Standards Based Grading in the
Classroom
Part 1 - Why Standards Based
Grading?
Kim Lackey, Denise Pahl, and Julie Weitzel
Rockwood School District
Eureka, Missouri
http://eurekaworldlanguage.wikispaces.com/home
Tell your name, where and what you
teach, and describe how you feel about
Standards Based Learning/Grading in 5
words or less.
Who are we and why are we here?
• Julie Weitzel, Eureka High
School, Spanish II and IV
• Denise Pahl, Spanish Teacher,
Retired (as of May 2014!)
• Kim Lackey, Eureka High
School, Spanish III and IV
What are the Standards?
World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages
An example of the Standards
we use for World Language:
● Presentational
Communication
● Interpersonal
Communication
● Interpretive
Communication
What are the Standards for your
curricular area(s)? How are they
determined?
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Common Core?
Nationwide Organization?
State Organization?
District Curriculum?
Professional Learning Community?
Textbook?
Teacher-created?
The Standards for your
curricular area should drive
your decisions about what
to teach, how to teach, and
how to assess.
What do teachers count in students’
grades?
• Homework
• Quizzes
• Portfolios
• Participation
• In-class Practice Work
• Lab reports
• Extra Credit
• Speaking Assessments
• Writing Assessments
• Reading Assessments
• Listening Assessments
• Presentations
• Projects
• Chapter Tests
What do you think should count in
students’ grades?
• Homework
• Quizzes
• Portfolios
• Participation
• In-class Practice Work
• Lab reports
• Extra Credit
• Speaking Assessments
• Writing Assessments
• Reading Assessments
• Listening Assessments
• Presentations
• Projects
• Chapter Tests
Different Mindsets About the Purposes of Grades
Student grades
are meant to
rank students.
Student grades
communicate what
students know and
are able to do.
Student grades can be
used to control/punish
student behavior.
Maybe all of
the above?
What should count in a grade:
A grade should reflect what a
student knows and is able to do.
(For World Language, this means…)
– Assessments of students’ ability to
communicate in the language.
– Assessments of cultural and linguistic
knowledge.
What does this mean for you?
What shouldn’t count in a grade?
• Extra Credit
• Participation
• Homework or practice for completion
points
• Anything that uses grades as a
punishment (cheating, late work)
• Anything that doesn’t clearly
communicate what kids know and are
able to do.
But if I don’t count it or count off for it...
My kids just don’t
do homework if it’s
not for a grade.
They don’t respect
deadlines and consistently
turn work in late!
They’re not working up
to their potential!
They need to
learn to be more
responsible!
Agh!
Someone
cheated!
Extra credit?
Engaging students and encouraging
participation
• Technology for formative assessment
(clickers, Socrative,
Conjuguemos/Quizlet)
• Stamping student sheets for
participation in small group
conversations
• Exit tickets
• Differentiated instruction and student
choice
• Project Based Learning
• Games and Competition - Around the
world, Head of the class, Row Races
• What else?
How do we encourage students to
complete homework?
• Include formative assessment with
feedback in your teaching.
• Make sure students can see clear
connections between formative and
summative work.
• Feedback for formative assessments
can be reported as inactive
assignments.
• Reward students with stickers, stamps,
candy, positive parent contact, etc.
How do we handle cheating?
Which consequence
would be most effective?
● A zero on the
assessment?
● Write-up, meeting with
principal, parent phone
call, and detentions?
Late / Missing work?
● Due date vs. the drop dead date
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Incentives for turning in by due date
Drop dead date for teacher sanity
● Preventing Late Work
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Student reminders (Remind 101 → Remind!)
Parent communication (e-mail, Teacher
Messenger, newsletter)
Fewer at home projects and more in-class
assessments
● Assign a detention and have the student
complete their work during that time.
Other ideas for Interventions:
Intervention #1 - Student Conference
What’s
going on?
Is
everything
OK?
I’m worried
about you.
Let’s figure
this out!
How can I
help you?
Let’s make
a plan!
Intervention #2 - Parent Contact
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•
•
•
Comments on Infinite Campus
Email
Phone call
Group emails / Teacher
Messenger to parents of
students who
o Get below proficient on an
assessment
o Didn’t complete their
homework
o Turned in an assignment late
o Are missing work that needs
to be made up
Intervention #3 - Disciplinary action
Mandatory Academic Tutoring Session /
Academic Detention / 8th hour
Retakes / Reasssessment / Redos
Our policy:
REASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES
• Students who have not shown proficiency will be re-assessed with the exception of listening
and reading assessments.
• Students will be required to complete supplemental review work before being allowed to retake a quiz.
• Although retaking a quiz may be an option, students should prepare for all assessments and
give their best effort when assessments are originally given. Reassessments are primarily for
those students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency.
• The new grade on the re-take will replace the old grade even if it is lower than the original
score because the new score represents the most recent evidence of what the student knows
and is able to do.
• When graded assessments are returned to students, students who have not yet
demonstrated proficiency will receive feedback providing a plan for reassessment.
Students will commit to taking ownership of their learning by following the reassessment plan as
well as committing to a date and time outside of class for reassessment.
Why?
Practice Quiz
Assessment
Reassessment
Make-up Work and Delayed
Assessments
Our policy:
MAKE-UP WORK AND DELAYED ASSESSMENTS
• Students who miss an assessment due to absence will be asked to
commit to a date and time outside of class to make-up the assessment.
• In extreme cases, students may receive permission from their teacher to
postpone taking an assessment. Students will commit to a date and
time outside of class to take the assessment. A parent e-mail may be
sent to explain the agreement.
• Students who do not complete their assessment in a timely manner will be
assigned an academic detention.
• Scores for assessments that are not taken on the scheduled date will be
entered into Infinite Campus as an M which counts as a “0”. After the
assessment is completed and graded, this score will be changed and full
credit will be given.
Why?
How can we manage retakes? How do we
manage our time and use it efficiently?
● Designed for students who do not demonstrate
proficiency (not prepared to move forward in their
learning), but OK for anyone to re-take.
● Generally done before or after school
○ Academic Lab situation - department / school
responsibility for all students
○ One day per unit - Make-up/Retake day in class
● Students who abuse the privilege of retakes can be
banned from retaking assessments.
But... will kids be ready for college if
they get to retake quizzes and don’t
have to do their homework?
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Current system often advances
students who are not ready and holds
back kids who could be excelling.
The best way to prepare students for
college is by rewarding achievement
and teaching them what quality work
looks like.
More and more colleges are realizing
the limitations of traditional grading
systems and making changes.
Student Reactions to Standards-Based Learning & Assessment and Reassessment
How should we set up our gradebook?
Online Gradebook categories? Weighting?
Options:
• Types of assessments/assignments (Quizzes,
Tests, Homework)
• The Standards (Presentational, Interpretive,
and Interpersonal Communication +
Linguistic and Cultural Competence)
• Something else? What makes sense in your
curricular area? Could the Standards be
grouped? Who makes the decision?
How we set up our Online Gradebook
Our Infinite Campus Categories:
25% Linguistic and Cultural Competence
25% Presentational Communication
25% Interpretive Communication
25% Interpersonal Communication
(Could include inactive assignments in any
category to reflect homework, participation,
practice work, etc.)
What will be your take-away
from this morning? Who
will you share this with?
• What are the “Standards” for your curricular area?
• What should count in a grade / What should grades
reflect?
• Strategies for participation, homework, cheating, late
work, low-quality work
• Managing Reassessments
• Gradebook categories that support Standards Based
Learning / Grading