*Header image from “Time Enough at Last,” an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Daily Checklist
Here is the list of skills and traits assessed through grade abatement:
Triptych To-Do List
This is in the form of a daily checklist1. That image is the QR code embedded at the end of the checklist; if you activate it (here’s how), it takes you to an explanatory document:
Triptych Annotated
That is an explanation of each of the elements of the checklist. Read it carefully. It is just one of the many guides available to you that explain these profiles:
GAP Tiers
That one, for instance, is crucial: It explains the four tiers of grade abatement, with notes on how to move from one to the other. You already have a single-sheet version of the profiles themselves; this is the set of directions you must follow to meet the requirements for each one.
How to Read This Post
You are being given all this, no matter which class you are taking, because
- reading complicated writing helps improve both skills;
- reading my explanations for these systems helps you enter a conversation about them;
- these are the guidelines for your quarterly score, no matter your age and ability level.
Take your time, read through these documents, and ask questions below. Think of this as a lecture, after which you are given time to ask questions; to say nothing means you understand all this perfectly, with no need for clarification. There are 140 of you this year. At least one of you needs clarification.
As questions are asked below, I’ll answer. Read those answers, too. AP students should take the lead here. Tenth graders might do more lurking. Everyone has an equal stake, however, and I expect some back-and-forth to emerge quickly this week.
If you missed the hard copy last week, see me in class. Remember that we are aiming for a responsively paperless classroom; these documents are certainly important enough to be printed. ↩
Hello this is Nathan I think I will leave my comments here are they are closest to the actual starting point and will be a gauge to how many people actually look at the comments.
Why is the QR code a QR code instead of a link like the rest of the information?
Can you tell if a page gets enough traffic to see if everyone got onto it?
Do you need to have a word press account to comment?
Hey Nathan, I actually talked about the QR code with Mr. Eure, he said its main purpose was to try something else and see if students responded differently to trying something else out.
So I have been goin over the GAP tiers and I was wondering, since we do have bigger classes and all and we have to do whatever it takes to stand out, say we start off with a 6, how would we be able to get that up to say an 8 or 9? How can we prove to you that we deserve the 8 or 9? I know that being on task during the lessons and getting others as well to be on task is a help, but how do we prove that we have a deep understanding of the class to you?
I think that reaching that 8 or 9 requires you to be extremely invested in the course work. Achieving the 8 or 9 shows that you take a good amount of time to be metacognitive and reflective of yourself.
Hey Jackie, I was wondering the same thing. I think the class size just means that we are going to have to work harder to get ourselves noticed a little more. I think this means we need to have more discussions with mr. Eure, either one on one or as a table. I also think it means that on our assignments we need to put as much detail and as much knowledge into the assignment that we can in order to get noticed easier and get a higher grade on the grade abatement.
The highest gap tier is suppose to be where all of us are. The tier says even at the lowest level in this tier, students work closely with the teacher on most assignments. How are all the people in a class of 30+ students suppose to work closely with the teacher. It seems like there isn’t enough time in the day for everyone to work closely, so can everyone still be a top tier profile? Maybe we may have to make some adjustments based on the size of our class and what’s feasible in terms of time with the teacher.
How is grade abatement in this class different from how grade abatement was last year with Ms. McTigue or Ms. Racic? Is it more lenient or more strict? Neither? I wonder if there are higher expectations for this class because it is AP versus the pre-AP class that most of us if not all took last year.
I was wondering that too. I think that it definitely is going to be more in-depth this year and the stakes are going to be higher. Considering we were introduced to it for the first time last year, we are more comfortable with it and continue to get more and more comfortable with it.
Just like Keegan was saying, I don’t think there’s enough time for students to have the one on one time with the teacher. There are too many kids in the class and even if I had questions I don’t know what to ask. I haven’t been feelings structured, if you say, in this class and I feel as if I’m doing the assignments given to me. I don’t know what above and beyond I’m supposed to be doing to achieve these top tier grades.
I understand grade abatement a little more due to the fact that I was in English 11R and it was a smaller class so we were all able to get enough of his attention. I just got switched into AP and so I will restate some of the questions I had asked Mr.Eure before I got switched in and rewrite the answer he had given me, So for an 7 In the fourth tier I had noticed that it said “…. their aptitude is more autodidactic” meaning that the student is more self taught. In an 8, it shows that not only do you need to be autodidactic but you are also collegial, meaning you are persuaded in ways that can cause you to take action and that you are amenable, meaning not only can you teach yourself but you can teach and help others. so in order to be a 9 you have to be both collegial, amenable and autodidactic? So you have to be willing to go outside of school and self teach yourself about what we are learning and be able to come into class and help teach others? The answer Mr.Eure had given me was yes you need to be all these things, due to the fact that you may not always be able to get his attention, so you have to be willing to go outside of school and be autodidactic and come in and be amenable and help teach others…… Hope this helped anyone.
That does help. This class requires people to take the time out of school to achieve the higher scores on the GAP report tiers. You have to work on your own in a collegial manner however also be ready to work in a group and be able to help others. I personally feel that group discussions are very helpful, because you learn from others, and understanding what they say can be very beneficial in many different ways.
In a class of 20 or 25, group discussions can be galvanizing events. Even when we allow for the occasional gamesmanship or performative comment, the face-to-face interaction is powerful. Unfortunately, we have 30, 33, and 37 students in three of our classes this year — far too many to organize in anything like a productive discussion. We can do group work, and certainly fishbowls and other alternative discussions might help; the problem, though, is that all good instruction suffers when the numbers are that high. The most I could do is line you up in cemetery rows, lecture you, and have you work quietly in desks or small groups. The energy of a makerspace is dampened by any group that large.
Grade abatement for me personally pushes me hard to do better . This is my first year even learning about what grade abatement was and I was really confused the first day of school due to the fact I had no idea what grade abatement was. Also since i was in English 10 I wonder, is this going to be a whole different way I process what is being taught to me. I feel like trying to achieve these top tier grades will be really difficult . It would be difficult because there is way too many people in the class. When I do have questions I don’t even know how to phrase my question. So I feel it would be very hard for me to achieve these top tier grades.
You should be fine, whether you were in 10R or Pre-AP (or any other course). By posting a comment, you’re taking charge of generating a feedback loop; the more we talk, the more comfortable you’ll feel. We can work around the class size through these interstitial mechanisms.
What would be the average grade in the grade abatement for most of the assignments given out? Seeing the many different grades, i want to know what would be a good grade to go for.
Why do we have to grade ourselves for the grade abatement? We write what we feel we are but I feel that limits us. I say I’m an 8 but I’ll have to argue for a 6 at best because that’s what I feel like is the only grade I can get at best. Then people that do less than me bs their way to get a 9 while I struggle to get a 6.
The frustration you feel will fade in this course, because it is unlikely that anyone will find a way to game the system. The process is evidentiary; you will generate the evidence that leads to a profile, and I will help you to collate and analyze that evidence. There is no subjectivity, and if you feel that you’ve run into bias or gamesmanship, we need to talk.
I think amenability is often something that we don’t practice truthfully(as Ying mentioned on google+). Are there any exercises we can do to improve how we internalize criticisms? Are there any ways that we can internalize the feedback Mr.Eure gives us that isn’t necessarily on written work?
The most powerful way to internalize anything is to write about it. You don’t need to commit a ton of time to the writing, though; you just need the habit of mind to reflect and be metacognitive when you gain insight, develop a skill, etc.
Hi everyone. So, I was working on the “”Time Enough at Last” assignment, and I was a bit confused on the curve that’s presented in one of the Grade Abatement Profile documents and then there’s another document that analyzes the grade abatement profiles, without the curve. Sarah Comer tried to explain the purpose of it to me, but I think I need further clarification and insight. What is the purpose of the curve? Apart from that, I also wanted to know, how can you effectively demonstrate your comprehension and mastery on certain concepts?
The most recent iteration is the correct one: There is no curve. I encourage you all to read about the iterative history of that decision in this Medium essay. After a year with the +3 curve, I opted to go with flat numbers — 80, 85, 90, etc. It’s an ongoing conversation, though.
Since a lot of the work we do is done independently and to receive a higher tier grade we have to show evidence that we have taken an extra step in understanding our material, should we be keeping some sort of records of what we do outside of class? Let’s say I read an article on my own about one of the topics we discuss, what is the best way to prove that I’ve done this research independently and have indeed advanced my knowledge on whatever the topic may be?
Two things:
1) You should always try to preserve and reinforce your learning by writing about it, especially if it’s something that isn’t formally given to you in class.
2) Before you do work outside of class, make sure you are meeting all the basic requirements in class.
One observation I’ve made so far this year is that some students — not necessarily you, but you’ve asked the question — are replacing the central work with ancillary work. You can only build from the main study. We aren’t far enough into the year yet for you to have unilateral choice over what you study.
Hey guys! I was wondering what you actually think “risks” are in this class that you can take in regards to embodying a higher tiered profile? Does this consist of what kind of articles or outside work you research, who you talk to, how you do your work or something else? Also, Mr. Eure introduced to me the fact that if you are doing something in regards to empathy, or what we are doing in this class, we technically don’t have to do the technical assignments (to an extent). What do you guys think about this? I’ve been having difficulty finding time in my afternoon to work on these assignments, but I find it better to have my own plan on how to tackle my own ideas on empathy and reflection in class. I think this upcoming long weekend may be very helpful for all of us to spend more time on work.
This is the first time I’ve participated in a class that uses the grade abatement system, and from what I understand, in order to get a perfect score (or close to one) you have to go above and beyond what is required, as opposed to a normal course where as long as you do everything assigned you’ll be fine. Am I correct to assume this, or am I overlooking something?
We have to define “what is required,” which is done in the provisional application sections of the tiered profiles. Part of it is intuitive, though; you will know what it means to be an 8 or 9 by slowly building up the evidence of an 8 or 9. You won’t have to work yourself to the bone. You’ll need to work hard, of course, but exhaustion is actually the opposite of what we’re after.
I think we can all agree that we would like to land in the 4th tier of the grade abatement profiles. As I looked through the profiles of a 7, 8, and 9, one common theme stood out to me. It seems that in order to receive one of these profiles, you must improve the learning environment (specifically stated in profile 8) in a way that you can help your peers. I feel as if it is hard to improve the learning environment if not everybody checks google community. Would posting on google community and starting conversation on there be considered improving the learning environment?
The language is careful: You need to contribute to the learning environment, and those contributions should galvanize your peers. We’re into semantics a little at this point, but I chose those words to convey the difference between making a peer do work and inviting him or her to do work. All you can control, in the end, is yourself; if a peer does not take your invitation to learn or collaborate, that’s a choice you can’t control.
Regarding the grade abatement profiles, specifically the requirements for a tier 8 grade, the statement “they lack only the exceptional maturity” of students earning a tier 9 grade is noticed. Is this factor very important in determining your grade abatement profile? Maturity can be interpreted differently depending on the point of view, overall self behavior, and knowledge of the person. I feel like this concept isn’t clear enough or established precisely in class.
Look at the word more literally: Maturity is growth. You mature in specific ways, and we should be able to track that over time. You might mature in terms of amenability; the 9 would be a student whose amenability deepens and evolves so that our feedback loop is closer to a mentorship. You might mature in terms of assiduousness; a 9 would be a student whose work ethic and perseverance become habitual, without any of the gamesmanship usually found in a high school.
My question is how will grade abatement help us in the long run versus regular grading? I believe that since everyone learns in different ways, the grade abatement will be very helpful for some people but can also be very hard for others. Last year I enjoyed doing grade abatements because I was able to evaluate where I was, but found it a little difficult because I had to base it solely off of how I worked in class and grew, with no grade to show it. Last year though, Ms. Racic would leave comments about how we were doing on our work, as well as leave comments with areas of improvement. Will it be like this again this year? Will you leave comments on our work, or should we take what we talk about with you during a short discussion and relay it in the GAP report?
So far, the feedback about grade abatement’s long-term impact is positive. Even without a lot of years behind it, though, the theory is strong, mostly because it is tied so directly to 21st-century skills, including self-regulation and self-monitoring. This is the program that will get you ready for college and a career — as well as for marriage, friendship, being a good person, etc.
I will give you feedback regularly, but it will almost never be through commentary on a paper you’ve written. We’ll discuss that decision when it’s more germane to your assignment. Done properly, the writing process doesn’t require final commentary on a paper, just your attentiveness and diligence throughout the steps that lead up to that final draft.
I think that it’s easier to see growth without a grade, even though that doesn’t necessarily make sense. I think growth can be seen through writing especially. For example, in Pre-AP English last year, at the end of the year we got back our summer reading assignments. There was such a huge difference in the writing quality! I think it was definitely from our study on diction and forms of writing. I think it would be nice if we were able to get feedback without going out and seeking it, but that’s all part of grade abatement. I think you could definitely put comments and physical feed back in your GAP report to show further evidence. Mr. Eure mentioned to me that by the end of the quarter, it should be pretty clear which GAP you are and because of that, a lot of evidence searching won’t have to take place.
At first I was so confused on what the grade abatement was but now I realized that if you want a good grade like a 8 or 9 you have to have certain qualities like being able to be self taught when there’s no one around who can assist you. You first of all have to be metacognitive to be close to an eight, and not only that but you should also be collegial, if you see someone struggling then go and try to help. Also, something that I like is that Mr. Eure may seem busy helping other students but he is always observing everyone and knows who’s paying attention and doing their work. If you get off task but come right back you are also showing him your maturity and that you know what you’re supposed to be doing.
Comparing the grade abatement from last year to this year, I see a lot of similarities. Including the broad topics like galvanizing your peers, metacognition, collegiality, amenability, self-awareness etc. I believe that having grade abatement gives us the opportunity to go beyond our writing skills and techniques. It is no longer about who can have the best piece of writing, it is about the person you are and how you can effect the writing community. Although each profile has somewhat of a requirement to be thinkers and communicators, there is so much more. The only question I have is how, us, as students will be given the profile we are perceived to be in? Last year we fought for the profile we thought we portrayed, but if my teacher disagreed, she gave us the grade she wanted. Is it up to the teacher or the students or both?
We need to work together so that the process is evidentiary and transparent. If we’re successful, it should be a matter of fact-finding and evidence-gathering, not a struggle to separate subjectivity and frustration from the process itself. I know that there may be subjectivity and frustration, of course. Keep a feedback loop going with me, and I’ll help you with that, too.
One question that I keep asking myself is: How are due dates connected to your grade in this class? That is a confusing way to ask it but what I mean is simple. If you are someone who has a lot on your plate and you seem to be “falling behind” or you are someone that doesn’t always write down what you do in class how can you keep up with set due dates? Or if you’re a student that meets a lot of the higher GAP tiers but you don’t conform to what others believe is “finished” does it make sense for you to be getting a similar grade to them? Not sure if I explained myself properly, but I’m constantly struggling with this.