1. Standards-based Grading Module 4: Inappropriate Grade Calculation
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Explain that the 4th module will focus on inappropriate grade calculation.

2. Rationale
A standards-based approach to reporting communicates precisely how students are performing in the school setting on specific academic and behavioral targets in order to guide key stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, and principals) in making important educational decisions.
Current grading practices frequently lack direct links to learning standards and therefore lack the specificity needed for timely educational decisions.
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Choral Read (have the entire staff read the rationale together).

3. CSD Instructional Framework
Time: 30 seconds
Notes: Standards-based grading, instruction, and reporting are key components in the framework.

4. Review of Module 3: High Quality, Well-Organized Evidence
Expectations should be clearly defined and consistently applied. Teacher should provide examples of achievement at each level.
Teachers should utilize high-quality assessments that directly align with student learning expectations.
Teachers should organize assessment data based on standards, rather than by category.
Time: 2 minutes
Notes: Assign teachers a partner, and identify partner A and partner B. Have partner A “whisper read” the slide to a partner. Have partner B tell partner A one thing that stood out to them in the 3rd Module.

5. Objectives: I can . . . understand different ways to calculate grades.
understand how traditional procedures to calculate a grade can distort achievement.
understand the impact of entering a zero into a student’s academic record for missing evidence or as punishment.
TIme: 30 seconds
Note: Read the 3 “I can” statements to the staff.

6. Key Concepts
Students achieving at the same level should get the same grade regardless of classroom, teacher, or school.
Grades are broken when the summary they provide of student achievement is inaccurate because the procedures used to arrive at the grade are faulty.
Grades are broken when zeros are entered into a student's academic record for missing evidence or as punishment.
Time: 30 seconds
Notes: Read the key concepts to the staff and pause at the words in red and have the staff read those words.

7. Words to think about . . .
Whenever I hear statistics being quoted I am reminded of the statistician who drowned while wading across a river with an average depth of three feet. - G. McMann
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.- Albert Einstein
Time: 2 minutes
Notes: In the same partners that were assigned on Slide 5, assign partner B to read the first quote on the slide to their partner and discuss how it reflects grading practices. Have partner A read the second quote on the slide and talk about how it is reflected in grading practices.

8. Ways to Calculate Grades
Time: 30 seconds
Notes: Hand out the graphic organizer. Explain that we are going to look at 6 different ways that grades can be calculated. The point of the module is NOT to prescribe one way to calculate grades but to thoughtfully consider how each way can or cannot communicate student understanding of standards.

9. Completing the Module: Complete the “What is it” column in the Graphic Organizer as we go through the following slides
Time: 30 seconds
Notes: Clearly explain that teachers will be filling out the “What is it?” column as we go through the following slides.

10. Trend Line
Based on a graph of scores, a trend line shows the projected end point from the trend of collected scores.
Time: 1 minute
Notes: The end point is mathematically calculated based on the previous scores. Give time for teachers to fill out their graphic organizer.

11. Trend Line Time: 1 minute
Notes: The red line represents the trend line of the scores (blue dots). You will notice that the low score minimally impacts the trend if there are a significant number of data points. Generally the student is scoring in the 70 to 80’s. Emphasize that the trend line predicts the end point based on previous scores.
Things to consider
Advantages: it shows the trend based on numerous data points.
Disadvantages: if students scores are decreasing it may predict a very low end point.

12. Most Recent
Looking at the collection of scores for a specific standard, this would be using the latest (current) recorded score.
Example:
2, 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 5. Most recent score is 5.
Time: 1 minute
Notes: The most recent score is simply using the last score a student received. Give teachers time to fill out their graphic organizer.
Things to consider
Advantages: it reflects student’s most recent knowledge.
Disadvantages: if the last score is significantly lower than previous scores, is it an accurate picture of student understanding?

13. Professional Judgement
Teachers using evidence, observations, patterns, and growth to determine a final grade.
“All scoring by human judges, including assigning points and taking them off is subjective. The question is not whether it is subjective, but whether it is defensible or credible.”
--Ken O’Connor
Time: 2 minutes
Notes: Emphasize that professional judgment is always present in grading - the question isn’t whether it exists, but rather how can teachers use evidence to ensure that the final grade is defensible and credible. Give teachers time to fill in their graphic organizer.
Ask for three or four teaches to share how they use data to ensure that their professional judgment is defensible and credible.
Things to consider
Advantages: it acknowledges and recognizes that teachers are professionals and through the use of evidence can accurately determine grades.
Disadvantages: if teachers don’t use evidence, students may be receiving grades that don’t reflect student understanding.

14. Mode
The score that occurs most often in a grading period. If no number occurs more than the others the mode does not exist.
Examples:
1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4: Mode would be 3 (occurs the most).
1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4: Mode would not exist
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Emphasize that the mode is simple the score that occurs the most. Give teachers time to fill in their graphic organizer.
Things to consider
Advantages:
Disadvantages: it may not show growth over a period of time. In the second example, the student seems to be progressing to a level 4, but using the mode, the student would receive a 3. Rarely used to calculate a grade.

15. Median
After arranging the scores from lowest to highest, the score in the middle.
Example: 1, 1, 2, 3, 3: Median is 2 (score in the middle)
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Reminder that the scores must in order from high to low to find the median. Give teachers time to fill in their graphic organizer.
Things to consider
Advantages:
Disadvantages: Rarely used in grading. Since the median represents the middle score students could have demonstrated much higher levels of understanding that are not being considered.

16. Mean (average) The most common way to calculate a grade.
The “average” - the sum of all scores, divided by the total number of scores.
Example: 0, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4: Mean is 2.
( = 12 / 6 = 2)
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Give teachers time to fill in their graphic organizer.
Things to consider
Advantages: commonly used, most computer programs can calculate, parents are familiar with this type of grading.
Disadvantages: similar to the argument for the median, students could have demonstrated much higher levels of understanding recently and they are not reflected in the student’s grade.

17. Outliers Impact the Mean
A value that “lies outside” (is much smaller or larger than) most of the other values in a set of data.
Scores: 70, 80, 0, 74, 84, 95, 93
The 0 (outlier) significantly lowers the mean (average) distorting the overall accuracy of the grade.
(with 0; mean = 71%, without 0; mean = 83%)
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Focus on the impact of the zero score. You may want to do a partner share and have teachers discuss how the outlier impacts the mean. If teachers want to take notes, encourage them to take notes under the “mean” section.

18. Outlier Outlier Time: 1 minute
Notes: Focus on the impact of the low score. Consider asking the whole class, “Is the outlier reflective of the student’s current knowledge?”

19. Why No Zeros?
It creates a misleading grade because it significantly lowers the mean.
Students will focus on an individual assignment/score instead of mastery of the standard.
Time: 1 minute
Notes: This may be a difficult conversation. The next few slides provide reflection and possible options. If teachers have questions have them wait to ask them until after slide 22.

20. Reflect: Zeros A student has the following scores:
0 (missing), 90, 90, 100.
The mean is 70%.
With a small group discuss the following: Does the mean accurately reflect student understanding of the standard? Why or why not?
Time: 2 minutes
Notes: Have teachers work in groups no larger than four to have the discussion. Cold call on four teachers to share what their group discussed.

21. No Zeros - Possible Options
For missing work provide opportunities for students to show mastery of the standard.
Be willing to give an incomplete when enough data is not available.
Allow time for students to make up work or assessments.
Don’t count missing assignments into the grade.
Time: 3 minutes
Notes: The purpose of this slide is to provide possible OPTIONS. You may want to allow time for small groups to discuss the four options and come up with other options. You may want departments to work together to think of possible solutions. If necessary, refer back to slide 18 and slide 19 and discuss the impact a zero grade can have on a student’s grade.

22. Parachute Packing Test Scores
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Have teachers refer to the graphic in their handout. If not printed in color, make certain that teachers know which graph matches with each student.
Average (mean) Scores: Student 1: 72.8% Student 2: 64.2% Student 3: 65.1%%

23. Learning Task: Parachute
Describe each student’s progress throughout the course.
Who received the highest overall average in the course?
Who would YOU have pack YOUR parachute?
How can this example be applied in your classroom?
Time: 7 minutes
Notes: Independently have teachers complete the questions on the handout. After the teachers have about 2 or 3 minutes to work on the questions alone, have teachers work in small groups (no more than 4) and discuss the questions. Time permitting have a whole group discussion about the questions.

24. Why is using the Mean an inappropriate way to determine passing the written driver’s test?
Time: 2 minutes
Notes: Explain that this is an example of how a mean can impact the results as a whole group discussion. Notice that when using a mean, the driver will not pass until the 6th attempt! Using the normal criteria for passing the driver’s test, the driver would pass on the second attempt.

25. Final Reflection:
On the bottom of the front of the graphic organizer, answer the following question:
Choose one of the above methods and write about the advantages and disadvantages for Standards-Based Grading and Reporting?
Time: 2 minutes
Notes: Have the teachers with a partner answer the last question on the handout on the bottom of the table. Emphasize that today we are focusing on thinking about methods of calculating grades and looking advantages and disadvantages. Teachers may not be able to come up with an advantage and disadvantage.

26. Review: I can . . . understand different ways to calculate grades.
understand how procedures to calculate a grade can distort achievement.
understand the impact of entering a zero into a student’s academic record for missing evidence or as punishment.
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Choral read this slide.

27. Review Key Concepts
Students achieving at the same level should get the same grade regardless of classroom, teacher, or school.
Grades are broken when the summary they provide of student achievement is inaccurate because the procedures used to arrive at the grade are faulty.
Grades are broken when zeros are entered into a student's academic record for missing evidence or as punishment.
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Read the slide to the staff.

28. Quiz
Please remember to take the Inappropriate Grade Calculation learning quiz on CANVAS for this module.
Time: 1 minute
Notes: Remind teachers that they need to login into Canvas and take the quiz.