HomepageISTEEdSurge
Skip to content
ascd logo

Log in to Witsby: ASCD’s Next-Generation Professional Learning and Credentialing Platform
Join ASCD
September 1, 2020
Vol. 78
No. 1

Relevant Read / Feedback First

author avatar

    premium resources logo

    Premium Resource

    Instructional StrategiesAssessment
    Relevant Read / Feedback First thumbnail
    Credit: fabio lamanna
      Pointless: An English Teacher's Guide to More Meaningful Grading by Sarah M. Zerwin (Heinemann, 2020).
      Zerwin's from-the-trenches perspective makes the book a helpful guide for teachers. She shares tools she's developed over the years of getting to "pointlessness," plus samples of student writing with explanations of which feedback moves she used to help a particular student improve.
      Each chapter includes tip-rich sidebars on "Navigating Obstacles," including how to meet requirements like using electronic gradebooks without relying solely on points. Zerwin's savvy enough to admit that some obstacles came from students themselves, who weren't always comfortable with abandoning points. For instance, when Zerwin urged students to do more drafts so she could give more low-stakes feedback before the final was due, students cut corners, trying to make it look like they'd written a revised draft when they'd only corrected a few tiny things.
      Zerwin shows that moving to lower-stakes evaluation takes persistence. She explains how students need guidance to embark on an authentic learning-to-write odyssey—and what skills students must develop to work well in an ungraded environment.
      It's not just setting up a system of evaluating papers sans points. It's sticking with kids as they adjust to the demands of becoming writers rather than chasing As.
      —Naomi Thiers

      Naomi Thiers is the managing editor of Educational Leadership.

      Learn More

      ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

      Let us help you put your vision into action.
      Related Articles
      View all
      undefined
      Instructional Strategies
      Joyful, Better Project-Based Learning
      Bryan Goodwin & Jess Nastasi
      1 week ago

      undefined
      Busting the Myth of Equitable Class Discussions
      Matthew R. Kay
      1 week ago

      undefined
      Designing Joyful Learning
      Richard Culatta
      1 week ago

      undefined
      Student-Led Feedback for Critical Thinking
      Douglas Fisher & Nancy Frey
      1 week ago

      undefined
      Digital Foundations: It’s Elementary!
      Debbie Tannenbaum
      1 month ago
      Related Articles
      Joyful, Better Project-Based Learning
      Bryan Goodwin & Jess Nastasi
      1 week ago

      Busting the Myth of Equitable Class Discussions
      Matthew R. Kay
      1 week ago

      Designing Joyful Learning
      Richard Culatta
      1 week ago

      Student-Led Feedback for Critical Thinking
      Douglas Fisher & Nancy Frey
      1 week ago

      Digital Foundations: It’s Elementary!
      Debbie Tannenbaum
      1 month ago
      From our issue
      Product cover image 121035b.jpg
      Grade Expectations
      Go To Publication