A lot of talk these days is about teaching students to operate from a growth mindset, thanks largely to research by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. What Dweck (2006) calls a fixed mindset implies a core belief that intelligence is static—the "brains" you are born with are what you have; your level of smarts, talent, ability, and success are completely out of your control. Conversely, a growth mindset means taking the stance that intelligence and academic achievement are malleable; achievement is primarily under the control of the learner. This implies that success can be influenced by the application and refinement of noncognitive skills, such as effort and perseverance.
Extending the conversation on mindset, University of Pennsylvania psychologist and researcher Angela Duckworth defines growth-oriented personal qualities, such as effort and learner interest in a given task, as grit (Von Culin, Tsukayama, & Duckworth, 2014). Duckworth prescribes that the grit process "entails working strenuously toward challenges … despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress" (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007, p. 1088). Although many educators may champion the idea of instilling a growth mindset in students and encouraging grit in their classrooms, the paradigm shift may be more difficult than expected. In a culture driven by definitions of success that seemingly focus on test scores and Ivy League acceptance letters, refocusing attention from grades and GPA to personalized success and individual growth may be arduous for teachers, students, and parents alike. So, as we experience these ideological and philosophical growing pains, how do we aid students in evolving toward a mentality that fosters growth?
Assessing for Growth in Writing
In addition to teaching students how to think about thinking by applying metacognitive strategies that improve comprehension, study skills, and memory, teachers can also shift their assessment practices toward a learning-centered approach. Do test scores matter? Yes. Do end-of-semester grades matter? Of course they do. But when teachers shift the conversation from raw scores and end-of-year averages to growth and improvement, hopefully, grades will matter less. Most individuals who choose the teaching profession do not do so because they want to measure student proficiency on state standards. People choose to teach, usually, because they are passionate about learning and because they believe that their love for learning can help inspire and engage others to pursue knowledge and truth. Teachers want to see their students improve over time, and a teacher's approach to assessment can help communicate this important message, that learning is about growth, to their students.
Formative writing evaluation is one grading strategy that may allow for more direct focus on learning. I have found this strategy beneficial for students when they are constructing a large writing assignment over the course of several weeks. This piece-by-piece approach breaks down each required section of an assignment and allows the student to concentrate effort as they build toward completing the learning product.
Let's say that an assigned essay requires students to write an introductory paragraph; address four specific content-related items, arguments, or ideas (for my class, this is four specific theoretical constructs); and end with a concluding paragraph. I would then break the assignment down and address the following items on a weekly basis: introduction (to include the development of the thesis statement) during week one, weeks two through five dedicated to the content and theory, and week six for the conclusion and reference sections of the assignment. Each week, students would write and submit the required section. For these submissions I would give substantive feedback but no grade. The final, revised submission would then determine the project grade. The timeframe for the assigned essay may require some accommodations, but this approach can be adapted to fit the requirements for different types of written assignments.
This assessment approach allows the student to receive feedback along the way, without having to worry about the grade, and to focus more on improving their work. Additionally, an as-you-go evaluation process allows the teacher to provide timely feedback that the student can immediately apply. This somewhat flipped model of revising promotes individual student accountability, while still focusing on learning and growth. By using an online composition tool like Google Docs, teachers can easily see if feedback has been applied as they score the final submission and assign a grade for the project.
Quizzing for Mastery
A formative approach to quizzes and tests may also help transition students toward a growth mindset. One possibility is to offer multiple attempts on assessments to reinforce mastery. Some teachers may not feel comfortable with the idea of giving student multiple tries on a quiz or test, fearing that a student will be less likely to study appropriately or take the assessment seriously. Though certainly a valid concern, some strategies help avoid these potential hurdles.
One approach used on lower-stakes, quiz-like assignments is to allow two attempts on the quiz, with the higher score being the score recorded in the grade book. Though these quizzes are similar, they are not identical. The questions may be in a different order, the answer options may be in a different order, or the questions may be different all together. Multiple attempts not only allow the student to try again but also ensure a level of seriousness and accountability to the assignment. Alternately, the individual results of two attempts on similar but not identical quizzes could be averaged into a mean score to calculate the final grade.
A large-scale paradigm shift from performance to mastery takes time. Refocusing learner motivation will require open dialogue and communication with students, school leaders, and parents. Though an evolutionary transition, a formative approach to grading can reinforce that students are accountable for their own learning and improvement, a concept that, as students mature and grow older, will become critical to their success in life and learning outside of school.
