Standards Based Grading: A New

Outlook on Grading

Mrs. Piazza and Mrs. Drakeford

“Why…would anyone want to change current grading

practices?”

The answer is quite simple: grades are so imprecise that they are almost meaningless.”

--Robert Marzano

“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

What is the purpose of SBG?

The purpose is to raise student achievement by clearly setting and communicating high learning targets and communicating student’s progress towards achieving those targets. SBG also accurately communicates achievement of the learning targets to students, parents, and teachers.

What is a Learning Standard (Target)?

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

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STANDARDS BASED GRADING

• Mastering learning targets instead of the accumulation of points.

• The reporting of student achievement and progress they have made toward mastering the learning targets.

• A record keeping system that provides teachers with information that allows them to adjust their teaching to best meet individual student needs.

• A system that encourages student reflection, responsibility, ownership of the content.

Comparing

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Traditional Grading System

Standards-Based Grading System

High expectations for some children

High expectations for all children

All children can learn if they want to

All children must learn

Children learn at different levels All children can achieve at high levels

All children are assessed at the same pace with the same tools

All children are assessed at a variety of paces with a variety of tools

What children do not know goes unfixed

Children and teachers fix what the student do not know

Grades are based on the percentage of points accumulated

Grades are based on the percentage of standards mastered

Traditional Grading

• Has a student who receives a “C” based upon 100% homework completion and 50% test average really mastered the standards?

• How do grades affect the motivation of students who experience early failure and see no way to climb out of the hole they’re in?

With SBG Grades have a different meaning

When a student brings home a grade it should mean something to the student, parent and teacher. A grade should reflect what they have learned and have truly mastered. With traditional grading (A, B, C,) students see a letter and maybe a percentage, but what does that really mean to them, or to parents? With Standards-Based grading the skill or learning target is specific. Students, parents, and teachers can see exactly what the student is working towards. For example, if the learning target is I can identify the phases of the moon, then the expectation is made clear to everyone. SBG also allows parents, students, and teachers to monitor where the student is at in mastering that learning target. Students can achieve a 1, 2, or 3 on a learning target. Their goal is a 3, which is mastery.

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Grading Scale

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Score

Description

3 Mastered the Learning Target

2 Approaching Mastery of the Learning Target

1 Attempting the Learning Target

Characteristics of a Successful Learner

So what does it look like in the classroom?

• The goal of our students is to be motivated to learn, engaged in what they are learning, and demonstrate what they learn to a mastery level.

• To do this, we will provide them with a variety of opportunities that will help us achieve this.

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Differentiation

• Students learn material in different ways.

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Mastery Learning

• In order to have all students achieving at a mastery level, we need to be able to give them what they need when they need it.

• As students work on a variety of learning opportunities, we teachers are meeting with those that may need more help, an extra boost, or a quick reteaching.

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Mastery Learning

• Students have a variety of “learning opportunities” for each learning target.

• They CHOOSE what learning opportunities they want to do… this gives the student motivation and keeps them engaged because THEY CHOOSE, not the teacher.

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Example of Student Tracking Sheet for Learning

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Completed Work & Parent Communication

• We want to keep you constantly up-to-date with what your child is doing in science.

• Each Friday- the student tracking sheet will come home. This will show you the following”• Learning opportunites they completed

and the grade (1, 2, 3) they received each time.

• What targets they are working on and mastered .

• A daily reflection

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Completed Work & Parent Communication

• This tracking sheet and all completed work (that is not in their notebook) will come home on Fridays.

• PLEASE SIGN the tracking sheet and feel free to leave any comments or concerns to us right underneath.

• This sheet should come back to school every Monday signed. Students will receive a consequence for not coming to class prepared.

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Homework

• Students will NOT have science homework unless they choose to.

• Everything that your child does, they will do in class. However, if they choose to take something home to finish, they can.

• If they forget to bring it back, there will be no penalty, they will just need to redo it or choose another learning opportunity in place of that one.

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What?!? No homework?

• Yes, I’ll say it again… no homework. • The saying goes, practice makes perfect. But

really, practice makes PERMANENT. • If students are practicing their work incorrectly

it is hard to go back and fix that.• Immediate feedback is one of the best ways to

give kids what they need to move on and be successful in learning. By having our students do their work in the class with us- we are giving them good and corrective feedback to encourage them to take risks in their learning.

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Why is my child’s friend ahead of my child?

• Every student learns at their own pace. Some concepts are much more difficult than others for a child to grasp.

• Once a child masters the target, they will move onto the next one. Sometimes they may get ahead, sometimes they may be a bit behind.

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THE GOAL

• No matter where they are compared to the class is not our goal…

• Getting every student to master as much of our science content as possible IS our goal.

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What if they don’t cover all of the targets before the end of the year???

• All targets will be covered, however, they may not all be mastered.

• BUT, it is better for your child to master 80% of the content and not get to the last 20% than to get to 100% of the content and only master 20%.

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Questions or concernsAs always- emails, conferences, and phone

calls are welcomed. Other options to ask questions--Join our Edmodo group!-Keep up with our website for updated info.-Use the index cards provided tonight to write

your questions. Include your child’s name, your name, and contact info. Then drop it in the box on the way to the cafeteria tonight.

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