1. Curriculum and Learning Omaha Public Schools
Grading: and Beyond
Curriculum and Learning
Omaha Public Schools

2. What Do We Know…
Learning is a developmental and complex process. In the progression of learning, grades should emphasize the most recent evidence/performance of the contents being taught.
Content standards define what a student should know and be able to do.
Standards-Based Grading is a process used by teachers to provide specific feedback to students and parents regarding student mastery of the district’s grade level standards.

3. What Is Our Goal? To hold high expectations for all of our students.
To help students better understand their own achievement, and to help everyone better understand that accountability is a “must” for students and teachers.
To provide our teachers with additional training and support in the area of Best Practices for grading, assessment, parent communication, and accountability for the grades our students earn.
To align assessment results with grades that students earn.
I would like to begin today by reviewing the goals and beliefs behind the revision in grading for Curriculum and Learning in order to share with you the research that has gone into revising our current grading practices. This is a journey that we are on and will continue to work through in order to best meet the needs of our students and to assure that we are teaching and assessing to the standards while providing our students, community, and parents the most accurate picture of the student’s progress.

4. Goals…
To be transparent for our parents and our community in regards to student achievement.
To ensure communication lines are kept open between the school and community.
To make sure we have documentation of our student’s progression.
To have a consistent understanding of Best Practices for assessing students across all schools and teachers.
As we evaluate and assess our students, we need to make sure we have those ‘snapshots’ of how our students are progressing. The importance of providing authentic, rigorous work for our students that keeps them engaged and is meaningful is vital for our students’ success. It is equally important to have that documentation of our student’s progress, a portfolio. Sometimes this will be in the format of student work and other times it will be through one-on-one conversations with our students or informal observations. We must stress that our evaluation of our students comes from a variety of resources to show the most accurate picture of student progress and academic growth.

5. Effective Grades Must meet four overarching criteria: Consistent
Accurate
Meaningful
Must support learning
Consistent-Should not be a function of whether the student is in Mrs. Jones class or Mrs. Grim’s class.
Accurate grades lead to strong instructional decisions that the teacher makes to help move student progress forward.
Meaningful-Must communicate useful information to students and to everyone interested in or needing to know about their learning.
Support Learning-students and parents need to understand that achieving in school is not about only “doing the work” or accumulating points. If we assign points to everything we do then the message portrayed is about accumulating points (quantity). We want students to understand that school is about learning. Grades are an artifact of learning and should reflect student achievement only.

6. Grades May Include: Observations Anecdotal notes
Formal and informal assessments
Daily practice activities
Projects

7. Purposes For Grades Communicate achievement
Provide information to students for self-evaluation
Select, identify, or flexibly group students for certain educational paths or programs
Provide incentives to learn
Evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs
Why do we give grades

8. Motivation
Grades are not motivators for all students. For students who get grades that are lower than they expect or think they deserve, these grades may act as de-motivators.
Intrinsically motivated students are those who internally complete within themselves for better grades.
What do we know? Engagement is key and this comes from meaningful, rigorous, authentic work.

9. Teachers Desire To…
Feel confident that the grades students get in their classroom/school/district are consistent, accurate, and meaningful, and that they support learning.
Feel confident that the grades they assign students accurately reflect the school’s/district’s published content standards and desired learning outcomes?
Teachers must also reflect on the following….

10. Instructional Indicators
This is to guide the teacher uses in helping the parent understand all of the skills that need to be covered in each grade level. The teacher will highlight what has been covered each semester and the student’s academic grade is based on how he/she performed on those skills that have been introduced and practiced. This is also the time where the teacher will go over the work habits of each student and voice concerns if the student is not consistently completing assignments. Conferences are spent discussing student growth and progress, not necessarily the report card.

11. There should be no surprises at report card time!
Bottom Line Is…
There should be no surprises at report card time!
Our parents want to be informed of their child’s academic progress and work habits. Bottom line is any late work issues or work completion issues should be handled with a phone call home or a meeting with parents, a note home…report card time should not be the first time parents are hearing about a student not turning in their work or performing adequately in class.
There should be no surprises. Does this practice encourage ongoing teacher/parent communication home? Yes it does. I think we all agree that this is what is best for the student.

12. How Do We Address Student Behaviors?
Don’t include student behaviors (effort, participation, adherence to class rules, etc.) in academic grades; include only achievement. Behaviors and motivation are addressed through Effort or Work Habits.
Parents and the students need to know what the student knows and is able to do.
It is also important to know about the child’s effort, behavior, and attendance.
Remember-what the person knows and is able to do may open the doors to the world of work and/or college. But it is those skills that keep them there.

13. Purpose of Homework Prepare students for upcoming instruction
Provide practice and repetition of essential skills previously taught
Give students opportunities to apply or extend learning
Promote study skills, responsibility, and accountability
Promote development of independent learning skills
Afford students opportunities to self-evaluate and progress

14. Teacher’s Responsibility For Homework
Ensure it is meaningful and tied to the learning objectives
Provide timely feedback
Communicate expectations with parents
Assign the appropriate amount based on age/grade/learning ability
Provide necessary resources and support for each student to complete the task
Monitor and hold students accountable for assignments through interventions

15. Student’s Responsibility For Homework
Put forth his/her best effort
Seek help from the teacher or other available school resources when needed
Complete and turn in all assignments on time
Use feedback from homework for self-evaluation

16. What is the goal?
The goal is mastery or proficiency. Students reach proficiency at different times. It is important to know where each child is at academically and revise our instruction to provide a variety of learning opportunities for students.
Appropriate consequence for failing to complete an assignment is completing the assignment, loss of free time/privileges, etc.

17. What Is A Rubric/Chart?
A format that explains the criteria and expectations for an assignment
Explains what must be met to achieve each level of proficiency
Worded in parent and student-friendly ways that explain what teachers are looking for when they judge the quality and deeper understanding of assignments
Accompanied by examples of products

18. Why Use Rubrics/Charts?
Takes the mystery out of expectations
Students never have to wonder what the teacher wants or how the assignment will be graded.
Provide descriptive feedback that is specific, timely, and frequent
Consistency in scoring
Improved teacher instruction

19. Work Habits
Rubrics can be used to address work habits as well. Consistency is important for academic grade expectations but also for work habits and effort expectations. Teachers will work to reach consistency regarding what is considered outstanding, satisfactory, needing improvement and unsatisfactory regarding student effort or work habits.

20. Math Rubric/Chart
Rubrics helps students understand what must be done to receive a grade of Advanced or a 5, Proficient or a 4, and so on.

21. What are weighted grades?
Daily Practice
Formative Assessment/Instruction
Summative Assessment
Worth 15%
Daily short assignments provided for practice
Can be at instructional or on grade level
Worth 35%
“We’ve practiced a skill for awhile but while practicing the skill I am constantly checking for understanding and I’m going to assess the student to see if they are understanding the concept or if I need to find a new way to teach the skill for better understanding.”
Worth 50%
Grade level material only
We’ve been working on this skill for some time. I’m going to assess all of my students on grade level standards to determine their level of proficiency (Advanced, Proficient, Progressing or Beginning).
What factors do not come into play with academic grades? Behavior? If our goal is to reach proficiency on grade level standards then that is what our academic grade mark is for. Behavior comes into play under work habits/effort. With our new grading scale we have three types of assignments. Simply put-Daily and Formative can be retaught and reassessed. Summative is that ‘one-time’ ‘one-stop’ chance in time of assessing to see where the child is on grade level standards.
Examples, Homework or quick practice activities of something just introduced will count for 15% of the total grade at the end of the term. After we have worked on a skill (example main idea) for a few days we might use a formative assessment to assess the child’s understanding at that point in time. Based on the results of this the teacher will reteach, revise his/her instruction to meet each child’s individual learning style or needs. Formative assessments are worth 35% of the total grade at the end of the term. Summative assessments are those “picture in time”, “one stop-assess all students on the same material” and occur at the end of a learning cycle. Summative assessments are given on grade level material and will have no chance of a redo. It is worth a total of 50% of the child’s total grade at report card time. While formative instruction is ongoing and daily, summative assessment will provide an accurate picture of where the child is performing in regards to grade level expectations and/or standards.

22. Formative vs. Summative
Designed to help students improve
Occurs every day during instruction
“Checks for understanding”
Summative:
“Used to make statement of student learning status at a point in time to those outside of the classroom” (Stiggins, et al., 2004, pg. 31)
Grade level standards only
Checks for understanding are what teachers do daily. This can be done in the form of class conversations, question and answers, daily practice activities, quizzes.
Summative Assessments might be in the form of monthly book talks, culminating projects, unit tests, speeches, etc.

23. Why Use Weighted Grades?
Importance of meeting each student at their instructional level and setting the goal for proficiency
Importance of exposing each student to grade level standards and to know where students are performing on grade level standards
Provide parents and teachers with an accurate picture of how the student is doing on grade level standards
Focuses on learning at the end of the learning cycle after the student has had multiple opportunities to practice what has been introduced.
Summative assessments provide the most accurate picture of where the child has grown in the learning process and where the student is performing in regards to grade level standards/materials so more weight is placed on the more important and assessments at the end of the learning cycle.

24. Quality Assignments-Grade 5/6
We do not want our students having more work but work that is high caliber work. For example, this was a historical fiction book talk/novel that was assigned. I am incorporating Social Studies, Listening and Speaking Skills and reading skills. I can look at this one piece of work four different ways, for social studies content, for speaking skills, and to determine if the student can identify the different story elements and explain them to his/her classmate.

25. Daily Practice-Grade 4
This was a graphing assignment that the teacher categorized as a Daily Practice-a short practice assignment after introducing Data Analysis.

26. Formative Assessment-Grade 2
This teacher had been teaching about Planet Earth. For a summative assessment the teacher had the students draw their version of planet Earth and write 5 sentences explaining what they have learned about Planet Earth.

27. Quality Assignments
A 6th grade student is sharing a Book Talk which will fall under Reading, Multiple Literacies, and Speaking and Listening Standards. The teacher provided three different grades for this one assignment. She was assessing the same piece of student work in three different ways.

28. Meaningful Work
This is one of our wonderful sixth grade classrooms. The class had just completed their student on Ancient Civilizations. The student created a brochure with the expectation of explaining the four standards related to Social Studies. This was given in place of a paper/pencil test and the student then presented it for a Speaking grade. The teacher was able to gain far more information from this assessment and presentation and the student completed this area of study with information that he/she is likely to retain for a longer period of time. It was hands-on, authentic instruction and assessment.

29. Why Now? Setting high expectations for our students
Goal of involving students in the grading/learning process
Reviewed the teacher survey to determine grading policies that meet their needs
Helping parents better understand grading goals and procedures

30. K-4 Grading Other Codes:
Grades K-4: Advanced-ADV Proficient-PRF Progressing-PRG Beginning-BEG
Other Codes:
* Needs additional practice
NA Not Assessed
Life Skills/Work Habits:
N or U - Has there been prior parent contact and is there a plan for success for the student?
Throughout the training that Curriculum and Learning consultants have done with teachers it has been stressed that the mark of 1 or 0 (grades 5/6) or Beginning (K-4) is a visual cue to them to continue pushing and offering support for the student to complete the work. This is not a free pass to get by.
Grades K-4 will grade using Advanced, Proficient, Progressing and Beginning. We know if a child receives a Beginning or Progressing mark then he/she will be provided the opportunity to continue working on mastery of the standard (after the teacher has retaught the material and worked with the child.) Once the child reaches mastery a new grade can be entered since our goal, as teachers, is to help our students master a concept while understanding that all children learn at a different pace.
In addition other codes are used to indicate skills that have not been introduced, skills that may need additional practice, if the child is performing on grade level and marks to indicate how the child does on meeting deadlines, getting assignments turned in, and is there a plan for success for that student?

31. What Do You Mean By Proficiency Levels?
This is an example of a K-4 Performance Level Descriptors. At the 5-6 level a 5 is advanced, a 4 is proficient, a 3 is progressing, and 2/1 is beginning. A 0 signifies no evidence of work completion, either due to absence or student not completing work.

32. District Recommendations for K-2
At this point in time it is a building decision regarding requirements for K-2 teachers to use the Infinite Campus online grade book.
Understanding the importance of providing accurate information regarding each child’s academic progress, we will continue to research what is best and developmentally appropriate for our students.
We will make consistent determinations regarding the use of K-2 grade books across the district.
The timeline for this will be

33. Grading Intervals-Grades 5/6
5 A 4 B 3 C 2 D 1 F (attempted the assignment but failed) 0 No evidence of work completion
Other Codes:
* Needs additional practice
NA Not Assessed
Life Skills/Work Habits:
N or U - Has there been prior parent contact and is there a plan for
success for the student?
This scale aligns more closely with a GPA system for secondary. It also helps teachers and parents distinguish the difference between an assignment the student turns in that he/she failed (i.e. low score or a 1) vs. not turning in an assignment at all, either due to absence or just not doing it (i.e. 0). Student work is evidence of the student’s progression towards meeting the grade level standards. If the student has no evidence turned it is would be difficult to provide a level of understanding / grade.

34. For Grades 5/6: Can Any Student Receive a Grade of a 5 or of an A?
If the student can demonstrate deep understanding of a skill or standard then he/she can receive the grade of a 5 or 4.
Does the student have the depth of knowledge to take what he/she has learned and expand that knowledge to make life connections and apply what is learned to real life situations?
Any student can reach proficiency if provided the appropriate support and differentiation of instruction to meet his/her needs.
Ongoing formative assessment will help the student reach proficiency.

35. Updates
Grade books will be updated at a minimum of every other week for every subject area.
Parents can access their student’s grades through the Parent Portal.
Open parent-teacher communication is a must!
Keep in mind that our teachers’ primary responsibility is to teach the students during the day so provide an adequate amount of time for responses to parents.

36. Important Notes Grade books may vary from teacher to teacher
District guidelines include the following suggestions:
1. A minimum of two summative assessments per quarter per content area
2. A minimum of four formative assessment per quarter per content area
3. A minimum of six daily practice per quarter per content area.
*Quality of assignments over quantity
** This is a minimum total of 12 assignments per 45 day quarter.
Teachers have been encouraged to reach a consensus in regards to the number of grades entered in the gradebook.
However, we respect that teachers are individuals with varied teaching styles.
As a result, the content standards will drive the curriculum being taught and all grade books will not be exactly the same in regards to assignments.

37. Accountability Is Key
A plan should be in place to make sure student completes work: Students who do not complete their work or do not turn it in on time, might be required to attend after-school study sessions until the work is completed to a satisfactory level.
What is the plan??? What are the expectations???? Important to share with parents.

38. It Will Take Time The goals are:
Continue to provide information on grading to all stakeholders.
Increased communication regarding student progress for parents and students
Consistency and accurate assessment of students
Accountability for all!
This is a process that will continue to evolve and change as we continue to work to align with secondary and find the most effective way to accurately share student progress.