U.S. government to collect data on ‘grit’ levels of students
Grit. It’s the not-so-new thing in education that has nevertheless become a current watchword, in general for how much students persevere and stay on task. What exactly is it? Is it related to a student’s character? Can it be taught? If so, how? Should it be taught? Does it always produce positive results for students? Can it be measured in any meaningful way?
These are questions that have been part of the public education discussion for years (so much so that back in 2012 I published a post titled “Sick of grit already”). Yet there is no consensus on the big questions surrounding “grit.” That, however, is not stopping the U.S. government from deciding to collect data from students about their individual “grit” levels. How? By asking them to rate their own level of grit. But are they good judges of their own abilities in this regard?
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, better known as NAEP and long called the nation’s report card because it is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of America’s students, is going to start amassing student data on level of “grit” in 2017. NAEP is the legal responsibility of the U.S. Commissioner of Education Statistics, who heads the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. education secretary appoints the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the NAEP independent of the department and which works with contractors to create and administer the tests.
NAEP tests national samples of students in grades 4 and 8 — and sometimes grade 12 — in reading and math every two years, and in history, science, civics and other subjects every several years. For decades, it has asked students on background surveys to self-report on various topics, including their reading habits and the time they spend watching television. Now it will add “grit” and “desire for learning” to the list. The agenda of a May meeting of the NAEP governing board’s Reporting and Dissemination Committee said in part:
R&D will have reviewed the core contextual modules three times before any are included in the 2017 NAEP operational administration. These proposed modules include the following: (1) socio-economic status; (2) technology use; (3) school climate; (4) grit; (5) and desire for learning. The Committee’s first review occurred in August 2014, as part of the board meeting. In reviewing the feedback from that session, the overall focus of the comments seemed to lie in ensuring that the questions are inclusive, accessible, and more positive.
The background survey will include five core areas—grit, desire for learning, school climate, technology use, and socioeconomic status—of which the first two focus on a student’s noncognitive skills, and the third looks at noncognitive factors in the school. These core areas would be part of the background survey for allU.S. government to collect data on ‘grit’ levels of students - The Washington Post:
