Examining Grading Practices

Focus #3Set Clear Expectations

Focus #4 Base Grading on Standards

Vero Beach High School

IRC School based and district administrators narrowed the focus to the following

five areas:Focus 1: AchievementFocus 2: ZerosFocus 3: Clear ExpectationsFocus 4: Mastery of StandardsFocus 5: Cheating

Focus #2 Summary of InputConsensus

Students should be encouraged and held accountable to complete work.

A 0-5 point or 0-50 point scale system option appeared to solve many issues with the use of zeros.

Representatives of the grading practices committee have requested to meet with the school board members for a round table discussion to present/defend the final proposal submitted by this committee.

Focus #2 Summary of Input (Cont’d)

Concerns Retakes/Make up work equals time constraints Consistency with college transition Attendance issues and resulting zeros Students receive chance after chance  Is “giving” 50% ethical? Will this be a blanket policy for all grade levels & subject

areas? Is this just a current fad?

The world is changing and the way teachers teach has changed.

A new way of teaching requires a new way of reporting student achievement.

Why Do We Need to Change?

Why Do We Need To Change?

• To identify the specific benchmarks each student is responsible for learning (benchmarks tested on FCAT)

• To provide information on how well each student is learning these specific benchmarks

Present Paradigm

Traditionally, report cards give a grade for a general subject which often includes subjective and behavioral factors that vary greatly from teacher to teacher.

Paradigm ShiftReported grades should identify mastery level of academic standards

Focus #3Set Clear Expectations

Expectations based on Next Generation of Sunshine State Standards (NG SSS)

Clearly Defined and Subject Specific

Communicated to School Community

Focus #4 Base Grading on StandardsGrading Must be Based Upon Individual Student’s Mastery Level of Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NG SSS)

Criterion Referenced rather than Norm Referenced

Standards-Based GradingIS . . .

Clear and Consistent Assessments Based upon Mastery of Individual Standards.

IS NOT . . .

Growth and Progress based Upon Effort, Behavior and/or Attitude

What is a Standards-Based Reporting System?

It is a reporting systemthat communicates

individual student progresstoward meeting state standards.

It does NOTcompare one student with another.

If you are going scuba diving,

who do you want to fill your air tank?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100

20

40

60

80

100

120

student #1student #2student #3

assessments

scor

e

—Line—of Mastery

Scuba School

Brings much needed focus to curriculum development efforts

Provides the impetus for new forms of student assessments

Reduces meaningless paperwork & grading Needs to strike a healthy balance between

a single assessment path and a plethora of choices

Provides specific feedback on needed improvement

It doesn’t allow students to mask their level of understanding with work habits.

What have we learned about Standards-Based Assessment?

Read “Helping Standards Make the GRADE” by Thomas R. Gruskey

Answer the questionnaire

Send your questionnaire as an attachment via email to Amy Falvey.

Please give your input about the different focuses through our Grading Policy Forum.

What Next?