BBCHS

A New Tradition Begins…

Dr. Brian Wright, Principal

Website: bbchs.org

Phone: 937-3707

Email: bwright@bbchs.org

Twitter: @bbchs307

@drbrianwright

Blog: Educational UpRising

http://euprising.blogspot.com

C

Our Journey 2010 – Creation of the Common Core

State Standards (CCSS) and

Illinois’ adoption

2012-2014 – TL and G Conversations

2013 – Our commitment to the

creation

of new curriculum that is

CCSS

2014 – Roll out of English and Math

curriculum

2015 – Roll out of Social Science and

Our Research Ken O’Connor – 15 Fixes for Broken

Grades

Ken O’Connor – How to Grade for Learning

Rick Wormeli – Fair Isn’t Always Equal

Rick Wormeli – Differentiation from

Planning to Practice

Douglas Reeves – The Case Against the

Zero

Robert Marzano – Transforming Classroom

Grading

Thomas Guskey, Jan Chappuis, Reed

Gillespie, Garnet Hillman, Richard DuFour,

Rick Stiggins

Surveying our

Faculty What is the purpose of grades?

How does our current practice of

teaching and reporting reflect this

purpose?

What elements do we allow to be part

of our grade book that don’t reflect this

purpose?

Surveying our

Faculty What is the purpose of grades?

◦ Grades are designed to communicate

learning

How does our current practice of

teaching and reporting reflect this

purpose?

◦ Not to standards; Letter grade is an

average

What elements do we allow to be part

of our grade book that do not reflect

this purpose?

◦ Participation; Effort; Behavior;

Driven to ChangeWhy would anyone want to change

current grading practices?

“Grades are so imprecise that they are

almost meaningless.” Robert Marzano

BBCHS’ Goal for

Grades:1. Accurate

2. Consistent

3. Meaningful

4. Supportive of Learning

Standards-Based

Mindset:

Grades cannot be

a reward!

Standards-Based involves….

Quick Explanation

Feedback from assessments should be linked to

learning targets. (Marzano, 2011)

Students should be permitted to remedy

deficiencies in their learning when assessment

reveals them. (Dueck, 2011)

Scores should communicate students’ degree of

mastery of the learning targets only. (O’Connor & Wormeli,

2011)

The SBL MindsetAccuracy

Since our goal is to communicate the

amount of learning that has occurred,

we must eliminate all the external

components that inflate or deflate a

grade.

academic v. non-academic

Clear and Consistent

Since our goal is to communicate the

amount of learning that has occurred,

we must have a system that is used

throughout our building regardless of

content or grade level. Expectations

must be given (rubrics).80% summative and 20%

formative

or

100% summative

The SBL Mindset

Meaningful

Since our goal is to communicate the

amount of learning that has occurred, a

student’s grade will measure just that –

what was learned and give students

and parents a clear direction of what is

expected. Grades will be reflective of

each learning outcome.

The SBL Mindset

Supportive of Learning

Since our goal is to communicate the

amount of learning that has occurred,

each student’s grade will be measured

against “mastery” – knowledge and skill

and be able to apply both within various

contexts over time.

Shift from chasing and accumulating points

to chasing and appreciating learning.

The SBL Mindset

1. More informative for all.

2. Greater feedback to students.

3. Better depiction of knowledge/skills.

4. Allows students multiple

opportunities to show mastery of

knowledge/skills.

So Why is SBL

Better?

Response to Intervention (RtI)

◦ Tier 1 = Regular curriculum

◦ Tier 1.5 = Content-Area Study Halls

◦ Tier 2 = MASH; GASH; A2SH; ELA1; ELA2

◦ Tier 3 = Foundations of ELA and Math

(courses)

Multiple opportunities for assessment

◦ Reteach/Relearn

◦ 10 days for reassessment on summatives

Supports for Student

C

SBM: Separating Learning

from BehaviorQuizzes

Tests Labs

Projects

Homework

ETAs

Presentations

Group Work

Unexcused Absence

Discipline

Late Work

Cheating

Effort

Parent Signatures

Participation

Grades need to be less about

compensation and more about

communication!

I Care About These: But Your Grade Comes From These:

• Participation

• Effort

• Attendance Learning Standards

• Behavior

• Teamwork

• Homework

1. Smaller grading scale (2015 ?)

2. Summer School changes (2015 ?)

3. Report Cards by Standards (2016 ?)

4. Communicating behaviors separately

What are Our Next Steps?

Homework – Optional? None?

Limited?

Zeros – Eliminated?

Behaviors – Effort, participation, hard

work, extra credit, etc.

Mean v. Mode v. Most Recent

Several Other Items

There’s an

App for that!

In 9 packing of parachutes, averages are…

Student 1 = 4.6

Student 2 = 5.4

Student 3 = 5.6

Mastery = 6.0

Who is packing your parachute on packing #10?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

S

c

o

r

e

Opportunities

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

Mastery

O’Connor

1. Shouldn’t the school teach students responsibility by

holding them accountable to deadlines and give zeros

for poor work?

2. How is this preparing students for college?

3. What’s going to stop students from not studying the

first time?

4. How is it fair that the middle to low end students get

the same grade as my gifted child?

5. Isn’t this SBL system the classic case of “lowering of

standards” mentality?

FA Qs

Your Thoughts and

Questions