Navigating Change New Grading Practices and Guidelines
“What we know today does not make yesterday wrong, it makes tomorrow better.�
Carol Commodore
LEARNING TARGETS Review the activities that set the stage for the grading and assessment changes and designed to provide support for staff, students, and parents ďƒ’ Discuss the on-going feedback from the teachers, students, administrators, parents, and community ďƒ’ Outline the adjustments that will be made to address concerns with the implementation process based on feedback ďƒ’
NAVIGATING CHANGE Do our grades accurately reflect student learning? Do our grading practices build confidence in our students’ belief that they can learn?
NAVIGATING CHANGE Systematically evaluate our implementation process to identify areas for improvement so that concerns can be addressed quickly and effectively Proactively communicate with parents and students in an effort to gather information and answer questions Support and build instructional expertise for all staff around our grading practices
FEEDBACK FROM TEACHERS
Successes:
Teachers report students are taking more ownership of the learning. Teachers report being able to meet individual student needs. Teachers report that student grades have never been a more accurate reflection of actual student learning.
Areas for Adjustment:
Teachers report that some aspects of standards referenced grading take more time so they want to learn to work more efficiently and incorporate more technology. Teachers report they want more opportunities to work collaboratively with and learn from their peers.
FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS
Successes:
Students report an increase in confidence because they know exactly what to work on to be successful. Students report that they understand effort is critically important and have expressed pride knowing their grades now reflect their actual learning.
Areas for Adjustment:
Students report a need for more frequent and descriptive feedback because they are more successful when they know how to improve. Students report a need for more time for relearning and more options to demonstrate new learning for reassessment.
FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS
Successes:
Parents have expressed appreciation for increased communication. Parents have reported that they have a better understanding of how to support their child academically. Parents value the link between feedback and student achievement.
Areas for Adjustment:
Parents report a need for more feedback regarding learning. Parents report a need for consistent implementation. Parents report, in this time of transition to standards referenced grading, the emphasis on major summative assessments is too high.
RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON FEEDBACK Adjust the existing weights for summative assessment categories from 80% major/20% minor for Pre-AP/AP/IB courses to 70% major/30% minor (District) ďƒ’ Adjust the existing weights for summative assessment categories from 70% major/30% minor for regular courses to 60% major/40% minor (District) ďƒ’
RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON FEEDBACK ďƒ’
Establish clear guidelines that are consistently applied across the campus/district regarding the number of summative assessments, number of reassessment days allowed, and tutoring for reassessment: ďƒ‰ Communicate
student progress regularly by publishing at least one grade weekly and by using at least three major summative assessments during each grading period (District)
RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON FEEDBACK Teachers
will determine the appropriate method for relearning content. These activities may occur during future classes, before/after school, or outside of school. (Campus) Teachers will provide opportunities for relearning and reassessment on all major summative assessments. (District) Teachers will determine if a minor summative will be reassessed individually or as part of a future major summative assessment. (Campus)
RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON FEEDBACK Increase
time for and access to tutorials:
Increase
time for relearning and reassessing to 10 school days Additional time may be granted by the teacher and campus administrator according to individual circumstances Note: UIL eligibility is governed by UIL rules and explained on our district eligibility calendar. (District)
RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON FEEDBACK Proactively
communicate with parents and students to gather information and answer questions: Teachers
will communicate information so students and parents are aware of topics of study, academic progress, and assignments/assessments dates. (District) Campuses will establish a communication standard so that parents and students can access information similarly from teacher to teacher. Examples include using the TAC email feature or teacher website. (Campus) Technology is investigating ways to automatically send parents notification emails for failure grades. (District)
RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON FEEDBACK Regularly
seek feedback and monitor implementation effectiveness: (Campus/District) Communicate
campus procedures and respond to parent and student inquiries Establish campus based methods for continual student and parent feedback Create a Q&A process using the campus website Provide training for parents regarding how to access information in HAC
RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON FEEDBACK
Support and build instructional expertise for all staff around our grading practices: (District) Support
and facilitate collaborative learning opportunities for teachers around topics identified at each campus. Topics will include descriptive feedback on formative assignments, using rubrics, and reassessment practices such as how to create reassessments that are aligned and of similar level of challenge Provide collaborative learning sessions for middle school teachers and high school PLCs on January 5th C &I collects and communicates “teacher tested” tips Support PLC meetings with teachers, principals, and curriculum specialists
“Assessment for learning is a gift we give our students. It is a mirror we hold up to show them how far they have come. It is a promise that we will use assessment, not to punish or reward, but to guide them on their learning journey.� -Jan Chappuis
Questions and Feedback