STANDARDS BASED GRADING SYSTEM:
Standard-based grading measures your mastery of the essential standards for a class, or how well a student understands the materials in class. Each unit will have a set of standards that students will be assessed on, these will be broken down throughout the unit. Once the standard has been taught, and students have been given opportunities to explore, practice and master the standard, they will be assessed to see if they truly know the material. This class will use a variety of assessments. These will include traditional paper-pencil test as well as less traditional discussions, projects and activities.
The goal of this approach is to provide the teacher, students and parents with as accurate picture as possible of the students learning and to encourage a dialog about how the student can master the material for the class. Learning is a process that takes place over time, each assessment will provide feedback for the student about what to focus on next and the student will be allowed to re-assess on standards at my discretion. If the mastery demonstrated on the new assessment will replace the original score higher or lower.
The goal of this approach is to provide the teacher, students and parents with as accurate picture as possible of the students learning and to encourage a dialog about how the student can master the material for the class. Learning is a process that takes place over time, each assessment will provide feedback for the student about what to focus on next and the student will be allowed to re-assess on standards at my discretion. If the mastery demonstrated on the new assessment will replace the original score higher or lower.
HOW IS STANDARDS-BASED GRADING DIFFERENT?
Traditionally student’s grades are calculated based on all of the work assigned in class: homework, classwork, projects, quizzes and test. This is usually reflected in a gradebook based on the type of assignment and is given a point value from which a percentage grade is calculated. These traditional practices are not always tied to essential standards for the class and students do not always know what learning is being measured. Because of this student end up working to do or get done rather than working to learn.
Standards-based grading does not separate out homework, classwork, projects, quizzes and tests. All the work a student does is used to master the essential standards, assessments are given after the standard has been practice measuring the student’s mastery of the essential standards. Students’ scores from their work are tracked by the essential standards which gives the teacher, students and parents a detailed picture of which standard a student has mastered and which still require practice and growth.
Will we still have homework and classwork? Yes! These assignments and activities are essential to the process of learning. They allow students to practice the essential standards and to help them to learn the content of the class.
Standards-based grading does not separate out homework, classwork, projects, quizzes and tests. All the work a student does is used to master the essential standards, assessments are given after the standard has been practice measuring the student’s mastery of the essential standards. Students’ scores from their work are tracked by the essential standards which gives the teacher, students and parents a detailed picture of which standard a student has mastered and which still require practice and growth.
Will we still have homework and classwork? Yes! These assignments and activities are essential to the process of learning. They allow students to practice the essential standards and to help them to learn the content of the class.
- Homework is practice. It will never receive a grade in the grade book. It can be checked, reworked or looked at, but in the end, it will not be entered as a grade. I want students to feel comfortable making mistakes on their homework so they are prepared for assessments. While homework will not be entered as a grade it will be recorded in the gradebook to document student work habits.
- Standards grades will be dynamic. My gradebook will reflect the current status of a student’s abilities. Grades for standards should fluctuate based on assessments. Initial assessments on a standard will be initiated by me at the end of each unit; however, beyond that students can initiate re-assessments when they feel they have mastered the standard. The gradebook score will reflect the most current measure of that standard and can move up or down based on the most current assessment score.
- Entries in the gradebook will reflect content standards not assessment titles. Reporting on a student mastery of “Colonial ideals about government” is much more meaningful that how well a student did on a “Chapter 5 test,” despite the fact the score would measure the same learning.
GRADES:
Each unit we cover will have specific learning objectives, or standards. These standards will be assessed and reassessed throughout the unit and it is expected that students will master most of the standards. Students are given the option to reassess on chosen standards on their own time after the conclusion of the unit at the teacher’s discretion. Standards are not graded in points, but rather using a proficiency score.