September 12, 2012

Standards Based Grading: Information Meeting for Parents

Goals

Provide an overview of the following:

1.Purposes for adopting standards based

grading, assessment, and reporting.

2.Ideas to help you support your child.

Background• 2007- Principals, teachers and administrators researched

standards-based grading.

• 2008- Committee was formed to begin planning implementation.

• 2009- Second grade piloted standards-based grading. Survey was administered to parents and teachers for feedback.

• 2010- Third grade implemented standards-based grading.

• 2011- Fourth grade implemented standards-based grading.

• 2012- Fifth grade implements.

“Why…would anyone want to change current grading practices?”

“Grading as it has been done traditionally promotes a culture of point accumulation not learning, encourages competition not collaboration, often focuses on activities not results…and only involves assessment OF learning because everything students do gets a score and every score ends up in the grade book.”

---Ken O’Connor

Traditional Grading

• Letter grades-A, B, C, D, F• Academic achievement tainted by non-

academic factors• Grade everything and average it together• Chronological listing of all the assignments• Report a single grade for a class

Practices that Inhibit Learning• Including behaviors in academic grade• Assessments not linked to learning targets• Grading first effort• Assigning Zeros as grades• Always using the average to determine a grade• Old and recent scores are given the same

weight

What should NOT be included in a grade?

Why Change to Standards-Based Grading?

• Improve communication to parents and students about student achievement related to the standards or targets.

• Use grading practices that support student learning.

• Place more emphasis on what is learned instead of receiving a grade.

What is a Learning Standard or Target?

…an agreed upon statement of what a student should know and be able to do in a given content area during a particular grading period.

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Each quarter you will receive a letter listing the learning targets or standards for that quarter.

Teachers will communicate targets in weekly newsletters.

Grading in Comparison to a Standard

• Example: Driver’s License process

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Score Description Student Version

4 In addition to score 3, in-depth inferences and applications that go beyond what was taught. Student, with relative ease, grasps, applies, and extends the key concepts, processes, and skills for the grade level.

I know (can do) it well enough to make connections that weren’t taught.

3 No major errors or omissions regarding any of the information and/or processes (simple or complex) that were explicitly taught. The student, with limited errors, grasps, applies, and extends the key concepts, processes, and skills for the grade level.

I know (can do) everything that was taught (the easy parts and the harder parts) without making mistakes.

2 Major errors or omissions regarding the more complex ideas and processes, but no major errors or omissions regarding the simpler details and processes. The student is beginning to grasp and apply the key concepts, processes, and skills for their grade level, but produces work that contains many errors or needs additional teacher assistance or prompting.

I know (can do) all the easy parts, but I don’t know (can’t do) the harder parts.

1 Even with help, no/little understanding of skills. With help, I might be able to know (can do) the easy parts.

Standards-Based Scoring Scale

4, 3, 2, 1 Scale : An Analogy

The “Ice Cream Sundae” Standard Criteria:

- Many flavors of ice cream

- Plenty of toppings- Presentation

1 – Below Expectations

• Single scoop.• One flavor.• One topping.• Simple dish.

2 – Nearing Expectations

• Two scoops of ice cream.

• Single flavor.• A couple of toppings.• Simple presentation.

3 - Meeting Expectations

• Several scoops of ice cream.

• Multiple flavors.• Lots of toppings.• Sundae beautifully

assembled.

4 - Exceeding Expectations Way over the Top!

• The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate (cost = $25,000) at Serendipity 3 in New York City.

• The sundae includes 28 different cocoas, half of them the world’s most expensive.

• It is decorated with 5 grams of edible 23 carat gold (24 carat gold is pure gold) and is served in a goblet made of part edible gold.

• The base of the goblet is an 18 carat gold bracelet, with 1 carat of white diamonds (carat is weight, except in gold, it is purity).

• It is eaten with a gold and diamond spoon that you can take home!

Bicycle Analogy4 Child races

bicyclesExceeds Expectations

3 Child rides independently

Meets Expectations

2 Child rides with help

Nearing Expectations

1 Child rides withanother person

Below Expectations

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A look at the Report Card• Refer to your handouts for an example of the

grade card.• The grade card offers a clear distinction between

learning opportunities and non-learning attributes (behavior, effort, etc.).

• Learning sections on the grade card are divided into various reporting topics aligned with state standards. – These same reporting topics are also embedded in the

learning goals, providing guidance for creating a score on the grade card.

How can you support your child at home?

Ask your child:

1.What are your learning targets?

2.Which targets have you met?

3.Which targets do you need to keep working on?

Contact Information

Dr. Tracy Edwards, Executive Director of Elementary Education

Email: tedwards@nwr1.k12.mo.us 636-677-3473

Dawn Smith, Elementary Instructional CoordinatorEmail: dsmith@nwr1.k12.mo.us

636-677-3473

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