by Dennis Harter, MS Principal
dennish@isb.ac.th
As we approach the mid-way point of the semester, we celebrate that students have experienced significant learning growth this year. Parents were able to see and hear their children describe what and how they’ve learned over the course of this school year. Through educational research we know that students who are empowered and can articulate about their learning tend to perform better at school.
School performance can be a tricky topic when it comes to measures. Schools assign grades to provide feedback to students and parents about how students are performing relative to grade level standards and expectations. Those grades are personal feedback directly to the student and teacher about their performance. Grades are not intended to be compared to another student. ISB MS does not do class ranking, nor do we think it’s appropriate or meaningful to compare one student’s grade to another’s.
Parents have shared with us that some students are sharing their grades with other students causing stress and, at times, anxiety as students compare themselves. Students should be comparing themselves only to themselves and grade level expectations (meeting standard), not to other students.
We encourage parents to speak with their children at home about keeping their grade information to themselves and their family and not sharing them around. It’s not helpful or meaningful to foster a school community that is comparing grades constantly. Additionally, if your child is feeling anxious due to others sharing grades with them, please support the message that grades are only feedback for the student themselves. It’s not helpful or appropriate to compare yourself to another student’s grades.
We want grades and teacher feedback to support learning growth for each individual student. If students are feeling stress because of other students’ grades, then our feedback is not serving its purpose. Just as it would not be appropriate for people to share and compare the details and records of their own medical check ups (“I’m healthier than you!”) we think of grades and reports as personal information and feedback, not to be shared in public.
A community in which students are the owners of their own feedback and grades is one in which students also are empowered to reach their own potential and see feedback as providing positive impact on their lives, not causing stress.
Thank you for your support at home in ensuring students use and interact with grades in the positive ways they are intended.