Standards-Based Grading Westport Middle School EPD September 29, 2015 Good morning and thank you for letting me present today. Staci asked me to talk to you all for the next three hours about SBG….just kidding. But seriously, this is something that may be coming down from the district. It’s not mandated yet, but it’s definitely something to keep on your radar. Many of you are familiar with SBG, and I’ve been learning a lot about this recently and just wanted to share a few things with you today.

Reflection... On the green paper, make a list or free write: What are your purposes for grading? How do you use grades in your classroom? What’s your grading philosophy? What do your students’ grades mean? Include a (colored?) paper for this reflection.

So, why do we grade? To teach students responsibility To motivate students to work To reward students’ efforts and hard work To rank students in order of ability That last one is your classic bell curve, which makes sense in law school or college entrance where students compete for transparent rewards: better jobs or acceptance into more elite schools. It does not make sense in public middle school, however, where the goal is to help every child reach proficiency and stay in school through high school graduation and beyond. The first three are a little more well-intentioned. We teachers all want our kids to work hard and be responsible. But is it working? If not, we need to examine how we’re using grades and see if there’s a better way to motivate and teach responsibility.

The SBG Shift... From an INVITATION to learn (A “Meritocracy” where kids are ranked and ordered based on ability or natural talent) To an EXPECTATION of learning (“Egalitarianism” where kids are treated equally; learning needs are assessed and met)

What happens to the kids who don’t take the invitation? In 2011 1.3 million American high school students dropped out of school. That’s 30 students of every 100 who entered high school. High school dropouts earn 33 cents on the dollar of graduates’ incomes and have a 10 year lower life expectancy. The children of high school drop outs have only a 17% chance of going to college. Dufor, Richard, “Professional Learning Communities at Work” (presentation, Jefferson County Public Schools Professional Development, Louisville, KY, March 29-30, 2012).

If students are unskilled, it is our job to teach them Including: Motivation Resilience Professional behavior

Standards-based grading: Use grades to teach students motivation, self-monitoring and mastery Whether you know a little or a lot about this, it’s on the horizon with JCPS’s new leadership and it’s important to have these conversations.

Revolutionary shift #1: Giving a grade of 0 on a 100 point scale is mathematically unjust. Not a mandate – only the federal or state government, district, or our SBDM can make a mandate. Just a philosophical proposal.

JCPS Grading Scale A = 90 – 100 B = 80 – 89 C = 75-79 D = 70 – 74 Each grade has a 7 point value. If U is entered as 0, that’s a 62 point value That’s the mathematical effect of SEVEN U grades to every one A, B, C or D!

Revolutionary shift #2: Grades should reflect real content knowledge or skill mastery, not effort or perceived natural ability. Not a mandate – only the federal or state government, district, or our SBDM can make a mandate. Just a philosophical proposal.

Benefits of standards-based grading: Informative for teachers’ instruction Communicative for parents – once explained Motivational for students – kids take ownership for their learning when we take the mystery out of grading You’ll be preparing for KPREP, all year long

Revolutionary shift #3: Higher grades should replace lower grades as students master standards. Allowing students to take a 0 as punishment teaches them that irresponsibility (not responsibility) is accepted.

Let’s look at the numbers, again: D = 1 D = 1 Average grade = C C = 2 A = 4 Is this a clear representation of what the student knows?

Consider Grade Reform: Give them the U they deserve, not six U’s Use grades to assess skill and knowledge mastery Give the students ownership of their grades/skills Teach Growth Mindset Communicate with parents about current skill mastery Align grades to single standards or learning targets Replace lower grades with higher grades as students demonstrate proficiency

Logistics of Standards-based Grading? Work with your PLCs to standardize and coordinate.

SBG in ELA -- Ms. Yost *Target essential standards *Categories in IC -- One for Standards *Communication with parents -- Letter *Rubrics and Standards-tracking sheets

Reading Standards Tracking for Students, Teachers and Parents

Standards- based Speaking/ Listening Standards Rubric

Sc7ence Rubric-Diversity of Life Best Practice: Give rubric to students and allow them to score their assessments first. Distinguished 4 Answered 6 correctly and provided two correct examples with evidence for both examples. Proficient 3 Answered 4-5 out of 6 correctly and provided at least one correct example with two pieces of evidence. Apprentice 2 Answered 3 out of 6 correctly and provided at least one correct example with one piece of evidence. Novice 1 Answered 2 out of 6 correctly and provided one correct self-example without/inaccurate evidence. Below Novice 0 Answered 1-0 correctly and provided wrong/blank self-examples without/inaccurate evidence.

SBG-Sc7ence Create a system for students to keep track of grades for each standard and learning the standard students access their level of understanding. Unit: Diversity of Life Investigations 1-3 Assignment Living or Non-Living Microscopes Cells Living or Non-living HW 4 Class Assignment: Q 3 Clickers Focus Question Quiz Level D, P, A, N

SBG in Math -- Ms. Klump In math, SBG works very well due to the fact that we can isolate standards (for ex. dividing fractions) to get a clear picture of how a student performs on that skill. I give students assessments over 1 standard at a time. On days that I want to assess more than 1 standard I use more than 1 assessment so that I can determine how students are performing on each individual standard. Under my “Mastery” category I name assessments based on the standard they assessed. For example an assessment over fraction models would be called MQ# Fraction Models and a quiz over fraction algorithms would be called MQ # Fraction Algorithm.

SBG in Math -- Ms. Klump In math, we use a SBG rubric (that Ms. Anderson and Ms. Popelka led us in creating over the summer). Using a 4-3-2-1 grading scale, I ensure that students average a score of at least 3 on 2 or more assessments for each standard. Students that are unable to average a 3 are retaught and reassessed over the needed standards. SBG Rubric This document helps students understand what it takes to master a standard and it gives teachers a clear description of the expectations that we should have for each of our individual students.

SBG in Social Studies -- Mr. Zeller

Thank you! Please leave any feedback for me on the exit slip : what makes sense, what doesn’t, what concerns do you still have about standards-based grading?