Sea to Sky school district to pilot grade-less report cards
Pilot program — which will launch in spring — will change report cards for some students in Grades 4 to 9
Some students in Grade 4 through 9 in the Sea to Sky school district will no longer receive letter grades on their report cards as part of a pilot project.
The project launches this spring in the district that includes Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and six Aboriginal communities.
Peter Jory, director of instruction, technology and innovation for the school district, told CBC's The Early Edition students will receive report cards with detailed feedback and "remove the distraction of the letter grade."
"[We've found] when they see the letter grade, they disregard everything after that," Jory said.
"The thing that we're concerned about here is that students associate themselves with the grade that they receive. Students who receive a C- associate themselves with that and are prone to switch off.
"Conversely, students who receive an A try to protect themselves and work towards that A rather than doing more challenging, meaningful tasks. We're finding some of our highest achieving students are really good at gaming the system."
'Confident, adaptable learners'
Jory said teachers who participate in the program will be supported through training and feedback. Teachers will also be in close communication with students and parents to evaluate the success of the program.
Students will transition back into a graded system in Grade 10, Jory said, to accommodate scholarships, awards and post-secondary entrance requirements.
Jory said he doesn't think it will be difficult for students to make the transition.
"If we produce confident, adaptable learners who are interested in what they are pursuing, they're going to do really well regardless of how they're assessed."
The changes come after the provincial government introduced amendments to the school curriculum last summer with an emphasis on "flexibility." The provincial government is currently conducting a public consultation on the future of report cards.
Schools across the province have experimented with the grade-less report cards in the past, including some schools in the Surrey School District and a middle school in Port Moody among others.
With files from The Early Edition
To listen to the interview, click on the link labelled Grade-less report cards piloted in the Sea to Sky school district