School Board Work Session: Grading & Homework

School Board Work Session: Grading & Homework

October 19, 2021

Work Session Overview

• Introduction – Personal Experiences with Grading

• Build Background• Current Policy

• Current Practices

• Equitable Grading Practices

• School Board Input

• Q &A

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Experiences with Grading

Consider your experience with receiving a grade or your child receiving a grade (positive or negative):

• How did you feel?

• How did it impact your/your child’s learning in the class?

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Build Background – Current Policy

School Board Policies Scheduled for Revision in May of 2022I-7.2.3.34 Communication – Student Progress, Program, and Grading(Adopted July, 2011 and Amended January, 2020)

I-11.2 Homework(Adopted November, 2007)

Grading Focused on:• Commitment to high expectations• Level of mastery of grade level or course content• Communication with parents/guardians of progress towards learning goals• Consistency across school levels and within content areasHomework Focused on:• Prepare for, relate to, build on, reinforce, and/or enhance learning in the

classroom• Strengthen communication between home and school

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Current Grading Practices

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Click to add text

Course Late Work Penalty

Homework Penalty

Test/Quiz Percentage of Quarter Grade

Retakes Allowed?

English 9 10% each day, after 5th day 0%

10% each day, after 5th day 0%

60% No

English 9 Full credit until end of marking period

N/A 30%, 20% No

English 10 Long explanation, no point value

deduction

N/A 60% No

Dual Enrolled English 12

20% N/A 60% No

Reading 50% after specific time period

N/A 40% No

Sample of variances within one content area at one high school

Current Grading Practices

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Click to add text

Sample of student experience in a given year

Course Late Work Penalty

Homework Penalty

Test/QuizPercentage

of Quarter Grade

Retakes Allowed?

English 9 10% each day, after 5th day 0%

10% each day, after 5th day 0%

60% No

Algebra N/A N/A 70% No

Earth Space 50% N/A 50 points/20 Points No

World History N/A N/A 60% No

Art I Case by Case N/A 50% No

Ceramics No Penalty N/A 10% No

HPE N/A N/A 22.5% No

Standards-based Grading Practices

Elementary

• Discovery Elementary School began standards-based instruction, grading, and reporting in Fall 2015. Ashlawn and Oakridge joined the pilot in Fall of 2018.

• Fall 2019 – expansion to 8 elementary schools (Abingdon, Barrett, Fleet, Hoffman Boston, McKinley, Nottingham, Randolph, & Tuckahoe)

• Fall 2021 – expansion to 6 more elementary schools (Arlington Science Focus, Barcroft, Innovation, Long Branch, Montessori Public School of Arlington, & the elementary Virtual Learning Program).

Secondary

• Yorktown High School began a pilot of standards-based assessment in Fall 2015. This year, 11 teachers use standards-based assessment and report a conversion to letter grades.

• Individual teachers and CLTs from across the county have elected to use SBA after attending professional development sessions.

• Gunston shifted to schoolwide implementation of SBA in Fall 2020.

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Student Experiences

APS Student Advisory Board

• Weights of tasks/assessments vary across subjects and

schools

• Focus on earning rather than learning

• Grading for completion vs. accuracy

• Experience with standard-based grading

• Students' role in the grading process

• Personal connections

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Community of Practice

What?

Book study of Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman

How?

Engaging as practitioners to learn from each other and share current practices and experiences

Over 100 teachers and leaders from across 12 sites are engaging in "research & study" to -• Develop a shared understanding

of equitable grading practices

• Envision how we might implement those practices in classrooms

• Use our shared learning to help inform upcoming grading and homework policy revisions

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Equitable Grading Practices

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Explanation of equitable grading at Gunston Middle School


Minimum Grading (0-100 vs. 50-100 vs. 0-4)

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Percentage Letter

90-100 A

80-89 B

70-79 C

60-69 D

50-59 E

40-49 F

30-39 G

20-29 H

10-19 I

0-9 J

Score Letter

4 A

3 B

2 C

1 D

0 E


No Late Penalty

• Late penalties lead to inaccurate grades, as they reflect student behavior, not achievement.

• Late penalties lead to biased grades, penalizing students with learning differences and fewer resources.

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No Extra Credit

• Extra Credit leads to inaccurate grades, especially when given for non-academic tasks (Ex: bringing in a box of tissues).

• Extra credit leads to biased grades, penalizing students with fewer resources.

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Redos & Retakes

• Reduce pressure on students to constantly be at their best.

• Motivate students to continue learning by offering redemption.

• Increase rigor by insisting that all students achieve mastery rather than accept failure.

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Ungraded Formative Assessments

• Mistakes are vital to learning.• Students are less likely to take risks when they fear they will

be graded down for making a mistake.• Students are more likely to cheat or copy when homework is

graded.

We can motivate students to practice without assigning a grade.15

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Average vs. Most Recent Performance

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Scores

90

91

93

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93

Mean = 81Mode = 93Median = 91Most Recent = 93Highest Score = 93

Robert = 92% = ASarah = 57% = E

Equitable Grading Practices in Action

• Discovery Elementary School

• Gunston Middle School

• Yorktown & Washington-Liberty High School

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Guiding Questions for Discussion

• What specific elements are you looking for in the revised policy and PIPs that would help provide parents with a meaningful, consistent, and accurate picture of student progress district wide? (Homework and Communication of Progress)

• How can our homework and grading policies support our commitment to align with APS' core value of equity?

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Policy Revision Timeline

October 19, 2021 – Board work sessionNovember 2021 - Academics staff incorporate direction from Board into policy & PIP draftsDecember 2021/January 2022 - Provide policy and PIP drafts to Policy Review Team (PRT) and Board Policy Subcommittee for feedbackFebruary 2022 - Post updated policy, PIP drafts on Engage for public feedbackMarch 2022 - Provide updated policy and PIP drafts to PRT and Board Policy Subcommittee for second reviewApril 2022 - Bring revisions to policies and PIPs to Board for informationMay 2022 - Bring revisions to policies and PIPs to Board for actionMay-August 2022 - Provide information to school staff regarding change in policy and implementation procedures for implementation in 2022-23 SY.

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Question & Answer

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School Board Work Session: Grading & Homework

October 19, 2021

Documents

School Board Work Session: Grading & Homework