Each term I sit with students and write reports cards with them. I schedule in a bit of time with each learner and we discuss their evidence of learning, their experiences in inquiry, their strengths and stretches, any challenges they faced and strategies they utilized to overcome these challenges.

We set goals.

We discuss progress.

And we do it all together.

Each term I share some of this experience more broadly on social media. It is always greeted with positive energy and a genuine desire to learn more about the practice. With this in mind, I share with you the 10 Steps to Nurture Student Ownership of Assessment:

This sketchnote represents the conceptual framework from Inquiry Mindset Assessment Edition and the scaffolded process to plan for more opportunities for assessment capable learners. It is important to recognize that conferencing with students about their reports cards is the culminating step, the result of many experiences and opportunities for students to fine tune their assessment compass so they can self-assess with accuracy and confidence (see below).

In order for report card conferencing to be fruitful for all, I ask you to consider if you have nurtured the 10 steps with your students. You should be confident in you agreement with the below prompts when thinking about both yourself and your students.

You are both used to co-designing and sharing the heaving lifting of learning. Your students are accustomed to taking on some of the responsibilities of the classroom, using their voice to shape a process and an outcome, you have been partners in learning for some time. This powerful partnership now extends to the conference.

You are both used to leveraging thinking routines and reflection. Your students are accustomed to being critical about their thinking, analysing and making connections across their learning and you have been coaching and modelling this throughout your time with them. This reflection and the thinking routines will now shape your conferencing with them.

You are both used to setting personalized goals and planning the process to work towards these goals. Your students are accustomed to reflecting on these goals, writing about them, documenting their growth and the challenges they encountered and curating evidence of their learning throughout the year. This process will guide the discussion in your conferencing with them.

You are both used to having questions shape learning. Your students have explored questions at a conceptual level. They have thrived in responding to your guiding questions and these guiding questions have led to students having more agency over their learning. Guiding questions will shape your conference.

You are both used to using feedback to dig into learning and plan next steps. Your students value learning as a process that requires feedback in order to determine next steps. They understand that the learning isn’t in the mark or a grade or a percentage. The learning is in the process and that feedback guides the process. The feedback from throughout the year will shape the conference.

You are both used to the strong trust and honesty and vulnerability that has been shaped through the nurturing of relationships in the classroom. Your students have sharpened their assessment skills under your guidance, your coaching and your modelling. They can now self-assess with accuracy, detail and confidence. Their assessment compass is aligned and ready to guide them in the conference.

You are both used to discussing process over product. Your students have been gathering evidence of learning throughout your time together. They have curated highlights of their learning (items they’re proud of) as we all evidence of challenges they have encountered. They have at the ready the good, the bad and the ugly of their learning and they will use these to discuss their learning in the conference.
You are both used to conferring about learning. Students are accustomed to sitting with you and talking about their thinking, reflecting on your feedback and feedback from their peers, unpacking guiding questions and utilizing talk as an assessment method. Talk and conferring will bring everything together in the conference.

If you can confidently agree with all of these statements, then conferring for report cards is something to explore. If not, please consider the 10 Steps to Nurture Student Ownership of Assessment and you conceptual map to making this vision a reality.