Bixby Public Schools Standards-Based Grading: Grades PK-2 Igniting the Potential of Every Student
WHAT IS STANDARDS-BASED GRADING?
Mastery
Progress
Innovation
Standards-based grading refers to an innovative grading practice focused on individual students’ mastery of standards and skills. By measuring and analyzing progression toward skill mastery, students and teachers focus on specific individualized learning targets. Teachers track student progress, using a proficiency-based scale, give feedback, and implement instructional strategies to meet students’ needs with an emphasis on growth. As a result, parents are provided with more meaningful feedback about their child’s progress. Additionally, students are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency if the standard is not mastered when first taught.
A MESSAGE FROM SUPT. MILLER While the cartoon to the left is an imperfect analogy with respect to assessment of student learning, it does illustrate well the fallacy that all students should be able to learn the same things, in the same way, at the same pace. This is not true with almost every human condition and it certainly doesn’t apply when it comes to the very individualized aspect of learning. The truth is nobody knows ahead of time how long it takes anyone to learn anything. We are each born with a unique capacity to learn and accomplish different things. Ideally, the purpose of education is to help each of us identify our talents and passions so we are well-prepared to pursue our life’s goals and become a productive member of society. By its definition, learning is a process that involves the acquisition of skills or knowledge through experience, study, or by being taught. Accordingly, the purpose of assessment in schools should be to gather accurate and relevant information about a student’s performance or progress to a particular standard or benchmark - in short, a measure of their learning. The information should also be used by educators to make thoughtful judgments about the effectiveness of their teaching processes and methods. While most adults have grown up with traditional A-F grading systems, the reality is that these systems fall short when it comes to truly communicating what a child knows and is able to do. For example, a course letter grade of B generally means “good performance,” yet provides little insight about specific skills or feedback on how the child can improve. In some cases, letter grades tend to be a more accurate reflection of a child’s compliance, behavior, and attitude than they are a gauge of what they have mastered academically. Standards-based grading aims to make classroom grades more valid, transparent, and meaningful, ultimately providing an accurate reflection of how students are performing on a set of clearly defined learning outcomes. Until the end of a grading period, students continue to learn and improve their knowledge of these standards, hopefully achieving mastery by the end. Therefore, a student who struggles with new content early in the grading period does not become disillusioned. Rather, they draw on their persistence and resiliency to continue to learn so they can demonstrate proficiency by the end of the quarter. Our district’s vision is to be a place where every student has the power to learn, excel, and own their future. Standards-based grading is a tool which we hope provides more meaningful information to parents and students on how well we are meeting that vision. As with any new process, we will continue to refine and improve our models to meet the needs of our students. Please let us know if you have questions as we move forward with implementation with our second grade students. Thank you, Rob Miller Superintendent
WHY STANDARDS-BASED GRADING? The marks on a standards-based report card are different from traditional letter grades. Letter grades are often calculated by combining how well the student met a particular teacher’s expectations, performance on assignments and tests, and how much effort the teacher believes was demonstrated. Letter grades do not tell parents which skills their children have mastered or whether they are working at grade level. Because one second-grade teacher might be reviewing basic addition facts while another might be teaching addition of two- or three-digit numbers, an A in these classes would mean very different things. The parent of a child in one of these classes would not know if their child is learning what they should be to master state standards. Standards-based report cards provide more consistency between teachers than traditional report cards because all students are evaluated on the same grade-level skills. Parents can see exactly which skills and knowledge their child has acquired. The marks on a standards-based report card show only how well the child has mastered the grade-level standards, and do not include effort, attitude, or work habits, which are usually marked separately. Parents will want to keep tabs on these as well, even if these characteristics aren’t included in the assessment of the student’s academic skills.
STUDENT-CENTERED
PROGRESS-BASED
Scores should reflect the proficiency for each individual student in relation to the priority standards for each grade level. Standards-referenced reporting provides information about a student’s level of performance in reference to each of those priority standards.
Students work through a progression of knowledge to master each grade level standard throughout the year. The focus is on achieving mastery in all standards over a period of time. Students are able to track their growth and describe their current status within the proficiency scale.
TARGETED INFORMATION
DATA-DRIVEN
A standards-referenced report card shows a student's progress on each standard rather than a general number that may or may not accurately represent where they are in a course. It also separates academic achievement from habits, efforts, and behaviors and provides specific student progress as it relates to the standards.
Student progress, instruction, and data is analyzed regularly through various forms of evidence such as classroom assessments, projects, teacher-student conversations, etc. Data is used to drive instruction and provides teachers with information for enrichment or remediation, as necessary.
FOUR COMPONENTS OF A STANDARDS-BASED SYSTEM
CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION
CONTENT STANDARDS
ASSESSMENTS
REPORT CARDS
A roadmap for teachers to ensure students master standards while also participating in lessons that encourage: curiosity, creativity, problem-solving skills, ownership of learning, and global citizenship.
Oklahoma Academic Standards a student should know and be able to demonstrate at a given grade level.
Meaningful and relevant assessments that measure learning and the extent to which a student has met the grade level standards.
Indicates a students progress toward meeting content standards/skills up to that point in the school year.
GRADING SCALE: Traditional v. Standards-Based As opposed to traditional grading scales, standards-based grading is based on a 3-point scale of mastery instead of a percentage of completion. Traditional Grading Scale 90%-100%
A
80%-89%
B
70%-79%
C
60%-69%
D
<60%
F Standards-Based Grading Scale
Culture of Innovation
Meets Expectation for Target
3
Partial Mastery of Target Skill: Demonstrates partial understanding or can perform parts of target with assistance.
2
Little or No Mastery of Target Skill: Cannot demonstrate understanding, even with assistance.
1
REPORT GUIDE REPORT CARD CARD: PARENT PARENT GUIDE
3
2
1
WHAT DOES THE PROFICIENCY SCALE MEAN? LEVEL 3: Meets or exceeds standards/skills. Level 3 is the goal for ALL standards. Your child has mastered or exceeded all the grade-level requirements for the individual standard. Your child is now able to apply concepts at or beyond what was taught.
LEVEL 2: Progressing towards standards/skills. Your child can do all of the foundational skills and can use vocabulary associated with the standard, but still needs assistance.
LEVEL 1: Area of concern. With help, your child can do some foundational or prerequisite skills needed to fully master the standard.
SAMPLE SCORING RUBRIC Reading & Language Arts
Standard
Mathematics 3
2
1
Meets or exceeds standards/skills
Progressing towards standards/skills
Area of concern
Reading & Language Arts Reads with fluency and expression
Standard
Consistently reads with fluency and expression. Reading flows smoothly with consistent use of punctuation cues (ending marks, comma pauses). Knows high frequency words taught to date
Reads line by line with some fluency and inflection; inconsistently uses punctuation cues. Still needs some practice with the high frequency words taught to date
Choppy reading; substitutes and misses words. Seldom uses punctuation cues. Struggles recognizing high frequency words in the context of the text.
3
2
1
Meets or exceeds standards/skills
Progressing towards standards/skills
Area of concern
Independently and consistently uses a variety of strategies (manipulatives, pictures, numbers, words) in solving problems and applying and explaining mathematical thinking in real-world situations.
Needs support in using a variety of strategies (manipulatives, pictures, numbers, words) in solving problems and applying mathematical thinking in real-world situations.
Mathematics Demonstrates skill in problem solving
Struggles with problem solving i.e. has difficulty using a strategy and explaining thinking.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Where is information posted? ●
BPS Website - Academics & Curriculum
What are the advantages of standards-referenced reporting? ● ● ● ● ●
●
Allows students, teachers, and parents/guardians to track each student’s progress per standard. More accurately represents student’s knowledge and skills of a specific standard. Provides multiple opportunities for students to show what they know. Offers students opportunities to learn from mistakes made during the learning process and correct their understanding. Increases consistency in grading policies and criteria across teachers and schools. Ensures that every child has a chance to meet the standard, knowing that it may take longer for some students. Provides accurate and specific information to all partners in student learning.
What are the main differences from traditional grading? ● ● ● ● ●
Standards-referenced reporting focuses on a student’s progress toward meeting grade level standards rather than a simple accumulation of points. It uses a number scale (3, 2, 1) rather than a percentage/average. Non-academic behaviors are reported separately on the report card under Social/Emotional. Grades are determined by each student’s ability to meet the standards, not on how he or she compares to other students in the class. All students are given a chance to meet or exceed (if appropriate) the standard.
What does my child need to do to achieve a 3? ● ● ●
A score of 3 is the expectation and represents mastery of the standard on the proficiency scale. To earn a score of 3, students need to demonstrate they have a mastered the standard. Students also have the opportunity to exceed mastery by demonstrating a deeper understanding by elaborating on their answers, solving more challenging problems, or showing connections between varying concepts that they have made on their own.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How are students with learning disabilities or English language learners affected by standards-referenced reporting? ●
Students with an IEP, 504, or English language learners will continue to receive modifications and accommodations they are eligible to receive. They will also continue to receive appropriate support and/or interventions as indicated in their academic plan. Teachers will report how they are performing as measured against content standards. Special education teachers can use the proficiency scale to accurately match student accommodations and/or modifications to the curriculum. Additional progress reports may be provided as appropriate.
Why does the Standards-Based System use most recent assessment scores in determining course grades? ●
Through assessments teachers are able to determine student growth toward proficiency. Since the goal is to document each student’s level of achievement based on the learning standards, averaging all scores throughout the semester does not accurately reflect a student’s current understanding of a standard. By only reporting the most recent score, students are not being penalized for mistakes made during the learning process.
Why are some areas shaded or blank? ●
It is possible that while a standard is introduced and assessed throughout the year, it may not be reported until later in the year when students have had more time to demonstrate sufficient understanding.