The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WhIby Fres Prose, Wsdrisday, Apti 37, ffl. Pte 7 An idea. worth a lifetime of thought trn over me on Monday. The idea: grades in sohools shoufld be thrown out. In their place we should define precisely what we expect students to learn. The truck that delivered this message: Dr. William Spady, of the High-Success Network Inc. of Eagle, Colorado. Dr. Spady was leading ieminars at the Ontario Association for Curriculum Development. 1 happened to wangle an invitation to one day of the three-day session. Okay yeah, you say: whoa up. Isn't it just common sense tlat we define precisely what we expect students to learn? And don't grades give a measure- ment of how a student has performed? Maybe. But not likely. Dr. Spady sees traditional classroom functions as time-baeed and curriculum-based. mlat is, school ptarts after Labor Day, ends sometime in June. In that time period, teachers "cover" curriculum inaterial, and students learn as much as they can. Studente are then graded - often as much on how they performed (or behaved) in learning the material than in how well they have mastered it. Says Spady: ». . . grading is a ver personal and subjective enterprise which stretches %e definition of 'achievementf far beyond that of 'actual accomplish- ments' and allows teachers enormous discretion in labelling students." In this context of traditional grading, Spady defines Five Great Illusions of Achievement. 1) Everything gradaLble je worth 100 points; 2) Ail points are created equal; 3)1If students don't perforni, you take points off; 4) Fifty, (or sixty, or seventy, or eighty) points are good enough; 5) The more pointe you accumnulate, the more achievement you have. He would replace this with what he ternis 'Cri- terion-Based Education.' What that means in English is simple: the system (school, teacher, parents, s*city) muet set clear definitions of what students muet Lable te do with material learned. Note that word: do. Spady would put measurement of the 'doing' after instruction has taken place. What is measured is a student's abiity te use knowledge, in a prcse, defined, meaningful way. And note: 1 98at ista student does not succeed - Spady would not take off marks. 1e would give the student another chance. No fifty per cent pass here. Ail students are expected te perform ail outcomes. (Spady's cohort, Spence Rogers, points out that in potty training we expect aIl cbildren te master the doing ail the time. No sixty percent pass there. either.) Revolutionary? Sure, give that our current gfrading system has more e do with labelling stu- dents for their fitness te go te university than preparing them for life. And who would use such a system? Well, Dr. Spady has several states and boards of education as clients. But his clearest example:- The Boy Scout badge systeni. (Red Cross Swimming levels work the sanie way. That is, the performance criterion is clearly defined: must be able to swim two widths of the pool; muet be able te float on back for one minute; muet ... ) No quibbling. The student can either demon strate the ability or cannot. If yes, then she/he earns the credit; if no, then he/she gets te try again those parts not demonstrated. Thus students nover fail -- they just may not have passecà yet. Spady does have bis critics. Most focus on absence of values. But Spadyay values follow i the wake of knowledge and dioing.';H e would not evaluate students on that which cannot be measured. It is my çuess that Outcomes work beet in the hands of skilled, dedicated, energetic, superb tea- chers. But any system works well i the such handa. Nevertheless, you will heur more about Outcome- r - .c<..... *~*V*~* 4< 1~.:!IEDhI. ni BROCK STRT9 LOOKING SOUTU TO COIJ30RNE STREETp 1918 'The building with the balcony on the east aide of Brock Street was constructed ini 1913 and rebufit aftor a fire in February 1937. me old Town hall, right of centre, was demolished in 1960. and roplaoed by the presient firehail. South of the Town hall a the Wîlinson Block, demolished in 1981. WbltbyArélVSoto 10 YEAES AGO frin the Wedn;esda3 AW26~, 1984 edition of the " Cullen Gardons je roady to open for its fifth boasan. " A Town of Whitby report says education taxes will increase by 10 per cent this yeur. " Brooklin's Group 74 hold its 10th anniversary tea on April 15. " The Corridor Area Ratepayers Association je planning a Noighbourhood Watch prcgrum 35 YEA1W AGO from the 1buedaApil 31959 edition of the * Th'WhtbyOddfellows Lodgo hun purchaaed a building ut 211 Brock Street South for its *Town council hus turned down an offer of theo dock froni the old post office at Brock and Dundas streets, which is boing demolished. *Whitby'snow Town hall on Dundus Street at Henry Street will coet $236,000, including furniture. *Mis. William E. Pellow is president of the Whitby Women's Insitut. 125 YEARS AGO from the ThurdayApril 22, 1869 edition of the WFIBYCHRONICIZ " John Sprowe Governor of the Ontario County Juil at Whitby, died on April 19 ut ugo 53. " There is a largo quantity of lumber and shingles awaiting shipment on the whurf at WVhitby Hurbour. " A veiywýet spring is délaying tho plunting of crope and bad roa<is are preventing business from being carried on. e Whitby bus a lacrosse club and a gymnustic club.