The Basics Of Standards Based Grading

1. The Basics Of Standards Based Grading Ty Duncan, ESC 17 Senior Specialist

2. “I haven’t got the slightest idea how to change people, but I keep a long list of prospective candidates just in case I should ever figure it out.” ---David Sedaris

3. Becoming a Great High School http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109052.aspx

4. Examining Highly Questionable Grading Practice • The Practice of Giving Students Zeroes – Number 1 • The Practice of Combing Academic --Performance with Citizenship and Work Habits – Number 2 • The Practice of Giving Extra Credit – Number 3 • The Practice of Averaging – Number 4 Becoming a Great High School, pgs 76-83, 2009

5. Grading Criteria “Students must be invited to participate in determining the criteria by which their work will be judged, and then play a role in weighing their work against those criteria.” -- Alfie Kohn

6. Student’s Thoughts on Grading? • What will the teacher give me on this? • What does the teacher want? • Why did I get this grade? • What can I do to improve this grade? • That grade/teacher/class is stupid. I don’t care.

7. The Bell Curve • Norm-Referenced Tests • e.g. ITBS, SAT, GRE, LSAT, Stat9, NAEP • Purpose: To sort, • select, classify, compare • Information: How one • compares with others • Results: reported as • percentile (%) rank • Always yields a bell • curve • Assumes a non-aligned curriculum

8. Time The J Curve • Criterion-References Tests • e.g. TExES, TAKS, license/ • certification, teacher-made • Purpose: To determine • knowledge of defined criteria • Information: How well • an individual performs • Results: Reported as % of • criteria known • Goal is to yield J curve • Assumes an aligned • curriculum • Assumes most people can learn most things in time. % Demonstrating Skill

9. Our own prior experience with grading… • Experience is NOT the best teacher • “If you do not have a theory to provide a framework to understand your experience, you do not accumulate 30 years of experience…” Myron Tribus • Just because you were graded on a bell curve doesn’t make it the best approach to teaching and learning today.

10. Grading Historically • Turn to Page 13 in the Marzano book. • Number off at your table 1-4 • Number 1 you read “The Imprecision of Assessments (pages 13-15) • Number 2 you read “Grading” (pages 15-16_ • Number 3 you read “Norm-Referenced Grading” (pages 16-17) • Number 4 you read “Standards based Grading” (pages 17-19) You will teach this section to your table in 8 minutes.

11. What We Have Valued Historically? • He who gets the most right correctly after one exposure is the smartest and deserves the most credit. • Hard work!! • Effort!! • Determination!! • Perseverance!! • Turning work in on time!!! (He who doesn’t must not know the content) • 70% -- If you know only 69% you must be a failure

12. What Is • Fair? • Equal? • Equitable?

13. Assessment: “Of” and “For” Learning • Assessmentoflearning provides evidence of achievement • Assessment forlearning serves to help students learn more Richard Stiggins

14. Ability to Memorize = Smart? “Cramming does not provide meaningful information that remains in the brain as neural networks to which connections can be added…” Marilee Springer-Learning and Memory

15. Grades must be based on what students have learned, not what they have done. Behavioral issues must be separated from academic issues for grading purposes.

16. RicKWormelI: Zeros?

17. What Do Grades Communicate? • Failure? • Laziness? • Lack of Content Understanding? • Perseverance? • Family Support? • Great Teaching? • Great Learning? • “Playing the Game”? • Memorizing? Pick one of these and make a case for it at your table.

18. Redos?

19. Assessment • Rubric: A scoring system that allows teacher to place value on components of a given assessment product. • States the criteria to be examined and assessed; • Usually contains a scale (ex. 1-4) of different points possible per criterion; • Provides students with expectations about what will be assessed and standards that need to be met; • Increases consistency in the rating of student mastery; • Provides students with “road signs” - information about where they are in relation to where they need to be.

20. Feedback is Critical “When you don’t get input it feels like school … When you do get input – it feels like learning.” George A., Student, Redding CA

21. Measure The Standard Not “The Work” Citizenship. The student understands the importance of voluntary individual participation in the democratic process. The student is expected to: • (A) explain the role of significant individuals such as Thomas Hooker, Charles de Montesquieu, John Locke, William Blackstone, and William Penn in the development of self-government in colonial America; • (B) evaluate the contributions of the Founding Fathers as models of civic virtue; and • Does a student who matches the people found in (a) on a worksheet deserve a hundred in the grade book? • How do you define FULL KNOWLEDGE of the student expectation above?

22. Ms. Smith’s 9th Grade Algebra Class – 1st 6 Weeks Student A Student B • What do/should grades measure? • How much of a role do/should attitude and effort play in a grade? • What role does/should homework play? • What is the purpose of a report card grade? • Do/Should report card grades and TAKS scores be similar? HW 10 100 HW 20 100 Quiz 1 100 63 HW 30 100 HW 40 100 Quiz 2100 54 HW 5 0 100 HW 60 100 Quiz 3 100 61 Participation90 90 Unit Test100 58 6 Week Ave.53.1 80.2 Quiz –daily grade; Test = 3 daily grades

23. Grading Problems • Many assignments are not as “objective” as teachers would like. • Rigorous work is going to take a change in the way we grade. • Grading a standard and not work takes increased teacher sophistication.

24. Dr. Douglas Reeves on Grading

25. Assessment • Rubric: A scoring system that allows teacher to place value on components of a given assessment product. • States the criteria to be examined and assessed; • Usually contains a scale (ex. 1-4) of different points possible per criterion; • Provides students with expectations about what will be assessed and standards that need to be met; • Increases consistency in the rating of student mastery; • Provides students with “road signs” - information about where they are in relation to where they need to be.

28. A Different Kind of Grade Book • Average the 4 point scale and multiply by 25 to create the hundred point number for grade reporting. • This also becomes your targeted intervention document for students who are failing to grasp the content. • The learning is also not complete on this document as I would be willing to go back and change the grade if they demonstrated greater understanding during the six weeks.

29. Redos?

30. Quicker, Easier Ways to Assess and Reassess http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/jwb/Rubrics/DiscRub.htm

31. Truth In the Middle? Failure

32. What Can We Do Now? • We can separate behavior from content! • We can measure the standard at the appropriate level of rigor and complexity! • We can begin utilizing rubrics and conversion scales to satisfy policy and ensure students are learning! • We can monitor individual student progress much like the chart system Marzano has on page 115-117 in his book! • We can provide appropriate targeted interventions when students cannot meet the challenges of increased rigor in the classroom! • We can begin crucial conversations regarding student feedback and grading!