Standards-Based Grading: Where to Begin

Curriculum, instruction, and technology seem to change constantly to meet the needs of students, but grading practices have largely remained the same for the last 50 years. Standards-based grading is not a new idea, but over the past few years, it has come out of the shadows and has taken center stage under the spotlight. Ultimately, standards-based grading ensures that thoughtful practices are in place that allow student achievement, connected to content standards, to be accurately calculated and reported, so teachers can target their instruction and interventions. Most districts want an accurate and effective grading system, but the task to move towards standards-based grading is quite daunting.
 
The purpose of this post is to offer you some suggestions on where to begin if you are interested in adopting standards-based grading practices. When it comes to standards-based grading, two roads diverge, as Robert Frost once said. Some educators are more interested in developing standards-based report cards, while others are more interested in updating their grading practices. Therefore, you will need to choose your own adventure as you continue reading this post. Whichever road is less traveled for you, it’s important to know, though, that standards-based grading is most effective when grading practices and report cards both adopt current best practices.
 

• If you want to know where to begin with developing standards-based report cards, read Section A: Standards-Based Report Cards.
• If you want to know where to begin with revising grading practices, read Section B: Standards-Based Grading Practices.
• If you want to know where to begin with both, read Sections A and B.

 
Section A: Standards-Based Report Cards

1. Create a report card committee: There is a lot of work required to revise report cards. Assembling a team of various stakeholders (administrators, teachers, parents, students, etc…) is a must and a great way to learn from different perspectives.
2. Define your purpose: What is the ultimate purpose of your report card? Is it to report student achievement to parents or to students? Is it to provide information for students to self-evaluate their progress? Determining your purpose will keep you focused.
3. Determine your audience: Who is the report card meant for? Parents/guardians? Students? Colleges? The district?
4. Do your research: Two texts that are especially helpful are Formative Assessment and Standards-Based Grading by Robert Marzano (2010) and Developing Standards-Based Report Cards by Thomas Guskey and Jane Bailey (2010).
5. Find models: The texts listed previously offer great advice, but it’s also beneficial to seek out area districts’ report cards and/or search on the internet to find models to analyze to help you determine what you like and what you don’t like.
6. Determine which standards will be reported on: Determine which standards need to be prioritized within a curriculum and decide how you will report student progress on those standards.

 
Section B: Standards-Based Grading Practices

1. Create a grading committee: A team of various stakeholders (administrators, teachers, parents, students, etc…) should work together to determine which grading practices need to be revised within a school and ultimately make a grading policy that reflects the committee’s recommendations based on research.
2. Review curriculum: A curriculum audit is beneficial in determining which standards need to be prioritized and reported on. In addition, developing learning targets for each lesson is a crucial part of any curriculum because the grading practices need to accurately report on student achievement related to the learning targets.
3. Survey your staff: Before one can make a cultural shift by changing grading policies, it’s important to find out what grading practices are occurring in classrooms and why are those grading practices being implemented.
4. Determine which aspects of grading need to be examined: Grading has many components. Some areas you may want to explore are:
   1. Late work
   2. Homework
   3. Percentages vs. proficiency scales
   4. Teacher grade books
   5. Retakes
   6. Habits of Work (effort, participation, attendance, etc…)
   7. Extra Credit
   8. Giving zeroes
   9. Formative assessment practices
5. Research the current best practices regarding the topics above: Rick Wormeli, Robert Marzano, Myron Dueck, Thomas Guskey, Ken O’Connor, and Cathy Vatterott are all leading experts and proponents of standards-based grading.

 
Developing a standards-based grading system does not occur over night, but with thoughtful implementation and a commitment to best practice, students can be a part of a fair grading system that accurately reports on their ability and achievement.
 
Note: On March 9th, we will be having another workshop on standards-based grading. This would be a great opportunity to connect with other districts who are currently exploring and/or implementing standards-based grading practices. Click here for more information: http://register.caboces.org/seminar/view/324?workshop_id=100

By: Brenden Keiser, CA BOCES Professional Development