Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy to improve. Robert Garmston Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy

Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy to improve.Robert Garmston

Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy to improve.

Robert Garmston

MOVING TO A STANDARDS-BASED GRADING SYSTEM: LESSONS

LEARNED

Presented by: Ria A. Schmidt, Ph.D.

“If the goal of today’s educational system is to determine when (and if) students have met course standards, should we not be keeping achievement records that match the standards we are expected to teach instead of records that are labeled test, homework, book report, class work, quiz, project, presentation or class participation?” --Bruce Oliver

Standards-Based Grading

“How confident are you that the grades students receive in your school are consistent, accurate, meaningful, and supportive of learning?”

--Ken O’Connor

Standards-Based Grading

Participants will:

Identify and discuss the steps for transitioning from traditional grading to a standards-based grading (SBG) system.

Connect Common Core to process of planning and implementation of SBG.

Receive and utilize practical resources for planning and implementation of SBG.

TODAY’S OBJECTIVES

All changes, even positive ones, are scary. Attempts to reach goals through radical or revolutionary means often fail because they heighten fear. But the small steps of kaizen ("improvement") disarm the brain’s fear response, stimulating rational thought and creative play. --Robert Maurer

CHANGE

Alksjfalskfjslkdfjskdfja;slkdj;aa;lkjfa;slkjfsal;kjsa;kljfsdlks;lkjfsavvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv;lkjs;l

Change Toolkit. Reinventingeducation.org. IBM (2002) http://www.reinventingeducation.org/RE3Web/

http://www.reinventingeducation.org/RE3Web/

FIRST VS. SECOND ORDER CHANGE

• Have no doubt, transitioning to a SBG is a Second Order Change- “involves dramatic departures from the

expected, both in defining a given problem and in finding a solution” (Marzano et al, 2005) or deep change.

The answers are quite simple:

21st Century Learner

WHY CHANGE (ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S SO HARD)?




“Grades are so imprecise that they are almost meaningless.”

Marzano, R. J. (2000)


It is better to take many small steps

in the right direction than to make a

great leap forward only to stumble

backward.” --Old Chinese

Proverb

SMALL STEPS

Start wherever you are and start small. --Rita Bailey

SO WHERE DO WE BEGIN . . .

A vision . . .

. . . is a clearly stated, achievable, even optimistic organizational aspiration.

. . . needs to paint a picture of a brighter, better future for all school stakeholders (teachers, staff, and students).


What is your philosophy of grading or

vision? You may want to consider:Why we grade students:

Motivation?Communication?Honor roll/High Honors?To get them ready for the next level?Determine placement?Accountability?


sample

BEGIN WITH A VISION

Take a few minutes to write a draft of your philosophy of grading or vision . . .

In our school/district, a grade represents a clear and accurate indicator of what a student knows and is able to do. With grades, we document the progress of students and our teaching, we provide feedback to students and their parents, and we make instructional decisions regarding the students.

Leadership responsibilities:

1) Know effects of change and provide vision

IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP


2) Drive and Motivate



3) Know theory and research


• Throughout entire process . . . with EVERYONE

• Continual education/professional development for EVERYONE

SHARING INFORMATION

• Board of Education

• Administrators

• Teachers

• Instructional Staff

• Staff

• Parents

• Students

• Community Members

• Anyone else not mentioned here

who is involved in school/district

WHO IS EVERYONE?


4) Take a risk/challenge the status quo

• “Why fix it when it ain’t broken!”

• .



5) Evaluation

• Data• Hard• Anecdotal



6) Be like Gumby

• Flexible

• Open to input


STEP 1: DEVELOP A TIMELINE

2010-2011: Deconstruct Common Core

2011-2012: Professional Development on Standards-based Grading PhilosophyCreate SBG Committee

2012-2013: Continued Professional DevelopmentDevelop format for report card

“ON TARGET”

Students can hit any target they can see and which stands still for them. (Stiggins, R.)

STEP 2: DECONSTRUCTING THE COMMON CORE

Things to keep in mind:

Keep the content to what can actually be

taught in the time you have.

Should be written in a way that enhances

classroom instruction and assessment.

Must be measureable

Must be unidimensional


Begin by creating a content area (e.g., ELA)

committee of teachers and administrators

Divide the committee into grade bands,

such as: K-2, 3-5, 6-8

Provide resources

Professional development

Technology


Questions to ask:

What must students know?

What must students be able to do?


Knowledge

Reasoning

Performance/skills

Products

Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5; Key Ideas and Details

Grade 5 : Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

Learning Targets:

Knowledge Targets

Skill Targets

Reasoning Targets

Product Targets

Understand the concepts of

main idea andkey details

Identify main ideas and key details in text

Analyze the themes and

main ideas of a work

considering its audience and

Purpose

Explain how Key details

support main Ideas

Summarize Text

Grade 3: Blooms Grade 4: Blooms Grade 5: Blooms

Reading/Literature: Students will read and respond to a wide range of writing to build an understanding of written materials of themselves, and of others. Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading.Apply word recognition skills such as rereading and applying letter-sound relationships, including vowel sounds, medial sounds, consonant blends, and consonant digraphs.

3 Use word recognition skills such as analyzing word structures.

3 Apply word recognition skills to increase vocabulary through the study of multiple meanings, context clues, and word structure.

3

Grade 3: Blooms Grade 4: Blooms Grade 5: Blooms

Interprets how illustrations convey the meaning of text.

4 Analyze how illustrations, graphs, and maps support written text.

4 Understand and use visual aids such as graphs and maps.

3

Break down words into components such as root words, prefixes and suffixes.

4 Infer the meaning of unfamiliar words by examining known words and phrases, including roots, prefixes and suffixes.

4 Apply knowledge of sentence and word meanings to understand unfamiliar words and clarify passages.

3

Find the meaning of unfamiliar words by identifying known words and using phonemic awareness.

3 Apply phonemic awareness by pronouncing and understanding unfamiliar words and text.

3 Use text format such as boldfaced print, cause-and-effect and sequence of events as aids to comprehension.

3

“I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”

--Albert Einstein

STEP 3: DEVELOP GUIDELINES• differentiation

• separate behavior and academic grades

• purposeful homework• formative assessments/feedback• averaging• late work/incompletes• extra credit• zeroes• multiple summative assessments

Differentiation

GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES


Separate behavior and

academics

HomeworkPurposeful

Graded?

"Think left, and think right, and think low, and think high. Oh the thinks you can think if only you try." ~Dr. Seuss


Averaging


“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”

--Albert Einstein

Late work/incompletes


2nd quarter 3rd quarter 4th quarter30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

St. Theresa 6th Grade Comparison

Before New Policy (2003-2004) After New Policy (2004-2005)

Terms

# o

f la

te a

ssig

nm

ents

2nd quarter 3rd quarter 4th quarter60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

170

St. Theresa 7th Grade Comparison

Before New Policy (2003-2004) After New Policy (2004-2005)

Terms

# o

f la

te a

ssig

nm

ents

Extra credit


“Don’t give points for extra credit or use bonus points; seek only evidence that more work has resulted in a higher level of achievement.”

O’Connor, K. (2010)

Traditional Scale

% Points Total

91-100 (A) 10 points

81-90 (B) 10 points

71-80 (C) 10 points

61-70 (D) 10 points

Zero-60 (F) 60 points


ZeroesOn a traditional scale, the % range for each level is 10%Teachers will use “I.D.” (insufficient data) on the progress report.


Formative

assessment/Feedback

Multiple summative

assessments


FORMATIVE/SUMMATIVE FLOW CHART The Role of Formative and Summative Assessment

Need for Improvement Figure 4.4 Adapted from Guskey and Bailey 2001, p.98

Further Instruction

Enrichment

Correctives

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

Instruction

Instruction On New

Unit

Evidence For Evaluation/

Grades

Preassessment

THE POWER OF ASSESSMENT

“You can enhance or destroy students’ desire to succeed in

school more quickly and permanently through your use of assessment than with any other tools you have at your

disposal.”Rick Stiggins - Assessment Trainers Institute

Oral Report Lecture

Rock opera Debate

Seminar Discussion group Interview

Choral speech Song Telephone conversation Musical composition Talk show Lesson

Scenario Play Slogan/jingle

Skit

Prototype

Puppet Show

Demonstration

Slide Show

Poster

Scrapbook

Advertisement

Scroll Pamphlet

Book cover

Manual

Timeline Vertical file

Puzzle Brochure

Simulation

Computer Program

Game Performance

CD-ROM Overheads

Docudrama Invention

News program

Audio/videotape

Experiment

Essay Poetry Written

Group anthology Report

Questionnaire Story Booklet

Play script Manual Diary

Magazine article Book

Letter to editor, author, or expert

Survey Book review/report

Document Proclamation

Annotated bibliography

“What if” story

Newspaper article

Myth/legend

Artifact

Collection Chart Mural Map Mobile

Masks Model Photographs Collection Diorama Illustration

Matrices Photo essay Blueprint Diagram Display

Cartoon or comic strip Web Construction Costume

Visual Sculpture Learning center Project Cube

Artistic Creation Pantomime

GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINESPre-assessment

Analyze the results

Post-assessment

Analyze the results and determine next steps

Organize Instructional

groupsUse data to plan and evaluate lessons and

give feedback

Observeand monitor

ProvideFocused

InstructionDailyInstruction

STEP 3: DEVELOP GUIDELINES• differentiation

• separate behavior and academic grades

• purposeful homework• formative assessments/feedback• averaging• late work/incompletes• extra credit• zeroes• multiple summative assessments

STEP 4: CREATE STANDARDS-BASED GRADING COMMITTEE• Administrators

• Central Office• Building

• Teachers• All content areas• All grade levels

• Parents

• Students

STEP 5: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Administrators/Board of Ed Members


• Teachers•Opportunities to meet with

grade- level peers•Work with grade-level peers to create rubrics for the benchmarks


•Parents•Start at the beginning

•What is a standard? Benchmark?


•Students

STEP 6: CREATE REPORT CARD FORMAT

• Committee work

• How many benchmarks?

• Where are 21st Century

skills/behavior included?

• What symbols for proficiency?

• Letter grades? At what levels?

PROFICIENCY SCALE EXAMPLE

4 3 2 1Meets grade level expectation with

excellence

Meets grade level expectations

Progressing towards meeting

grade level expectations

Not meeting grade level

expectations

WOW Right on target Getting there Struggling

No teacher assistance

needed. Student understood

concept without teacher help.

After teacher explanation and guided practice,

student understood

concept.

Student is beginning to understand concept, but needs a little

more guidance.

Student does not understand the

concept and needs much more

guidance

STEP 6: CREATE REPORT CARD FORMAT

•Feedback•Administrators/Board of Ed•Teachers•Parents•Students


• Teachers•Opportunities to meet

with grade- level peers•Work with grade-level peers to create rubrics for the benchmarks

EXAMPLELA.S1.B3 Grade 3: Identify the differences between fiction and non-fiction and determine their purpose. (entertain or inform)

4 3 2 1Without teacher help, the student knows a fiction text from a non-fiction text and can tell the purpose of the text.

After description and guided practice from the teacher, a student can tell if a text is fiction or non-fiction and can explain the purpose (either entertain or inform)

With teacher questioning, the student understands the concept of fiction and non-fiction, but still has trouble identifying the purpose of a text

The student cannot tell the difference between a fiction and nonfiction text and has no concept of purpose.

STEP 8: ROLL OUT REPORT CARD

STEP 9: FEEDBACK/EVALUATION

Implement report card for three

quarters/two trimestersProvide feedback survey/focus groups for:

TeachersParentsStudents

5a. Do you feel you are receiving more information about your child as a learner from this new progress report? Why or why not?

7a. Do you feel differentiation (meeting the needs of every child by teaching to various skill levels) is happening in your child's classrooms? In what ways?

Yes Yes My children have been given additional advanced work to keep them learning & not become bored w/things they already know. Help is still available if needed.

No I would to keep scoring the traditional way on the A-F scale. I believe it tells the whole picture of my child's performance - not just the school work turned in. The new progress report is not "real" world. Our bosses aren't going to give us raises if things are done on time.

No Meeting the needs of every child is not possible in classrooms today. One teacher cannot meet the needs of 20-30 students each day. There are too many levels of students in traditional classrooms to keep them all challenged all the time. I prefer the "break out" concept where students of different levels go to different teachers for help. They used to do this with the TAG program.

STEP 10: REVISE/CONTINUE

LAST THOUGHTS . . .“Education would be so much more effective if its purpose were to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they don't know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it."

--Sir William Haley,British newspaper editor and

broadcasting administrator

QUESTIONS?

Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty B.A. (2005). School leadership that works: From research to results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

O’Connor, K. (2002). How to Grade for Learning: Linking Grades to Standards, 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Marzano, R. J. (2000). Transforming Classroom Grading. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

O’Connor, K. (2010). A Repair Kit for Grading: Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades, 2nd Edition.

Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair isn’t always equal: Assessing & Grading in the differentiated classroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Change Toolkit. Reinventingeducation.org. IBM (2002) http://www.reinventingeducation.org/RE3Web/

REFERENCES

http://www.reinventingeducation.org/RE3Web/

Documents

Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy to improve. Robert Garmston Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy