Standards-Based Grading 101Cascade Middle School

Why change grading practices?

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

--Robert Marzano

The Research� According to Thomas Guskey PhD - Two

major conclusions can be drawn from the research on grading

1. Grading is NOT essential to the instructional process◦ Teachers can teach without grades◦ Students can and do learn without grades

2. Grading and reporting should ALWAYS be done in reference to learning criteria, never “on the curve”

Student Comparison� Student 1◦ Does every homework

assignment (at home)◦ Does extra credit when

available◦ Participates in class

(participation points)

◦ Averages 50% on exams (in class)

◦ Receives a C (passes course)

� Student 2◦ Forgets to turn in some

homework◦ Doesn’t do extra credit

◦ Is quiet and does not participate in class

◦ Averages 89% on exams

◦ Receives a C (passes course)

Traditional grading would imply these two students have the same level of mastery of the content. Do you believe this is the case?

Current Grading Practices…� Promote points – not learning� Assumes learning is the same throughout the

semester (Averages)� Inflate or deflate grades based on behaviors� Assumes low grades motivate (They don’t)� Give unequal weighting – zero is 60 points below

a D� Use a single letter to paint a picture of a complex

learner� Don’t necessarily link assignments to standards� Vary from teacher to teacher

Standards-Based Grading� Focuses on mastering standards instead of

accumulating points� Accurately reports what students can and

cannot do in terms of course content/skills◦ Students/Teachers/Parents know where students

are in their learning – no guesswork� Recognizes student learning occurs over

time� Allows for mastery of content/skills in

multiple ways with multiple opportunities◦ After all, isn’t the goal for students to learn?

Communication

� The goal of SBG is to communicate student achievement

� When students receive scores for each standard, everyone knows where they are in relation to mastery (not other students – e.g. curve)

� Parents don’t need to ask teacher, “Why does my student have a C?”

Consistency

� SBG is based on academic standards which are the same for everyone

� Grading becomes uniform between teachers

� Grades across subject areas are consistent

Relevancy

� Assessments must be tied to standards◦ No fluff

� Identifies important concepts and skills and reports student progress in them

� Students see clear tie between assignments and the learning goal

Grading� Academic standards◦ Only grades related to student mastery of concepts

and skills are included◦ Report card will include scores for every standard

graded◦ Overall letter will be calculated based on student

scores in standards� Behavior standards◦ Still important to communicate behavior to student

and parents ◦ Separate standards that do not impact academic

scores◦ Not linked to overall letter – removes inflating and

deflating

Academic Standards Examples� Write arguments to support claim(s) with clear reasons

and relevant evidence� Interpret and compute quotients of fractions, and solve

word problems involving division of fractions by fractions

� Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic

� Analyze and categorize physical activities according to potential fitness benefits

Behavior Standards Examples

� Active Listening� Independent work � Uses Time Wisely� Seeks Help Appropriately� Participation� Positive Attitude� Effort & Home Practice

Are we alone?

� No◦ Supported by State and District◦ PBMS has already made transition◦ Many districts in the state – Beaverton,

Lebanon, Medford, etc.◦ Many districts across the Country –

Minnesota, Kentucky, etc.

� Research supports as best practice

What does SBG look like?� Students receive a rubric stating the academic standards

they will be graded on and what criteria is needed to receive each score

� Students then receive scores (1, 2, 3, or 4) based on their performance on a particular standard◦ They receive a score for each standard on an assignment or

assessment instead of an overall score

� Report cards have a letter AND scores for each standards

Checking student progress

� Students and parents can use StudentVueand Parent Vue to examine each standard and the assignments/assessments that led to that score

� Easy to see areas of mastery and areas for growth

Multiple Tries

� SBG also takes into account that students may not learn something the first time◦ Values learning from mistakes◦ Students provided multiple opportunities to

show mastery (certain requirements have to be met in order to do this)