STANDARDS-BASED GRADING Information for Red Clay Families
Welcome
Red Clay elementary schools are shifting to a standards-based grading approach, with full implementation coming to grades 1–3 in 2018-19 and to kindergarten in 2019-20.
CONTENTS 1.
What Is Standards-Based Grading?
2.
Benefits for Students, Parents & Educators
3.
The New Report Card
4.
K–3 Implementation
5.
FAQs
WHAT IS STANDARDS-BASED GRADING?
“Standards-based grading helps me to align instruction and assessments. This means that the progress I am reporting as a teacher is a direct reflection of the gradelevel curriculum and standards.� Aliza Sawdon, Teacher William F. Cooke Jr. Elementary School
Purpose Standards-based grading communicates how students are performing on a set of clearly defined learning targets called standards.
Progress Standards-based grading shows progress towards learning goals. It answers the question “What progress has my child made towards meeting the standard?�
Consistency Standards-based grading improves consistency in grading practices.
Instruction Standards-based grading informs classroom instruction. It is not an average of student progress.
Quality Standards-based grading avoids the use of “toxic� grading practices such as giving a zero for a missed assignment, giving poor grades on assignments that are not aligned to a standard, and giving good grades because the student is a pleasure to have in class.
“With standards-based grading, teachers look at each student's growth towards meeting the standard and they rely more heavily on assessment data from the end of the marking period. Low scores early in the marking period do not negatively affect a student's grade, as progress towards mastery will likely improve over time -- the result of more instruction and more time for practice.� Linda Ennis, Principal William Cooke Jr. Elementary School
How is standardsbased grading different from traditional grading?
TRADITIONAL GRADING
STANDARDS-BASED GRADING
Students receive one grade for each subject area.
Students receive multiple grades in each subject area because the subject areas have been broken into broad categories that encompass the standards students are learning.
Students receive grades represented by a letter.
Students receive grades based on an academic progress key.
Students’ grades are cumulative.
Students’ grades are representative of the student’s progress at the time the teacher marks the progress report. Teachers consider the most current assessment data in determining grades.
Effort and work habits are often included in students’ grades.
Effort and work habits are reported separately from grades, and are called Learning Behaviors.
BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS, PARENTS & EDUCATORS
Benefits for Students Learning targets are clearly defined and aligned with state standards
Students monitor their own progress towards the achievement of specified learning targets
Students are offered multiple opportunities and ways through which to demonstrate proficiency
Specific feedback on progress helps build self-esteem, pride and motivation for students
BEFORE
AFTER
“My teacher ‘gave me’ a C.”
“I need to work on mastering units of measurement to describe length.”
Benefits for Parents Report card grades are less mysterious and have more meaning
Parents know in which areas their child needs more support
Parents are aware of exactly what their child knows, is able to do, and next steps for progress
Parents are empowered to increase their child’s confidence and help them set goals
BEFORE
AFTER
The parent sees a grade of 80% on an assignment and wonders ‘what was the 20% he/she missed?’
The parent is able to identify skills met toward the standard and which skills are still developing.
Benefits for Teachers Teachers know exactly where students stand in their progress toward learning targets and what supports need to be provided
Teachers of the same courses have aligned expectations and standards
Assessment results help teachers determine when students need extra help and when they need more challenging work
BEFORE
AFTER
By reporting one grade per subject, the teacher often felt it was an incomplete picture of the learning that had taken place.
The teacher is more equipped to identify and communicate where each student is on the learning progression.
THE NEW PROGRESS REPORT
The 3-Point Grading Scale
1
Limited Progress The student is making limited progress towards proficiency of grade-level standards.
2
Progress towards Proficiency The student is making progress towards proficiency of grade-level standards.
3
Meeting Proficiency The student has met gradelevel standards.
Learning Behaviors Learning behaviors will be reported on a scale of Rarely to Consistently. ยง ยง ยง ยง
Attends to lessons / tasks / directions Completes assignments Cooperates with others Respects self, others, and property
Narratives The progress report will have space in each academic area where the teacher may more specifically identify your child’s areas of strength and areas of need.
Related Arts Each teacher will report student progress using the 1-3 academic progress key, but based on the standards for their related art.
K–3 IMPLEMENTATION
What’s Next
June–August 2018 Educators completed special professional development on standards-based grading in June and August 2018. They continued to receive training throughout the school year.
What’s Next
2018–19 SY In 2018-19, all Red Clay elementary schools shifted to standards-based grading in grades 1–3. Kindergarten teacher leaders created and selected standards-based assessments and rubrics in preparation for kindergarten’s shift to standardsbased grading in 2019-20.
What’s Next
2019–20 SY In the 2019-20 school year, all Red Clay elementary schools will expand standardsbased grading to kindergarten. A parent portal will become available in November in conjunction with conferences.
LEARN MORE For more information about standards-based grading in Red Clay, please contact your child’s teacher or visit redclayschools.com.
FAQs
What is standardsbased grading?
Standards-based grading communicates how students are performing on a set of clearly defined learning targets called standards. The purpose of standards-based grading is to identify what a student knows, or is able to do, in relation to pre-established learning targets, as opposed to simply averaging grades and scores over the course of a grading period, which can mask what a student has learned, or not learned, in a specific course.
How does standardsbased grading differ from traditional grading?
A standards-based grading system measures a student’s mastery of grade-level standards by prioritizing the most recent, consistent level of performance. Thus, a student who may have struggled at the beginning of a course, when first encountering new material, may still be able to demonstrate mastery of key contents by the end of a grading period. In a traditional grading system, a student’s performance for an entire quarter is averaged together. Early quiz scores that were low would be averaged together with more proficient performance later in the course, resulting in a lower overall grade than current performance indicates. Standards-based progress reports separate academic performance from work habits and behavior in order to provide parents a more accurate view of a student’s progress in both academic and behavioral areas. Variables such as effort, participation, timeliness, cooperation, attitude and attendance are reported separately, not as an indicator of a student’s academic performance.
How are my child’s marks determined?
A student’s performance on a series of assessments (both formative and summative) will be used to determine a student’s overall grade in a course. Practice assignments (e.g., homework) are just that, practice, and thus should serve primarily as a source of feedback and instructional support for both students and teachers. Scores on practice assignments should not be used as a major component of a student’s academic grade. Teachers may require students to complete all of their practice work prior to allowing them to take, or retake, an assessment.
Will my child still receive teacher comments on their report card?
Yes, comments will still be provided. Individualized feedback is an essential component of standards-based grading. The progress reports features a narrative section for comments, which offers a more useful source of information than simply assigning a numeric value or letter grade to student work.
1
What do the numbers in the 3-point grading scale represent?
2
3
Limited Progress A score of 1 indicates the student is making limited progress towards proficiency of grade-level standards.
Progress towards Proficiency A score of 2 indicates that a student is making progress towards proficiency of grade-level standards.
Meeting Proficiency A score of 3 indicates that a student has met grade-level standards.
What is considered to be an A in the new grading system?
Comparing a traditional grading system to standards-based grading is like comparing apples and oranges. Standards-based grading identifies a standard and indicates whether a student is meeting the standard at a given point in the school year. A score of 3 is defined as meeting grade-level standards and indicates that a student has demonstrated mastery of the skills that were expected to be learned by that point in the grading period.
If my child receives 1s all year, does that mean they will be retained?
Grade-level retention is a conversation that should be discussed with your child’s teacher. If a student receives 1s or 2s, it means their work is not yet meeting grade-level standards. Interventions are in place at each elementary school to support learners who are behind in math and reading. A number of academic interventions will be offered to students who are struggling to meet the established standards. Multiple data points are used to make these decisions.
How will I know if my child needs help?
The standards-based progress report clearly shows areas where your child may need extra support. Receiving a 1 or 2 on a report card can be a sign that a student is in need of extra support in particular areas. This is one benefit of a standards-based progress report card: areas in need of support are clearly evident.
Students will transition to the traditional grading system in 4th grade.
What will happen when my child goes to 4th grade?
Standards-based grading in grades K–3 builds a strong foundation for success beyond 3rd grade, by helping students to know exactly what is expected in each content area and providing parents with a more detailed outline of learning expectations and student progress. Once students reach 4th grade, they will transition to the traditional grading system, with enhanced protocols in place to ensure fair grading practices.
ENDNOTES Content for the chart comparing traditional grading and standardbased grading was adapted from Fairfax County Public Schools. Graphics in the 3-point grading scale and content for the section on benefits for students, parents and educators was adapted from Clear Creek Independent School District.
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