Shifting to Standards-Based Grading

I have written about grades before (January 2017).  Yet, I think it is a topic worth revisiting.  This summer I have been reading numerous books and articles about grading practices, and it has led me to want to revamp my practices even more than I already have.  Grades, in my opinion, should reflect a student's mastery of standards and skills.  They should not reflect compliance. They may or may not reflect effort.  However, with effort, all students should be able to be successful. So, what do I believe needs to happen?

MY SUMMER READING

1) Allow students opportunities to redo, revise, and retake.  Yes, that includes tests.   Oh, and don't average the first test with the retake.  Give the student the highest score.  Some may argue that this isn't fair; the student should have studied harder the first time.  Well, some students don't learn in the same way or at the same pace as other students.  They are already having to spend more time studying and retaking the exam; that is enough of a consequence.  

2) Allow students to turn in late work.  Oh, and don't take off points if something is turned in late.  Again, are we grading compliance?  A few years ago I was a real stickler about NOT accepting late work.  Why?  I thought I was teaching kids responsibility.  Instead, I was teaching them how easy it was to get out of doing something. 

3) Provide more feedback as students are working and before they turn something in for a grade.  This was a goal I set for myself last year, and it was the best thing I EVER did.  When students are working on a group project, walk around.  Ask them questions about their work, point out ways they could improve, and even teach a mini-lesson on the fly.  When students are writing essays, meet with them in small groups and give feedback.  This can be done through Google or just sitting next to a student and talking with them. GRADES are NOT feedback.  

4) IF you do give homework, make sure it is meaningful and equitable. Although I am not a fan of homework, I know some teachers feel otherwise.  If only I had all the money that I spent on school projects for my own kids, we could all go to Ruth's Chris for dinner...every night for a month!  Homework should not cost money.  It should not require parents.  It should not make children cry.  It should not take hours. It should not count towards a grade.  It should be either practice or enrichment.  

5) Extra credit should not be a thing.  I want my class to be about learning, not credit.  If a student does not have the grade he wants, it is due to the lack of mastery of a skill or standard.  As a teacher, I can show the student where he is deficient and either help him revise a former assignment to show mastery or even come up with a new way for him to show mastery.  Some teachers give extra credit for bringing in Kleenex boxes, watching a curriculum related film outside of class, or even turning in unused bathroom passes at the end of the semester (don't get me started).  None of these reflect mastery of a skill or standard.  

6) Provide opportunities for students to reflect and assess their own work. Give students a rubric and have them assess their own work.  Have them write you a letter justifying the grade they think they should receive. I have found that students are often harder on themselves than I am. 

7) Provide feedback without a grade. Fill out the rubric, but do not put a letter grade. Have students read over your comments then conference with them regarding the grade they believe they've earned.  Of course, they can STILL revise for a better grade! 

8) Communicate learning targets. Tell students ahead of time what it is they are expected to learn and be able to do.  Give them ample opportunities to practice skills before assessing them. Do not grade the practice.  Instead, like a good coach, give feedback instead. 

9) Get rid of the A+. I know some teachers will disagree, but I am not a fan of the A+.  When I go to a restaurant, I look to see the health rating.  If I see an A, I feel fairly confident that I won't die if I eat there.  Yet, what if the health department could give an A+ score? Guess what? I would no longer feel too excited about eating in a restaurant with an A rating. An A grade means exemplary.  What is better than exemplary?  Besides, the potential to earn an A+ turns students into point mongers who offer to bring Kleenex.

10) Never let a student feel like they might as well give up.  With the traditional 100 point scale, it's easy for students to feel defeated early on.  After all, if they earn a perfect score on a test and a 50% on the next, they are already staring at a C. A four-point grading scale is much better.  

Although I know switching to this new system is going to be more work for me, I am excited. It is better for students.  

Here is a link to the Wakelet I created. It includes the books, videos, podcasts, and articles I used to make my decision.

Letter to send to parents

Slide show I created to share with my principal