Standards Based Grading

How is it different?Traditional

Grade for each assignment

Grade may accidentally be focused more on one concept than another, e.g. if one concept has a project and another doesn’t

Poor performance on one big assignment drastically affects grade

Standards Based

Grade for each standard

Grade reflects mastery of each learning objectively evenly and independently

No one assignment dominates the grade (except the final exam)

HW Project

Quiz Quiz Test

5 20 10 10 100

4 13 9 9 85

1 2 3 4 5

10 10 10 10 10

6 9 8 10 6

Types of StandardsContent

ObjectivesSpecific to each unit

60% of grade

E.g. student can explain how DNA serves to pass on genetic traits

Science Practices

Demonstrated in all units

20% of grade

E.g. student can write a proper scientific procedure

A traditional final exam comprises the remaining 20% of the grade

How is a grade calculated?

Both content & practices have a scale of mastery associated with it

You get several chances to show mastery of each objective

E.g. exit slip, lab, quiz, test

The Scale

Score

Level Grade /10

Example

4 Exceptional Mastery

10 Connects to outside knowledge/other topics or goes above and beyond

3 Mastery 9 Thoroughly demonstrates mastery, can apply

knowledge and skills

2 Partial Mastery 7.5 Some conceptual understanding or use of skills

1 Minimal Mastery 6 Recite vocabulary definitions

0 No Mastery 4 No knowledge or nothing turned in0 0.2

50.5

0.75

1 1.25

1.5 1.75

2 2.25

2.5 2.75

3 3.25

3.5 3.75

4

4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.25 6.75

7.25 7.5 7.75

8.25

8.75

9 9.25 9.5 9.75 10

Calculating a ScoreIf last score you receive is the highest,

congratulations! That is your score

If last score is one of the 2 highest scores you receive, they are averaged

If last score is not one of the 2 highest scores, you need to see your teacher during Ac Lab for a verbal quiz to determine your score

Example

Standard 1.1

Exit Slip

Quiz Test

1 2 3

Standard 1.2

Exit Slip

Quiz Test

1.5 3 2

Standard 1.3

Exit Slip

Quiz Test

2 3 1

Student gets a 3 (9/10) Student gets a 2.5 (8.25/10) Student sees their teacher

Notice that a low score doesn’t hurt you, as long as you learn from it and improve on future assessments.

You get feedback on exactly which standards you need to improve upon, to be ready for a test

How Are Assessments Graded?Sometimes the score may be calculated

from a single (usually open-ended) response based on the level of mastery demonstratedOr a part of a project or lab for example

Other times each score band might have its own questionsGenerally there aren’t level 4 questions, but rather

a student must demonstrate exceptional mastery on a level 3 question

Things to NoticeYou don’t start out with 100% in the class and then

“lose points”. Generally your mastery should increase, so your grade should be able to improve throughout each unit

One bad performance can’t drag your grade down- if you demonstrate mastery later the grade isn’t affected

There are no grades for lab, projects or tests but individual standards may be assessed

ExampleLab Report

Procedure (Science Practices1)

Graphs (Science Practices 2)

Conclusion (Science Practices 3, Content Objective 1.1)

TestQuestion 1.1 (open

ended)

Question 1.2.I (MC)

Question 1.2.II (Short answer)

Question 1.2.III (Sketch)

Question 1.3 (open ended)

Benefits of Standards Based GradingGrade reflects your mastery of all

objectives, is more objective

You know what you need to work on to improve your grade and are given more direct feedback

More opportunities to demonstrate mastery without a bad score harming your grade

CaveatsYou are expected to show mastery all year, and as such

assessments can always include objectives from earlier units Your final grade for a standard is based on the last time it was

assessed (can go up or down)

You are expected to keep track of your progress on each objective. All data enters the gradebook, but you won’t have access to anything but the current score. If there is a mistake it is on you to produce the work to show that Gradebook is incorrect

A 3 is what is expected of you on an assignment. A score above 3 will be difficult to obtain and will require truly exceptional mastery, meaning you are going above and beyond what we ask you to do. Notice that if you show mastery of every objective, you will have an A in the course, so scores above a 3 are not required to get an A