Achievement

Educators talk about mastery, success, test scores and other monikers of academic achievement. We subscribe to the theory that if someone works hard enough they can succeed at whatever they do. I agree that persistent effort does bring results. I'm not sure that we all agree on the definition of success.

What about the student who loves to dance and works hard, but can't kick very high or memorize choreography? Or the student who loves to sing and works hard, but lags way behind the rest of the class in singing in tune? Sometimes that student would get an A, sometimes not. Most of us need goals and evaluations but I've seen too many students focus on getting a good grade instead of getting an education that prepares them to be caring, thoughtful adults.

Our culture sometimes holds up an absolute value for mastery. Success looks like a 10 in Olympic competition, a multimillion dollar stock portfolio, Nobel Prize, lead dancer in Swan Lake, American Idol winner, 4.0 GPA. Our students may one day achieve these things, but I think that we'd serve them better if we prepared our students to notice different kinds of success. For some students, getting up in the morning, taking a shower and making it to school on time is success because everything in their lives conspires to make them drop out (I once had a student who told me he didn't need to graduate because he was going to sell drugs like his uncle, but he did manage to graduate). In Oakland, we try to acknowledge student effort or ethics with a catch-all Citizenship grade: 'O' (Outstanding), 'S' (Satisfactory), 'U' (Unsatisfactory); or a choice of comments like, "a pleasure to have in class," and "steadily improving."

I don't have a practical assessment system figured out, although I like the way arts and many other educators now focus on portfolios, presentations and written reflections as measurements. Ideally perhaps - instead of a high school Exit Exam - a student might demonstrate what they are curious about, what new discovery in assignments excited them, why the required curriculum is or is not important for their lives, what made a good teacher, how they grew (or not) because of school. Is it possible to grade the quality of someone's thinking and personal growth, or should each person learn to assess these things in his/her own mind and heart?