Philip Rogers
philr@isb.ac.th
For several years now ISB has been reviewing our practices in assessment, grading, feedback and reporting. We want these important aspects of school life to best support learning and consequently help our students reach their full academic potential.
Last semester we instituted a practice whereby the teachers provided “face to face feedback first”. This means grades and scores are only published on Powerschool after a student has received feedback on the assessment during class or on an individual basis. Research is conclusive that this promotes greater engagement, understanding and learning. This complements the practice that has been in place for the last two years whereby after the end of semester examinations there is an opportunity for immediate feedback to promote learning.
This semester we are no longer making GPA available 24/7 through Powerschool. (Of course the calculation of GPA from current grades is a very simple mathematical task.) This move follows much discussion and will help students gain a healthier perspective towards GPA and discourage the sometimes obsessive ‘minute by minute’ tracking of GPA. Our research showed us that after Facebook, Powerschool was the website our students visited the most. To provide a better balance, GPA to date will be available on Powerschool in the week following grade checks, that is:
- Monday 2nd March to Sunday 8th March
- Monday 26th April to Sunday 3rd May
- Monday 25th May to Sunday 1st May
The cumulative semester GPA will appear on the end of semester report card as normal and the cumulative ISB semesters GPA on a student’s transcript.
Here are some reminders concerning GPA:
- The single most important factor universities take into account is the rigour of courses a student has followed during their High School years
- GPA is almost always recalculated/adjusted by US universities based a number of factors including school weighting policies and course rigour
- GPA is only one of the factors for admission to university
- GPA does not define who you are
- GPA does not help students find their passions and interests
- Different countries use GPA in different ways and some do not use it at all