MeTA musings

Here in Iowa, we're fairly new to the "state standards" movement.  We've jumped on board the math and literacy common core movement and have standards for science, social studies and 21st century skills.

One of my roles as district curriculum lead is to help teachers better understand the connections between curriculum, instruction and assessment and how it all relates to state and federal accountability.   We have a few upcoming deadlines in which the state of Iowa is requiring all school districts to move away from historically locally created standards and benchmarks in order to adopt the new state standards.  Like it or not, gone are the days of local control in the area of what each student should know and be able to do!   With this shift comes a bit of anxiety (and rightly so, in my opinion) on the part of teachers across the state.  It may sound something like...

"Oh, no!  I used to teach ________ in Algebra II, now I have to teach it in Algebra 1.  Help!!!"

or

"Have you read the standards?  How will I ever have time to teach all of this content?"

Here are my typical responses:

• There is no such thing as the "Common Core Police,"at least literally speaking. The department of education will not be sending people around the state to visit classrooms for the purpose of ensuring every single state standard is taught.  The "teeth" I've seen in other states (and it appears to be the way Iowa is headed as well) comes from the state assessments tied to the standards.
• Given that assessments are the built-in accountability measure for ensuring students learn the state standards, it is reasonable to suggest that not all state standards will be assessed on the standardized tests.  Time constraints realistically limit the number of standards that can be assessed on these instruments.

"If the state standards are truly to be the basis for all instruction in the state, then educators must decide which standards at each grade level are the most critical to be taught.  Since teachers cannot possibly teach all the state standards, let's decide on the state standards that students absolutely must learn and then do everything to ensure students learn these identified standards" (Crawford, 2011, p. 16)

Part three in the standards-based grading "how-to" crowdsourcing project.  Today, we're talking about the stuff that happens after the final regularly scheduled whole group assessment for a given standard.  In other words, 

How do we handle re-takes in a standards-based grading classroom?

What practical applications am I missing in this grading guideline document?  Your suggestions are welcome in the comments.  
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Grading Guideline:  


Summary:
What it means....

• Students learn at different subjects at varying rates, therefore students who did not demonstrate understanding by [insert date] should be allowed to demonstrate understanding at a later date.  
• Teachers should provide individual students additional opportunities to demonstrate understanding after the final regularly scheduled whole group assessment for that particular standard. This can take place during class, study hall, seminar and/or outside of regular school hours.  
• Teachers should consider utilizing multiple ways of assessing the same standard for different students.   
• Students complete additional assessments targeting specific standards they currently do not understand at a high level.

What it doesn’t mean...

• Students should be encouraged to retake assessments without first completing additional learning opportunities individually or with the teacher, peer or parent.  
• Reassessments must be optional.  
• Grading periods are eliminated or students’ quarter/semester grades need to be changed after the end of the grading period.
• Students must complete the entire assessment again if they have already demonstrated a high level of understanding of a standard on a previous assessment.  

Briefs from the literature:
“Classroom assessments and grading should focus on how well – not on when – the student mastered the designated knowledge and skill” (McTighe & O’Connor, 2005)


“The goal is that all students learn the content, not just the ones who can learn on the uniform time line. Curriculum goals don't require that every individual reaches the same level of proficiency on the same day, only that every student achieves the goal.” (Wormeli, 2011)



Putting it into practice:

Part two in the standards-based grading "how-to" crowdsourcing project.  Today, we're talking about extra credit.

I'm especially struggling with the "common pitfalls to avoid."  Your critiques and suggestions are welcome in the comments!
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Grading Guideline:  

Summary:
What it means....

• Individual students will not be given extra assignments to be completed that will artificially improve their final grade.  
• Students will not be awarded points towards the final grade that are based on providing classroom supplies.
• Grades should improve when students learn at higher levels rather than when they complete additional work.

What it doesn’t mean...

• No longer providing students with extra practice or extension opportunities.  

Briefs from the literature:
“Sadly, this emphasis on earning points in order to procure the grade commodity diminishes the value of learning”  (Guskey and Bailey, 2001, p. 20)

“A low grade simply communicates a learning gap; the way to raise the grade is to learn more” (Winger, 2005, p. 64)

Putting it into practice:

I was reading through some notes I took a few years ago...

"Indeed, at the writing of this book, no major study (that we are aware of) has demonstrated that simply grading in an standards-based manner enhances student achievement.  However,...a fairly strong case can be made that student achievement will be positively affected if standards-based reporting is rooted in a clear-cut system of formative assessment" (Marzano, 2010, p. 18).

...and was again reminded that changing grading practices is only the first step in the standards-based grading shift so frequently alluded to on this blog.  


Lorna Earl describes what can happen when we teachers really begin to re-evaluate their assessment practices,

"Teachers who are working with a new view of assessment as part of learning are finding that it isn't possible to change assessment and leave everything else the same.  When assessment changes, so does teaching, so does classroom organization, and so does interaction with students and parents" (2003, p. 45).

Today, I'm reminding myself of the need to focus on changes in assessment practices as much or more than grading practices.

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References:

• Earl, L. M. (2003). Assessment as Learning: Using Classroom Assessment to Maximize Student Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
• Marzano, R. J. (2010) Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. 

A teacher recently asked...

"What is the connection between our district's professional learning community philosophy and standards-based grading?"  

Here is what I came up with and shared with our teaching staff...

The questions guiding the work of our professional learning community philosophy are in orange followed by a comparison with assignments-based grading (likely the system we all grew up with) and standards-based grading.

Assignments-based grading: Grade book entries may say “test” or “project.”  The specific standards students should be learning may or may not be communicated with parents or students. Students who are receiving low grades may ask to complete or re-do activities rather than learn at a higher level.

vs.

Standards-based grading: Grading guideline “Entries in the grade book that count towards the final grade will be limited to course or grade level standards” Standards explicitly stated on tests, quizzes, projects, etc.  These standards are also listed in the grade book to give parents, students and teachers a clear picture of what students are to be learning. 

Teachers plan classroom activities and assessments that have explicitly communicated connections with course or grade level standards.  

Assignments-based grading: Grades based on quizzes and tests determine students who may need extra time and support. A “B’ may mean a student has not turned in some work, but is learning at a high level.  This makes using letter grades as an indicator challenging to determine which students have learned at a high level.
 Individual teachers determine student proficiency and there may be significant variability between classes or grade levels.

vs.

Standards-based grading: Grading guideline, “Teachers will determine grade book entries by considering multiple points of data emphasizing the most recent data and provide evidence to support their determination.” Teachers collaboratively create common formative assessments and their corresponding rubrics. These assessments are based on power standards, a subset of the class standards, which are communicated to students and parents.

Assignments-based grading: Teachers may respond when students are receiving a low grade or do not perform well on an assignment or test.
 It may be challenging to differentiate which specific standards students are experiencing difficulty. Extra credit may be used to provide students an opportunity to raise their grade.   The extra credit activities may or may not be related to standards students are currently experiencing difficulty.    

vs.

Standards-based grading: Grading guidelines, “Students will be allowed multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of classroom standards in various ways.  Retakes and revisions will be allowed” and “Extra credit will not be given at any time.” Teachers respond first in their class to students who do not currently understand class standards.  This information is readily available, because assessment feedback is broken down by standard.
 Teams of teachers collaboratively discuss results of common formative assessments.  Students who are experiencing difficulty are provided extra time and support, i.e. supplemental groups, in-class differentiation, after school tutoring, additional teaching during home base or seminar time. 

This time is more purposeful, because individuals and teams of teachers can clearly pinpoint what students are struggling with and provide the focused support they need to learn the standards.   When students later demonstrate higher levels of understanding, this information is communicated in the grade book and does not penalize slower learners.  

Assignments-based grading: Teachers may respond when students are receiving a high grade or have performed well on an assignment or test.
 It may be challenging to differentiate which specific standards students have already demonstrated understanding. Extension activities may or may not be related to areas in which students have already demonstrated a high level of understanding.

vs.

Standards-based grading: Grading guidelines, “Students will be allowed multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of classroom standards in various ways.  Retakes and revisions will be allowed” and “Extra credit will not be given at any time.” Teams of teachers collaboratively discuss results of common formative assessments.  Students who have already demonstrated understanding are provided extension activities related to course content and/or non-essential standards, i.e. supplemental groups, gifted education services, in-class differentiation.

What did I miss?

The school district I work for recently approved a series of grading guidelines which will be adopted by all teachers over the next two years.  (I plan to write more about the change process we went through at a later date.) I am really excited to be a part of a district-wide standards-based grading movement.  With this excitement comes a bit of nervousness though.  Early adopters, and we have a solid core of them in my district, have already been using these grading guidelines in one way or another for a unit, a semester, a year, or in some cases love it so much they blog about it already.  


The challenge ahead of me and the early adopters is helping all of our staff understand the approved grading guidelines, what they mean, what they don't mean and how to put them into practice.  

1. Entries in the grade book that count towards the final grade will be limited to course or grade level standards.**  
2. Extra credit will not be given at any time.
3. Students will be allowed multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of classroom standards in various ways.  Retakes and revisions will be allowed.  
4. Teachers will determine grade book entries by considering multiple points of data emphasizing the most recent data and provide evidence to support their determination.
5. Students will be provided multiple opportunities to practice standards independently through homework or other class work.  Practice assignments and activities will be consistent with classroom standards for the purpose  of providing feedback.  Practice assignments, including homework, will not be included as part of the final grade.  

As a teacher, I used these guidelines myself and although I still regularly lead professional development and present at conferences on assessment and grading reform, I am a bit rusty when it comes to the nuts and bolts of putting these ideas into practice in a variety of disciplines.  Talking with and observing teachers, reading every single #sbar tweet and standards-based grading blog post I can find keeps me grounded in practice, but I still admit I don't have all of the answers in this grading shift.

Here is where I am hoping my readership (YOU!) might help.  I am in the midst of creating a discipline-neutral "how to" document for each grading guideline.  I'd like to crowdsource these documents throughout the summer before using them with teachers this fall.  The purpose of these documents is to expedite teachers' understanding and implementation of the grading guidelines while avoiding common pitfalls we've all tried and failed at in our own classrooms.

You may be thinking, "Hold on, what's in this for me?!"  I am committed to posting the "final" versions of these grading guideline documents here in August for anyone to use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial -ShareAlike 3.0 license and, if time allows, these ideas will form the basis for a self-published book. Thanks in advance for your contributions to this project.

Without further ado, here is a draft of the "how-to" document for grading guideline #1.  Your feedback, particularly in the "summary" and "putting it into practice" areas are greatly appreciated - leave your critiques in the comments!

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Grading Guideline:  

Summary:
What it means....

• When creating a new entry in the grade book that counts towards the final grade, it must be a standard such as “Find the area of a regular polygon by applying trigonometric ratios” or “Understands how evolution occurs (natural selection, mutation, migration, and genetic drift).”
• Assignments or other activities that do not count towards the final grade may still be recorded in the grade book as long as they do not count towards the final grade.

What it doesn’t mean...

• Course or grade level standards must be word-for-word from the Iowa/Common Core essentials concepts and skills list.  
• Entering “Mitosis Project” or “Unit 5 Test” in the grade book.
• No longer recording student practice.

Briefs from the literature:
“When grades are not deliberately connected to learning, they provide little valuable feedback regarding students’ academic strengths and weaknesses, and can even be counterproductive.”  (Winger, 2005, p. 62)

“Teachers should use learning goals as the basis for determining grades...They provide a profile of a student’s knowledge and direct evidence of his or her strengths and weaknesses.  This type of assessment allows teachers to appropriately plan instruction, and allows students to focus their learning” (O’Connor, 2007, p. 231)

Putting it into practice:

Every once in a while, teachers will contact me and ask about discipline-specific standards-based grading resources.  I plan to develop a comprehensive list for many disciplines.  Here's a start for social studies:

• Middle school SS teacher, Eric Langhorst shares his implementation details. 
• SBG in a senior social studies class - teacher Stephen Lazar shares his implementation
• Liz Becker shares her 10th and 11th grade SBG thoughts
• Another high school teacher, Martin Palamore, shares the benefits of SBG in his classroom