Grading Scenarios

Teacher A

Teacher B

Unit Review

Unit Test

Test Corrections

Graded w/ general rubric

4 pts. - meets standard; 3 pts. - appr. standard;..

Teacher CBi-weekly

cumulative Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Lowest grade

dropped

Our Test & Grading Scenarios

Teacher A

Teacher B

Unit Review

Unit Test

Test Corrections

Graded w/ general rubric

4 pts. - meets standard; 3 pts. - appr. standard;..

Teacher CBi-weekly

cumulative Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Lowest grade

dropped

Teacher D Unit ReviewUnit Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Optional Test retake

Our Test & Grading Scenarios

Our Test & Grading Scenarios

Our Test & Grading Scenarios

Our Test & Grading ScenariosThis doesnt make sense! You tell us

mistakes are valuablethat they are a good

thingbut then you give us a bad grade when we

make mistakes.

Our Test & Grading ScenariosOur test practices did not complement the other growth

mindset work we were doing!

Our Test & Grading Scenarios

Teacher A

Teacher B

Unit Review

Unit Test

Test Corrections

Graded w/ general rubric

4 pts. - meets standard; 3 pts. - appr. standard;..

Teacher CBi-weekly

cumulative Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Lowest grade

dropped

Teacher D Unit ReviewUnit Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Optional Test retake

Preparation so as to avoid mistakes

Our test practices did not complement the other growth mindset work we were doing!

Teacher A

Teacher B

Unit Review

Unit Test

Test Corrections

Graded w/ general rubric

4 pts. - meets standard; 3 pts. - appr. standard;..

Teacher CBi-weekly

cumulative Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Lowest grade

dropped

Teacher D Unit ReviewUnit Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Optional Test retake

All grading systems

penalized mistakes

Our Test & Grading ScenariosOur test practices did not complement the other growth

mindset work we were doing!

Teacher A

Teacher B

Unit Review

Unit Test

Test Corrections

Graded w/ general rubric

4 pts. - meets standard; 3 pts. - appr. standard;..

Teacher CBi-weekly

cumulative Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Lowest grade

dropped

Teacher D Unit ReviewUnit Test

Graded w/ points per step

rubric

Optional Test retake

Correcting mistakes only lead to partial credit

(i.e.,initial accuracy is valued more than

mistakes)

Ignores mistakes

Learning from mistakes is optional

Our Test & Grading Scenarios

False growth mindset leads students to endorse a more fixed mindset in math (Dweck, 2015)

Endorsing growth mindset practices but reacting negatively to mistakes leads to students developing a fixed mindset about IQ (Dweck, 2015)

Mistake friendly environments lead to increased effort in students work (Steur et al., 2013)

Assessments can convey a message to students about what kinds of mathematical knowledge and performance are valued (NCTM, 1991)

Tests should match the teaching and learning that comes before it (NCTM, 1991)

Other Considerations

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetOur new approach to better value mistakes on tests

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetOur new approach to better value mistakes on tests

1. Students take test at end of unitthis time as a rough draft

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetOur new approach to better value mistakes on tests

1. Students take test at end of unitthis time as a rough draft

2. Written feedback, along with praise or brain growth comments, given on test; scores for initial answers/solutions recorded on a separate rubric

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetOur new approach to better value mistakes on tests

1. Students take test at end of unitthis time as a rough draft

2. Written feedback, along with praise or brain growth comments, given on test; scores for initial answers/solutions recorded on a separate rubric

3. Students revise test in-class based on feedback/commentsthis is their final draft

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetOur new approach to better value mistakes on tests

1. Students take test at end of unitthis time as a rough draft

2. Written feedback, along with praise or brain growth comments, given on test; scores for initial answers/solutions recorded on a separate rubric

3. Students revise test in-class based on feedback/commentsthis is their final draft

4. Scores for effort & use of feedback/comments added to separate rubric

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetOur new approach to better value mistakes on tests

1. Students take test at end of unitthis time as a rough draft

2. Written feedback, along with praise or brain growth comments, given on test; scores for initial answers/solutions recorded on a separate rubric

3. Students revise test in-class based on feedback/commentsthis is their final draft

4. Scores for effort & use of feedback/comments added to separate rubric

5. final scores (as initial, perseverance, and total scores) are given to students

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Independently read Assessment Rubric Handout

Adapted from C. Schettino

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Adapted from C. Schettino

Rough draft scores

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Adapted from C. Schettino

Rough draft scores Final draft scores

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Adapted from C. Schettino

Rough draft scores Final draft scores

Final initial score

Final perseverance

score

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetAn example

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Student work sample

An example

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Student work sample

An example

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Student work sample w/ teacher feedback

An example

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Student work sample w/ teacher feedback & student revisions

An example

Tests to Promote a Growth Mindset

Student work sample w/ teacher feedback & student revisions

An example

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetSome noteworthy constraints

some teachers could not deviate from departmental pacing guide

some teachers required to use common departmental assessments

all teachers required to use departmental grading scale

Tests to Promote a Growth MindsetSome noteworthy constraints

some teachers could not deviate from departmental pacing guide

some teachers required to use common departmental assessments

all teachers required to use departmental grading scale

and our solutions

review day was eliminated to accommodate two days of testing (24hr. turnaround on feedback required)

created supplemental problems that were focus of 2