THE BASICS OF STANDARDS

BASED GRADING

Ty Duncan, ESC 17 Senior Specialist

“I haven’t got the slightest idea how to change people, but I keep a long list of prospective candidates just in case I should ever figure it out.”

---David Sedaris

BECOMING A GREAT HIGH SCHOOL

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109052.aspx

EXAMINING HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE GRADING PRACTICE

The Practice of Giving Students Zeroes – Number 1

The Practice of Combing Academic --Performance with Citizenship and Work Habits – Number 2

The Practice of Giving Extra Credit – Number 3

The Practice of Averaging – Number 4

Becoming a Great High School, pgs 76-83, 2009

GRADING CRITERIA

“Students must be invited to participate in determining the criteria by which their work will be judged, and then play a role in weighing their work against those criteria.” -- Alfie Kohn

STUDENT’S THOUGHTS ON GRADING?

What will the teacher give me on this?

What does the teacher want? Why did I get this grade? What can I do to improve

this grade? That grade/teacher/class is

stupid. I don’t care.

The Bell Curve

Norm-Referenced Tests• e.g. ITBS, SAT, GRE, LSAT, Stat9, NAEP• Purpose: To sort, select, classify, compare• Information: How one compares with others• Results: reported as percentile (%) rank• Always yields a bell curve• Assumes a non-aligned curriculum

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Criterion-References Tests• e.g. TExES, TAKS, license/certification, teacher-made• Purpose: To determine knowledge of defined criteria• Information: How well an individual performs• Results: Reported as % of

criteria known• Goal is to yield J curve• Assumes an alignedcurriculum• Assumes most people can learn most things in time.

Time

The J Curve

OUR OWN PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH GRADING… Experience is NOT the best teacher “If you do not have a theory to provide a

framework to understand your experience, you do not accumulate 30 years of experience…” Myron Tribus

Just because you were graded on a bell curve doesn’t make it the best approach to teaching and learning today.

GRADING HISTORICALLY Turn to Page 13 in the Marzano book. Number off at your table 1-4 Number 1 you read “The Imprecision of

Assessments (pages 13-15) Number 2 you read “Grading” (pages 15-16_ Number 3 you read “Norm-Referenced

Grading” (pages 16-17) Number 4 you read “Standards based

Grading” (pages 17-19)

You will teach this section to your table in 8 minutes.

WHAT WE HAVE VALUED HISTORICALLY? He who gets the most right correctly

after one exposure is the smartest and deserves the most credit.

Hard work!! Effort!! Determination!! Perseverance!! Turning work in on time!!! (He who

doesn’t must not know the content) 70% -- If you know only 69% you must

be a failure

WHAT IS

Fair? Equal? Equitable?

ASSESSMENT: “OF” AND “FOR” LEARNING Assessment of learning provides

evidence of achievement Assessment for learning serves to help

students learn more

Richard Stiggins

ABILITY TO MEMORIZE = SMART? “Cramming does not provide meaningful information that remains in the brain as neural networks to which connections can be added…”

Marilee Springer-Learning and Memory

Grades must be based on what students have learned, not what they have done.

Behavioral issues must be separated from academic issues for grading purposes.

RICK WORMELI: ZEROS?

WHAT DO GRADES COMMUNICATE? Failure? Laziness? Lack of Content Understanding? Perseverance? Family Support? Great Teaching? Great Learning? “Playing the Game”? Memorizing?

Pick one of these and make a case for it at your table.

REDOS?

ASSESSMENT

Rubric: A scoring system that allows teacher to place value on components of a given assessment product.

• States the criteria to be examined and assessed;• Usually contains a scale (ex. 1-4) of different points

possible per criterion; • Provides students with expectations about what will be

assessed and standards that need to be met;• Increases consistency in the rating of student mastery;• Provides students with “road signs” - information about

where they are in relation to where they need to be.

FEEDBACK IS CRITICAL“When you don’t get input it feels like school …When you do get input – it feels like learning.”

George A., Student, Redding CA

MEASURE THE STANDARD NOT “THE WORK” Citizenship. The student understands the importance

of voluntary individual participation in the democratic process. The student is expected to: (A) explain the role of significant individuals such as

Thomas Hooker, Charles de Montesquieu, John Locke, William Blackstone, and William Penn in the development of self-government in colonial America;

(B) evaluate the contributions of the Founding Fathers as models of civic virtue; and

Does a student who matches the people found in (a) on a worksheet deserve a hundred in the grade book?

How do you define FULL KNOWLEDGE of the student expectation above?

Student A Student B

HW 1 0 100HW 2 0 100Quiz 1 100 63HW 3 0 100HW 4 0 100Quiz 2 100 54HW 5 0 100HW 6 0 100Quiz 3 100 61Participation 90 90Unit Test 100 58 6 Week Ave. 53.1 80.2

Quiz –daily grade; Test = 3 daily grades

Ms. Smith’s 9th Grade Algebra Class – 1st 6 Weeks

• What do/should grades measure?• How much of a role do/should attitude and effort play in a grade?• What role does/should homework play?• What is the purpose of a report card grade?• Do/Should report card grades and TAKS scores be similar?

GRADING PROBLEMS Many assignments are not as

“objective” as teachers would like. Rigorous work is going to take a change

in the way we grade. Grading a standard and not work takes

increased teacher sophistication.

DR. DOUGLAS REEVES ON GRADING

ASSESSMENT

Rubric: A scoring system that allows teacher to place value on components of a given assessment product.

• States the criteria to be examined and assessed;• Usually contains a scale (ex. 1-4) of different points

possible per criterion; • Provides students with expectations about what will be

assessed and standards that need to be met;• Increases consistency in the rating of student mastery;• Provides students with “road signs” - information about

where they are in relation to where they need to be.

Writing the Constitution:Performance Indicator

4Evaluate

3Analy

ze

2Comp

re.

1Know

.

Write a letter to the delegates meeting to discusschanging the Articles of Confederation. In the letter,summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the Articlesof Confederation and explain the issues that are evidenceof the weak confederation. (8.15B; 8.29B)

The letter evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles and weighs them against each other in a sophisticated way that would persuade the delegates.

The letter analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles and gives evidence for the delegates.

The letter demonstrates basic comprehension of the strengths and weaknesses, but does not summarize or give evidence to persuade delegates.

The letter demonstrates basic factual knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses but does not explain, summarize or give evidence to persuade delegates.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF GRADE BOOK

8.1.b 8.2c 8.4b 8.5f 8.7d 8.7e 4 Point Scale

100 Point Scale

Ty 3 4 4 3 4 4 3.66 92

Larry 4 3 3 2 4 1 2.83 85

Tony 2 4 2 1 2 4 2.5 63

Frank 1 2 3 4 4 3 2.83 85

Oscar 4 2 1 2 1 4 2.33 59

Kyle 4 3 3 4 5 4 3.83 96

• Average the 4 point scale and multiply by 25 to create the hundred point number for grade reporting.• This also becomes your targeted intervention document for students who are failing to grasp the content.• The learning is also not complete on this document as I would be willing to go back and change the grade if they demonstrated greater understanding during the six weeks.

REDOS?

QUICKER, EASIER WAYS TO ASSESS AND REASSESS

http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/jwb/Rubrics/DiscRub.htm

Truth In the Middle?

Failure

WHAT CAN WE DO NOW? We can separate behavior from content! We can measure the standard at the appropriate

level of rigor and complexity! We can begin utilizing rubrics and conversion

scales to satisfy policy and ensure students are learning!

We can monitor individual student progress much like the chart system Marzano has on page 115-117 in his book!

We can provide appropriate targeted interventions when students cannot meet the challenges of increased rigor in the classroom!

We can begin crucial conversations regarding student feedback and grading!