Grades serve a purpose, I suppose.
They do not, however provide most kids hope or a feeling of improvement. The fact is regardless of grades, kids get better academically in regard to skills, knowledge, and reading ability throughout the year even if their grades diminish or look like a roller coaster. A student’s trajectory is always upward when they attend school even with somewhat regularity. The bucket is always getting filled.
Grades just measure how fast the bucket gets filled.
This kid needs to see themselves getting better. They like levels and progressing
through thresholds and goals. They grew up playing video games trying to get to the
next level. We must set academic goals with kids that have nothing to do with grades.
What is their reading level? What is their ACT score? What is their TSIA? What Lexile
are they reading on? What measures can we use that have a clear trajectory? Kids
need goals. They need a bar to reach. Some of the success we have had in MindPlay is
because we provide data that allows you to set goals and kids feel themselves getting
better. Telling students their reading level has been very successful for us. We have
found student’s desperately work to get to grade level. MindPlay’s sophistication moves
kids. MindPlay’s data motivates kids. Take a look at this kid from Quanah ISD! He will
be ready for college.
Ty Duncan – MindPlay Partner Development
