Assessment can be tricky business, especially in the teaching world. There are tons of variables that deserve careful consideration and thoughtful integration. All this to say, when it comes to assessment, I tread lightly.
My personal teaching endorsement is in science, a field plagued by traditional assessment pitfalls. Having spent years grappling with fair, equitable and accurate science assessment strategies, I approach cosplay assessment from a polar opposite perspective. But before I dive into my own assessment tactics, it’s worth mentioning that the only way any teacher can effectively teach is if they intuitively buy into what it is that they do. So, don’t consider my word law. Instead, think of it as a thought exchange or a springboard — it’s a place to begin crafting your own assessment philosophy.
I’ve made lots of assessment mistakes in science, which is why I approach assessing cosplay completely differently. It’s a mindshift from:
“Students can earn credit by demonstrating proficiency and understanding of the content.”
to:
“Students show growth in their cosplay skill set by grappling with tasks.”
There’s a story behind this shift in thinking. I landed on it after trying (and failing) to assess my cosplay class like my Biology class. Fortunately, I taught students who were flexible, understanding and willing to share their ideas on fair assessment practices. I still hold to my original assessment belief for my science classes (which students were quick to point out was appropriate to the nature of the class) but shifted my thinking for cosplay when students shared that their greatest learnings were occurring when they tried something, failed, grappled, kinda succeeded, started over and tried again. It was complicated!
After conferring with students for the better part of a semester, I ultimately decided that whatever nitty-gritty policy I use to grade, it absolutely must align with my belief that learning in STEAM happens through experience, trial and failure. And that it takes A LOT of time for students to grapple, take risks and reflect on their own learning. That metacognition is the lynch pin of learning in cosplay.
So, here’s the big difference in how this looks:
In my science classroom, I’m the facilitator — designing learning outcomes (setting goals), finding opportunities to engage students in authentic dialogue around the content and their thinking (assignments and activities) and then evaluating summative evidence where students express their learning (tests and quizzes).
In cosplay my focus and assessment revolves only around that middle piece. In the cosplay classroom, students select their own projects and set their own goals (they often walk into class with goals already in hand). Class time is theirs to make progress (however fast or slow) on their project, to ask questions of each other and to simply figure stuff out. When students finish a project, we sit down together and reflect:
- What do you like?
- What would you change?
- What skill or lesson will you carry forward into your next project?
- What is your next project?
And then the cycle begins again.
If I was reading this, by now I’d probably be thinking something like:
“Well, that’s all fine philosophy, but how does a kid earn a grade?”
Its a fair question and in a moment, I’ll dive into the nitty-gritty, but not without first adamantly, vehemently, absolutely declaring:
I HATE POINTS.
Don’t get me wrong, I use them in my classroom everyday and I use them to the best of my ability so that student learning and effort is reflected in grades. But I hate points. Because ultimately, I believe points undermine the entire purpose of life-long learning. Rather than finding intrinsic value in learning for the sake of growing and developing the human experience, points turn learning into an action done in exchange for a reward. My fear is that for students, learning is only worthwhile if you get something in exchange.
However, I recognize that the same argument can be made about teaching and salaries. So, my bottom line is that I wouldn’t work for free, points are a necessary evil and I believe however you decide to use points in your classroom, just make sure you can get behind what you do.
So, here’s EXACTLY what I do with points:
- Attendance and Participation Points – Yep. Kids get a point for showing up. And they get a point for doing what they are supposed to be doing. I always waver here before landing on the reasoning – attendance is absolutely required for success. There will be moments in the classroom that are priceless and irreplicable. Students need to know that the expectation is that they are physically present and involved. Besides, how can you possibly build or sew something if you never come to the workshop?
- Project Completion and Reflection Points – Whenver a student finishes a project, we sit down together and reflect. I ask questions. They share about their experience. In my mind, I’m comparing the things they say with observations and interactions in class. At the end, we land on a point-based grade, usually out of 4 points since that is the project grading scale used in other classes.
- Final Reflection and Agency Points – At the end of the quarter, students complete a detailed reflection about their progress and overall agency (this is a term my school uses to describe student employment of good habits like completing work in a timely manner, being on task, using supplies and time constructively, etc). I ask students to rate themselves and their experience, to share important moments and lessons, and to offer ideas for future projects. This reflecting accounts for no more than 20% of the class points.
Here’s an example of the grade sheet I made using GoogleSheets:
I make some assumptions when calculating actual grades. For example, how many projects could a student complete over the course of the class? Then, I simply divide the number of points earned by the points possible.
Is this system perfect. No No No No No No No.
Is this system a work in progress? Absolutely.
Every year I tweak what I “grade” to better capture what I believe about assessment and learning:
- Growth happens over time.
- Learning is personal. In a class like cosplay, learning will look different for each student.
- Assessment must be transparent, reasonable, defendable and accurate.
Assessment is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching — and it is important to keep in mind that as teachers, we also have to juggle finite boundaries like time, grading deadlines, gradebook software and stakeholders. There is only so much we can do with the resources available. So, whatever you choose for assessment, make sure that you buy into it, that students understand it and that your assessment aligns with the goals set for the cosplay class experience.
Good luck!
