Assessment practice is one of those places where being more learner-centered and equitable is truly pushing beliefs and systems to evolve In a world where we desire to act upon the core belief that learning is the constant, time is the variable- and we embrace the messiness inherent within learning- educators must wrestle with rewriting long standing traditions within the assessment arena. One of the most passion-filled, and time-consuming wrestling matches going on in schools across the country has a common contender: the “retake.”

Finding joy in the work. Such a simple, honest and human-centered goal for why educators would pour their heart and soul into their school and students. In its purest form, finding joy in the work is simply to find value. While the specific aspect that is particularly joyful for each person might be slightly different, the core is common- and arguably a non-negotiable foundation for creating an effective learning environment. So why are they trying to find it? Where did it go?

It was the end of first quarter, and I was sitting across the table from a pair of very concerned parents. Their student had struggled so far this year, often falling far short of meeting the expectations for learning. As I began to talk about strategies like fully engaging in learning experiences, thoughtfully completing formative tasks, and revising based on feedback, they became frustrated. Their student had been “doing school” the same way for eight years. This was the first time that the results were different–and the results were indeed very different. They didn’t say it, but it certainly was implied- their child was entitled to the A. What I find to be the most shocking about that statement is that they may have been right.