Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy to improve. Robert Garmston Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy to improve. Robert Garmston

MOVING TO A STANDARDS-BASED GRADING SYSTEM: LESSONS LEARNED Presented by: Ria A. Schmidt, Ph.D.

“If the goal of today’s educational system is to determine when (and if) students have met course standards, should we not be keeping achievement records that match the standards we are expected to teach instead of records that are labeled test, homework, book report, class work, quiz, project, presentation or class participation?” -- Bruce Oliver Standards-Based Grading

“How confident are you that the grades students receive in your school are consistent, accurate, meaningful, and supportive of learning?” --Ken O’Connor Standards-Based Grading

Participants will:  Identify and discuss the steps for transitioning from traditional grading to a standards-based grading (SBG) system.  Connect Common Core to process of planning and implementation of SBG.  Receive and utilize practical resources for planning and implementation of SBG. TODAY’S OBJECTIVES

All changes, even positive ones, are scary. Attempts to reach goals through radical or revolutionary means often fail because they heighten fear. But the small steps of kaizen ("improvement") disarm the brain’s fear response, stimulating rational thought and creative play. --Robert Maurer CHANGE

Alksjfalskfjslkdfjskdfja; slkdj;aa;lkjfa;slkjfsal;kj sa;kljfsdlks;lkjfsavvvvv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv;l kjs;l Change Toolkit. Reinventingeducation.org. IBM (2002)

FIRST VS. SECOND ORDER CHANGE Have no doubt, transitioning to a SBG is a Second Order Change -“involves dramatic departures from the expected, both in defining a given problem and in finding a solution” (Marzano et al, 2005) or deep change.

The answers are quite simple: 21 st Century Learner WHY CHANGE (ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S SO HARD)?

The answers are quite simple: WHY CHANGE (ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S SO HARD)?

The answers are quite simple: “Grades are so imprecise that they are almost meaningless.” Marzano, R. J. (2000) WHY CHANGE (ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S SO HARD)?

It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” --Old Chinese Proverb SMALL STEPS

Start wherever you are and start small. --Rita Bailey SO WHERE DO WE BEGIN...

A vision is a clearly stated, achievable, even optimistic organizational aspiration.... needs to paint a picture of a brighter, better future for all school stakeholders (teachers, staff, and students). SO WHERE DO WE BEGIN...

What is your philosophy of grading or vision? You may want to consider:  Why we grade students:  Motivation?  Communication?  Honor roll/High Honors?  To get them ready for the next level?  Determine placement?  Accountability? SO WHERE DO WE BEGIN...

sample BEGIN WITH A VISION Take a few minutes to write a draft of your philosophy of grading or vision... In our school/district, a grade represents a clear and accurate indicator of what a student knows and is able to do. With grades, we document the progress of students and our teaching, we provide feedback to students and their parents, and we make instructional decisions regarding the students.

Leadership responsibilities: 1)Know effects of change and provide vision IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

Leadership responsibilities: 2) Drive and Motivate IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

Leadership responsibilities: 3) Know theory and research IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

Throughout entire process... with EVERYONE Continual education/professional development for EVERYONE SHARING INFORMATION

Board of Education Administrators Teachers Instructional Staff Staff Parents Students Community Members Anyone else not mentioned here who is involved in school/district WHO IS EVERYONE?

Leadership responsibilities: 4) Take a risk/challenge the status quo “Why fix it when it ain’t broken!”. IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

Leadership responsibilities: 5) Evaluation Data Hard Anecdotal IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

Leadership responsibilities: 6) Be like Gumby Flexible Open to input IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

STEP 1: DEVELOP A TIMELINE : Deconstruct Common Core : Professional Development on Standards-based Grading Philosophy Create SBG Committee : Continued Professional Development Develop format for report card

“ON TARGET” Students can hit any target they can see and which stands still for them. (Stiggins, R.)

STEP 2: DECONSTRUCTING THE COMMON CORE Things to keep in mind: Keep the content to what can actually be taught in the time you have. Should be written in a way that enhances classroom instruction and assessment. Must be measureable Must be unidimensional

STEP 2: DECONSTRUCTING THE COMMON CORE  Begin by creating a content area (e.g., ELA) committee of teachers and administrators  Divide the committee into grade bands, such as: K-2, 3-5, 6-8  Provide resources  Professional development  Technology

STEP 2: DECONSTRUCTING THE COMMON CORE Questions to ask:  What must students know?  What must students be able to do?

STEP 2: DECONSTRUCTING THE COMMON CORE Knowledge Reasoning Performance/skills Products

Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5; Key Ideas and Details Grade 5 : Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. Learning Targets: Knowledge Targets Skill Targets Reasoning Targets Product Targets Understand the concepts of main idea and key details Identify main ideas and key details in text Analyze the themes and main ideas of a work considering its audience and Purpose Explain how Key details support main Ideas Summarize Text

Grade 3: Blooms Grade 4: Blooms Grade 5: Blooms Reading/Literature: Students will read and respond to a wide range of writing to build an understanding of written materials of themselves, and of others. Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading. Apply word recognition skills such as rereading and applying letter-sound relationships, including vowel sounds, medial sounds, consonant blends, and consonant digraphs. 3Use word recognition skills such as analyzing word structures. 3Apply word recognition skills to increase vocabulary through the study of multiple meanings, context clues, and word structure. 3

Grade 3: Blooms Grade 4: Blooms Grade 5: Blooms Interprets how illustrations convey the meaning of text. 4Analyze how illustrations, graphs, and maps support written text. 4Understand and use visual aids such as graphs and maps. 3 Break down words into components such as root words, prefixes and suffixes. 4Infer the meaning of unfamiliar words by examining known words and phrases, including roots, prefixes and suffixes. 4Apply knowledge of sentence and word meanings to understand unfamiliar words and clarify passages. 3 Find the meaning of unfamiliar words by identifying known words and using phonemic awareness. 3Apply phonemic awareness by pronouncing and understanding unfamiliar words and text. 3Use text format such as boldfaced print, cause- and-effect and sequence of events as aids to comprehension. 3

“I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” --Albert Einstein

STEP 3 : DEVELOP GUIDELINES differentiation separate behavior and academic grades purposeful homework formative assessments/feedback averaging late work/incompletes extra credit zeroes multiple summative assessments

 Differentiation GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

 Separate behavior and academics

 Homework  Purposeful  Graded? "Think left, and think right, and think low, and think high. Oh the thinks you can think if only you try." ~Dr. Seuss GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

 Averaging GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” --Albert Einstein

 Late work/incompletes GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

 Extra credit GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES “Don’t give points for extra credit or use bonus points; seek only evidence that more work has resulted in a higher level of achievement.” O’Connor, K. (2010)

Traditional Scale % Points Total (A)10 points (B)10 points (C)10 points (D)10 points Zero-60 (F)60 points GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

 Zeroes  On a traditional scale, the % range for each level is 10%  Teachers will use “I.D.” (insufficient data) on the progress report. GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

 Formative assessment/Feedback  Multiple summative assessments GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

FORMATIVE/SUMMATIVE FLOW CHART Preassessment

THE POWER OF ASSESSMENT “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.” Rick Stiggins - Assessment Trainers Institute

Oral Report Lecture Rock opera Debate Seminar Discussion group Interview Choral speech Song Telephone conversation Musical composition Talk show Lesson Scenario Play Slogan/jingle Skit Prototype Puppet Show Demonstration Slide Show Poster Scrapbook Advertisement Scroll Pamphlet Book cover Manual Timeline Vertical file Puzzle Brochure Simulation Computer Program Game Performance CD-ROM Overheads Docudrama Invention News program Audio/videotape Experiment Essay Poetry Written Group anthology Report Questionnaire Story Booklet Play script Manual Diary Magazine article Book Letter to editor, author, or expert Survey Book review/report Document Proclamation Annotated bibliography “What if” story Newspaper article Myth/legend Artifact Collection Chart Mural Map Mobile Masks Model Photographs Collection Diorama Illustration Matrices Photo essay Blueprint Diagram Display Cartoon or comic strip Web Construction Costume Visual Sculpture Learning center Project Cube Artistic Creation Pantomime

GRADING/ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES Pre-assessment Analyze the results Post-assessment Analyze the results and determine next steps Organize Instructional groups Use data to plan and evaluate lessons and give feedback Observe and monitor Provide Focused Instruction Daily Instruction

STEP 3 : DEVELOP GUIDELINES differentiation separate behavior and academic grades purposeful homework formative assessments/feedback averaging late work/incompletes extra credit zeroes multiple summative assessments

STEP 4: CREATE STANDARDS- BASED GRADING COMMITTEE Administrators Central Office Building Teachers All content areas All grade levels Parents Students

STEP 5: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Administrators/Board of Ed Members

STEP 5: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Teachers Opportunities to meet with grade- level peers Work with grade-level peers to create rubrics for the benchmarks

STEP 5: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Parents Start at the beginning What is a standard? Benchmark?

STEP 5: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Students

STEP 6: CREATE REPORT CARD FORMAT Committee work How many benchmarks? Where are 21 st Century skills/behavior included? What symbols for proficiency? Letter grades? At what levels?

PROFICIENCY SCALE EXAMPLE 4321 Meets grade level expectation with excellence Meets grade level expectations Progressing towards meeting grade level expectations Not meeting grade level expectations WOWRight on targetGetting thereStruggling No teacher assistance needed. Student understood concept without teacher help. After teacher explanation and guided practice, student understood concept. Student is beginning to understand concept, but needs a little more guidance. Student does not understand the concept and needs much more guidance

STEP 6: CREATE REPORT CARD FORMAT Feedback Administrators/Board of Ed Teachers Parents Students

STEP 7: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Teachers Opportunities to meet with grade- level peers Work with grade-level peers to create rubrics for the benchmarks

EXAMPLE LA.S1.B3 Grade 3: Identify the differences between fiction and non- fiction and determine their purpose. (entertain or inform) 4321 Without teacher help, the student knows a fiction text from a non-fiction text and can tell the purpose of the text. After description and guided practice from the teacher, a student can tell if a text is fiction or non- fiction and can explain the purpose (either entertain or inform) With teacher questioning, the student understands the concept of fiction and non- fiction, but still has trouble identifying the purpose of a text The student cannot tell the difference between a fiction and nonfiction text and has no concept of purpose.

STEP 8: ROLL OUT REPORT CARD

STEP 9: FEEDBACK/EVALUATION  Implement report card for three quarters/two trimesters  Provide feedback survey/focus groups for:  Teachers  Parents  Students

5a. Do you feel you are receiving more information about your child as a learner from this new progress report? Why or why not? 7a. Do you feel differentiation (meeting the needs of every child by teaching to various skill levels) is happening in your child's classrooms? In what ways? Yes My children have been given additional advanced work to keep them learning & not become bored w/things they already know. Help is still available if needed. NoI would to keep scoring the traditional way on the A-F scale. I believe it tells the whole picture of my child's performance - not just the school work turned in. The new progress report is not "real" world. Our bosses aren't going to give us raises if things are done on time. NoMeeting the needs of every child is not possible in classrooms today. One teacher cannot meet the needs of students each day. There are too many levels of students in traditional classrooms to keep them all challenged all the time. I prefer the "break out" concept where students of different levels go to different teachers for help. They used to do this with the TAG program.

STEP 10: REVISE/CONTINUE

LAST THOUGHTS... “Education would be so much more effective if its purpose were to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they don't know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it." --Sir William Haley, British newspaper editor and broadcasting administrator

QUESTIONS?

Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty B.A. (2005). School leadership that works: From research to results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. O’Connor, K. (2002). How to Grade for Learning: Linking Grades to Standards, 2 nd Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Marzano, R. J. (2000). Transforming Classroom Grading. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. O’Connor, K. (2010). A Repair Kit for Grading: Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades, 2 nd Edition. Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair isn’t always equal: Assessing & Grading in the differentiated classroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Change Toolkit. Reinventingeducation.org. IBM (2002) REFERENCES