A Standards-Based Grading Approach in Biology

1. A Standards-Based Grading Approach in Biology Matt Thede

2. What is Standards-Based Grading (SBG)? • “…method of reporting what students have learned and how they demonstrated their learning…” • Bruce Oliver, Just For the Asking, January, 2011 • “…measuring students' proficiency on well-defined course objectives.” • Scriffiny, P., “Seven Reasons for Standards-Based Grading,” Educational Leadership, Oct. 2008, 66

3. Why Standards-Based Grading (SBG)? (Rationale) • Our current grading system lacks real meaning • Grades serve multiple purposes, which is a problem - it makes it very challenging to figure out exactly what they mean. • We have a current system that is outdated and “no longer makes sense in the current educational climate.” • “…sensible, realistic, and up-to-date.” • Bruce Oliver, Just For the Asking, January, 2011

4. Why SBG? • “Grades are meant to report student progress toward learning goals – giving students, their families, and teachers useful information on where to make adjustments to achieve these goals.” • Varlas, Laura, How We Got Grading Wrong, and What to Do About It, ASCD, October, 2013, 55

5. Why SBG? • “Systems that are aligned – curriculum, teaching, and assessment – have a greater chance of success for students.” Glenda Lappan, NCTM News Bulletin, October, 1998

6. Why SBG? • Matt Townsley – “…I was getting the right information to the right students while there was still time for learning.”

7. Research • Instruction is more differentiated; creating an environment more conducive to students reaching their individual potential; • Students and parents better understand teachers’ expectations for performance; • Assessments are better aligned with standards; • Teachers feel more confident that they have the evidence they need to support their judgments about student proficiency; and • Teachers say their grading and reporting task is easier and quicker (after ‘implementation dip.’) • Randy Peters – Drake University

8. Research • Research on SB shows (overwhelmingly) that students: • learn their subjects better • perform better in later education levels such as college • Research is consistent with Popham, Reeves, Marzano, Pickering, McTighe, Wiggins, Stiggins, Guskey, Brookhart, O’Connor, and the High Schools That Work Breaking Ranks program. • http://ojrsd.com - Owen J. Roberts School District

9. Research • “In a study of 9th-grade science classrooms…Nolen (2003) found that when students perceived their classrooms as ability-based meritocracies, their performance on a districtwide, curriculum-based test was compromised. Students in other classes who saw teachers and peers to be focused on mastery and independent thinking performed significantly better on the district test.” -Wormeli, 2006, p. 60 • Tim Brown – Raising Questions and Finding Answers in Our Grading Practices

10. Research • “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.” • Richard Stiggins – Assessment Training Institute, (Tim Brown – Raising Questions and Finding Answers in Our Grading Practices)

11. Research • John Hattie reviewed 7,827 studies on learning and instruction. His conclusion: “The most powerful single innovation that enhances achievement is feedback. The simplest prescription for improving education must be ‘dollops’ of feedback.” • Cited in Marzano, 2008 (Tim Brown – Raising Questions and Finding Answers in Our Grading Practices)

12. Research • Addressing the previous research, SB: • is mastery based – aligning the curriculum, instruction, and assessment with the Essential Standard/Learning Target • gives new meaning to formative assessments and feedback - homework, quizzes, and other formative assessments become a means to guide and direct instruction, as well as give critical feedback relative to where a student is at in relation to the Essential Standard/Learning Target

13. Personnel • Assistant Administrator– to oversee change initiative • Volunteers and Representatives from each department – those wanting and seeing a need for grade reform

14. Budget • Built in costs of teachers wanting and needing time to build structure and implement • Allow up to 20 teachers 1 full day • $112.00 per day Substitute pay = $2,240.00

15. Timeline • Fall • Build Team (ask for volunteers) • Meet for 3-4 weeks (once per week) • Come together on common ground • End of fall/beginning of winter • Staff from team share out what they’ve been doing at PL day • Survey staff to find common beliefs and to identify roadblocks • Winter • Address roadblocks, find solutions, and identify common beliefs about grading  then present to staff • Continue collecting data and come up with some common grading guidelines for our school. • Spring • If widely accepted, make a recommendation to the board

16. Facilities • Comfortable room to meet with team • Staff development in Study Halls (with provided breakfast) 

17. Professional Learning • Day 1 (1 hour) • Survey staff about grading beliefs in their classrooms • Staff present “what they’ve been doing and how they did it” regarding grading (include research and rationale) • Discussion questions during the presentation • Leave time for questions at the end *make sure to present from a “this is what I did” point of view versus “top-down” approach

18. Professional Learning • Day 2 (1 hour) • Analyze survey information and present common beliefs about grading • Reveal the roadblocks and present research addressing the roadblocks • Discussion questions about data to help staff arrive at what the data means • Identify common ground in small groups regarding the data and points everyone can possibly agree on

19. Communication • Internal • Exploring • Timeline • Update as more information presents itself • External • Parent letter and forum to give general information and answer questions • Know we are moving forward first and have most questions and roadblocks addressed • District-wide announcement about the direction the school is headed and why