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Changing the Culture of Grading in a Standards-Based System

Changing the Culture of Grading in a Standards-Based System. Kathryn Schladweiler Cheryl Ross, High School Mathematics Kelly Penn, 8 th Grade Reading/Language Arts James Spicer, Board President Mason City Community Schools Mason City, Iowa

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Changing the Culture of Grading in a Standards-Based System

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  1. Changing the Culture of Grading in a Standards-Based System Kathryn Schladweiler Cheryl Ross, High School Mathematics Kelly Penn, 8th Grade Reading/Language Arts James Spicer, Board President Mason City Community Schools Mason City, Iowa For further information contact: kschladweiler@mason-city.k12.ia.us

  2. The challenge of the culture • Few practices in education are as sacred and yet deleterious as grading. • Edwards, 1999

  3. Traditional Grading • A, B, C, D, F • Academic achievement tainted by non-academic factors • Grade everything and average it together • Chronological listing of all the assignments • Report only 1 grade for a class

  4. What do grades mean in a standards-based system? • Clarity • Consistency • Alignment • Articulation • Student-centered vs teacher-centered • “J” curve, not bell curve

  5. The goal: clarity and consistency Through staff development Through the work of study groups Through policy Through report card changes

  6. Guiding questions for staff development • What are the purposes of grades? • What should be the reference points for grades? • What should be included in grades?

  7. Focusing staff development • Addressing beliefs through district-wide staff development • “Bob in a Box” • Study groups focused on research • Task force for policy change

  8. What study groups did… What should be the purpose of grades? • Study and analysis of the research on grading and grading practices • Analysis of district practices and procedures • Board also engaged in study of the research

  9. Results of Staff Development • Standards should be the reference points for grades • Academic achievement should be separate from nonacademic factors • A policy needed to be developed for consistency.

  10. The role of policy • It is very rare to find a district policy that provides real guidance to teachers as to how they should compose students’ grades. • Kevin O’Connor, 1999

  11. Getting beliefs into policy • The role of the board • The role of district leaders • The role of a task force • The role of critical friends • The role of piloting • The role of communication

  12. Standards-Based Grading Policy Foundations • Academic achievement reported separately from non-academic factors (productivity) • Academic grades are entered into electronic grade book by standards and reported out by standards.

  13. Implementation Issues & Concerns • Impact on teachers, students and parents • Clarity on definitions • Consistency on “values” assigned to grades • Designing and grading assessments

  14. Impact of Acting on Beliefs • Think differently about grading • Think differently about lesson design and assessment • Think differently about communicating about grades

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