Essentially Point-Less: The Influence Of Alternative, Non Points-Based Grading On Teachers' Instructional Practices

Abstract

Additionally, I must thank my former colleagues from my career in the secondary classroom, most especially Lance Huffman, who took me under his wing as an emergent teacher and modeled a professionalism and passion for teaching and students that is second-to-none. His mentorship was vital to the initial implementation of the No Points Grading System, and I am grateful for his professional guidance, but most of all for his friendship. I am also very grateful to many other former colleagues who endured me talking about grading day after day, especially: Michael Sliwa, Greg Rivers, Justin Sauble, and C.J. Mehall. Thanks, boys! When are we getting the band back together? Of course, I would not be here at all without the love and support from my family. First and foremost, my parents, Jerry and Faith Percell, have shown me an amazing amount of love and have maintained a relentless and fervent faith in me throughout my entire life. They raised me with a belief in the power and importance of education, a notion that was passed down from my grandparents, Paul and Beulah Baker and Wayne and Carolyn Percell. In a time when many families are referred to as "broken" (Fagan, 1999, para. 1), mine has continually provided me with a model of stability, love, and support. There is no way that I would be here today without them. Thank you, Mom and Dad. I love you! My in-laws have also been incredibly supportive throughout this program and the writing of this dissertation. Specifically, my mother-in-law, Maribeth Kolb, who has never once refused to drop everything on her agenda to be there for me, for Renée, and for the boys; my father-in-law, Gary Alwan, who has also shown a huge amount of personal support in this endeavor; and my sister-in-law, Carolyn Noel, who was iv especially helpful in rehearsing my dissertation defense. Thank you all so much! I am so grateful to be part of such a wonderful family. While my sons, Micah and Ezra James, may be too young to have a recollection of this project in the future, they have felt it in the steady absence of their father for these past four years. All of this has been for you, boys, as is everything that I do. I am so blessed to be your dad and I look forward to being present and invested in each of you. I love you boys so much, and I am so very proud of both of you! Ultimately, absolutely none of this would be possible without the tireless support of my beautiful wife, Renée Alwan Percell. No amount of words can entirely capture the amount of resilience and selfless dedication that she has shown throughout this journeyto me, to our family, and to this program. Not only has she carried our family on her back to make this possible, but she has made innumerable sacrifices along the way, especially giving up precious time with her two baby boys-moments that she will never be able to recapture. Thank you, Renée, for loving and supporting me through this, and for being the rock of our family. I am so excited to ease your burden and look forward to carrying you from here on out. I love you so ...