Standards Based Grading in Action

“The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but of having new eyes.” Marcel Proust

Today’s Presenters►Heather Deddeh – 6th Grade Science at CHS

HeatherDeddeh@wlcsd.org

►Sharon Ratzlaff – 7th Grade Science at CHS SharonRatzlaff@wlcsd.org

►Erin Main– 7th Grade Science at CHS ErinMain@wlcsd.org

Our Journey

Our Favorite Analogy…

The Driver’s License Example

Drivers Education Classes & On Road Practice Formative Assessment

►Practice►Continuous feedback

The Driver’s License Example

Driving Test, Eye Test & Written Test

Summative Assessment►Provides Evidence of Mastery

The Driver’s License Example

►You only get the score of the last test taken, not an average of all tests taken.

►Not dependent on when you were proficient, but that you were proficient

The Impact►Chaos!►Ruthless self-reflection►Paradigm Shift: from the “inside out” new mantra for defining what should be

included in a grade (our touchstone)►Immediate changes, knowing more were

to come►Multiple leaps of faith!

Five Years Later…

►Still passionate!

►More organized/prepared

►Know exactly what our kids do/don’t know, and so do they!

►Improved homework completion; higher achievement!

Your Journey

Our recommendations on:where to beginhow to make it manageablehow to communicate it to others

Step 1: Educate yourself.BOOK STUDY!

DEFINE CORE BELIEFS: A grade should communicate mastery of learning standards. Homework is essential for learning, but should not be included in the grade. Learning may take more than one attempt.

Step 2: Don’t journey intounfamiliar water alone.

►The “Buddy System” is the best system!

►Allows you to keep your sanity during the transitional process

Step 3: Chart a Course.►Determine a logical flow of instruction

►Divide units into smaller sections with similar standards

►Start with the end in mind: develop “I can” statements; use kid-friendly language

Step 4: Organize instruction.

►Following a pattern of instruction for each unit is easier than recreating it each time

Step 5: The practice comes first.

►Classify each assignment as “formative” or “summative”

►Keep in mind the purpose of the assignment. Is it to learn a new skill or assess the learning that should have taken place?

Comparison of Formative & Summative AssessmentsFormative Summative

Purpose Monitor and guide

To judge level of understanding

Time of Assessment

During the learning process After learning a skill(s)

Types of Assessment Techniques

Informal Formal

Weighted 0% 100%

Uses of AssessmentInformation

To improve and change

To measure and communicate mastery of

GLCEs

Step 5 continued…

Create a category in Skyward that addresses Formative Assessments; again, they are weighted as zero percent.

Step 5 continued…Skyward Categories

Step 5 continued: The Five Point Formative Grading Scale

►Communicating the level of understanding of concepts at any given time during the learning process.

►The five point formative grading scale

A sneak peek at the “bigger picture”

Step 6: Evaluate the performance.

►What a grade should NOT encompass: Student behaviors: effort, participation, following class rules,

punctuality, being prepared, attendance

Group work Late work penalties Academic dishonesty Extra credit (the Kleenex caper)Back to the “touchstone:” does the grade

reflect mastery of GLCE

Step 7: Give second chances.

If at first you don’t succeed…

Practice Assignment with AlternateOriginal Math Assignment…

Section 5-5, Even problems from the bookAlternate could be…the odd problems, or

The Reteach with Practice A or Practice B

Step 7 continued…►Zeros (the controversy)

►Alternate requirements

►Retesting

►And no, this process cannot feasibly continue forever

►Incompletes

Step 8: Keep Records.Start with the individual assignment.

Step 8 continued…

Keeping track of proficiency/alternates for the whole class

Step 8 continued…using Skyward to communicate more than just a score.

Step 8 continued…Skyward and Formative recording

Step 8 continued…Skyward and Summative recording

Step 8 continued…Skyward and Summative BA

Step 8 continued…more Skyward

Step 8 continued…Skyward and Family Access

Step 8 continued…more Skyward and Family Access

Loose Ends…Communicating Work Ethic

Citizenship Rubric

Loose Ends continued…Evidence that it works

Feedback from the students and their parents

Very few surprises with BA scores

And the most recent piece of evidence…

y = 7.2306x - 2.8809R² = 0.6686

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40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

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Standardized Unit Test Average

2008-2009 7th Grade ScienceStandardized Unit Test Average vs. GPA

Traditional Grading Teachers

N = 578

Only includes students who took all 5 Standardized Unit Tests and who had a GPA for both semesters.

y = 7.9377x - 3.5434R² = 0.8656

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40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

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Standardized Unit Test Average

2008-2009 7th Grade ScienceStandardized Unit Test Average vs. GPA

Standards-Based Grading Teachers

N = 212

Only includes students who took all 5 Standardized Unit Tests and who hada GPA for both semesters.

Welcome to our world?

►Chaos? Ruthless self-reflection? ►How confident are you that the grades

students get in your class are: Consistent? An Accurate Communication of Student

Achievement?Meaningful? Supportive of Learning?

A Final Analogy

►The Super Bowl as the ultimate Benchmark Assessment! Interceptions (Manning: 16; Brees: 11) Missed snaps (Manning: ~30; Brees: ~20) Previous appearances (Manning: 1 for 29 pts.) Beginning score would have been…

►Colts: - 113 Saints: - 97

But the final score was Saints: 31 Colts: 17, so…

Remember…If a grade reflects

mastery of (a) benchmark, it is not just a reflection of your students’ achievement, but of your achievement as well.

“A mind once stretched to a new idea never returns to

its original size.”Oliver Wendell Holmes