High schools plan transition ot standards-based grading
by phoebe werner
The way that Craig’s teachers assess the learning of their students will soon change.
Starting in the fall of 2020, Craig will move to standards-based grading.
This change has been in the works for several years.
In 2014, the district’s Learning and Innovation Team began to research educational grading systems and policies that were benefiting other schools across the nation.
“As the group learned more about effective grading practices, it became evident that standards-based grading was something that we wanted to learn more about,” said Kristen Worm, one of Craig’s academic learning coaches.
The district then began consulting experts.
Myron Dueck, an international grading expert, spoke to the district’s staff about standards-based grading last year.
Since then, Craig teachers have participated in professional development sessions and have read On Your Mark by Thomas Guskey, another assessment expert, to develop their understanding of using standards to assess students.
Teachers are beginning to analyze their course content, prioritize subject matter, and create standards and assessments based on their analysis.
This framework will continue to develop for the next couple of years until implementation takes place.
“The standards-based grading policy will be used to better determine what areas of learning students excel in and those where they need improvement,” said Worm.
This style of grading breaks down subject matter into smaller chunks, called “learning targets.”
These “targets” are skills and concepts that are expected to be mastered throughout the duration of the course.
“Teachers will report student growth on each target after every assessment by summarizing the student’s proficiency of course material,” said Worm.
“This way, students will receive more feedback about their understanding of each learning target. Upon receiving this feedback, students will also receive a letter grade.”
The School District of Janesville decided to adopt a standards-based grading policy into its high schools because it has already been implemented into the city’s elementary and middle schools.
Plus, this change is designed to allow teachers to report student achievement with accuracy and impartiality.
“Standards-based grading will also make educators more aware of what topics students need more assistance with, allowing them to adjust their lesson plans and instruction according to student need,” said Worm.
The Learning and Innovation Team continues to plan for work that needs to be done to completely and successfully transition into the standards-based grading policy by the fall of 2020.
The High School Instructional Team has been in contact with other Wisconsin districts that have successfully transitioned to a standards-based grading system.
The new system will not affect post-secondary opportunities, since students will continue to receive letter grades and be given the opportunity to take a rigorous class load, including the Advanced Placement, honors, and post-secondary articulated courses that are valued by colleges.
The School District of Janesville continues to broaden its and its staff’s minds about the standards-based grading policy.
They believe this new policy will be beneficial for students to know what areas of each class they need to spend more time studying, so they can fully understand all of a course’s “learning targets” and master a class.
Starting in the fall of 2020, Craig will move to standards-based grading.
This change has been in the works for several years.
In 2014, the district’s Learning and Innovation Team began to research educational grading systems and policies that were benefiting other schools across the nation.
“As the group learned more about effective grading practices, it became evident that standards-based grading was something that we wanted to learn more about,” said Kristen Worm, one of Craig’s academic learning coaches.
The district then began consulting experts.
Myron Dueck, an international grading expert, spoke to the district’s staff about standards-based grading last year.
Since then, Craig teachers have participated in professional development sessions and have read On Your Mark by Thomas Guskey, another assessment expert, to develop their understanding of using standards to assess students.
Teachers are beginning to analyze their course content, prioritize subject matter, and create standards and assessments based on their analysis.
This framework will continue to develop for the next couple of years until implementation takes place.
“The standards-based grading policy will be used to better determine what areas of learning students excel in and those where they need improvement,” said Worm.
This style of grading breaks down subject matter into smaller chunks, called “learning targets.”
These “targets” are skills and concepts that are expected to be mastered throughout the duration of the course.
“Teachers will report student growth on each target after every assessment by summarizing the student’s proficiency of course material,” said Worm.
“This way, students will receive more feedback about their understanding of each learning target. Upon receiving this feedback, students will also receive a letter grade.”
The School District of Janesville decided to adopt a standards-based grading policy into its high schools because it has already been implemented into the city’s elementary and middle schools.
Plus, this change is designed to allow teachers to report student achievement with accuracy and impartiality.
“Standards-based grading will also make educators more aware of what topics students need more assistance with, allowing them to adjust their lesson plans and instruction according to student need,” said Worm.
The Learning and Innovation Team continues to plan for work that needs to be done to completely and successfully transition into the standards-based grading policy by the fall of 2020.
The High School Instructional Team has been in contact with other Wisconsin districts that have successfully transitioned to a standards-based grading system.
The new system will not affect post-secondary opportunities, since students will continue to receive letter grades and be given the opportunity to take a rigorous class load, including the Advanced Placement, honors, and post-secondary articulated courses that are valued by colleges.
The School District of Janesville continues to broaden its and its staff’s minds about the standards-based grading policy.
They believe this new policy will be beneficial for students to know what areas of each class they need to spend more time studying, so they can fully understand all of a course’s “learning targets” and master a class.