FAQ
What does SBI/EBR stand for?
Standards-Based Instruction (SBI) is the instructional model based on State Standards. EBR stands for Evidence-Based Reporting, where teachers collect and use a body of evidence to determine student learning towards a set of standards.
Why the change?
There are many reasons for the change, including these noteworthy components:
Teachers can unify their grading practices (in the past, many teachers used different grading methods within a building and across buildings in the district).
Students need to learn more than just the content of a course to be successful and well-prepared for their future. Students must learn content but they also need to learn transferable skills that prepare students for post-secondary, military, tech schools, and/or the workplace.
We believe in student learning of skills and standards. Late work, extra credit, or attendance (non-academic factors) should not factor into a grade reflection of the standards and are reported elsewhere.
We want to create students who can think critically, problem-solve, communicate well, and ultimately build self-efficacy (self-efficacy is one of the highest indicators of success).
Why are the advantages of SBI/EBR?
Improved communication and additional feedback for all stakeholders about student learning and grades:
Families and students will see areas of academic strengths and areas of needed growth in the gradebook based on the Enduring Skills and a student’s proficiency level.
Teachers will know which Enduring Skills they need to re-teach and students will know which Enduring Skills they need additional learning opportunities and/or practice with.
Teachers can effectively communicate to students their patterns of proficiency (or lack thereof) in a student’s body of evidence. Assessments show student learning and proficiency in Enduring Skill(s).
Increase self-efficacy and learn transferable skills far beyond content knowledge.
Grade and points have been used for a long time. Isn't there evidence to support traditional grading practices?
There is little to no evidence to support traditional grading practices. To consult a list of published journal articles and authors, click this link that supports SBI/EBR.
Are there retakes?
Yes, teacher course groups determine the parameters for which a student can retake an assessment. This may look different from course to course. Consult the teacher or the course syllabus for more information.
What is the window for reassessments?
Retake policies depend on the teacher course teams. These teacher teams establish the window for reassessment within their retake policy.
Isn't SBI/EBR grading more subjective than traditional grading?
Using the traditional 100-point scale has 100 gradients of subjectivity. Using a 4 scale limits teacher subjectivity (4 scales have clear success criteria for grading). For example, have someone explain the difference, in regards to student learning, between a student scoring 88% and 90% on a test. Standards-Based Instruction practices utilize proficiency scales to outline clear success criteria and what true proficiency means. This greatly reduces subjectivity because the expectations are predetermined and communicated on proficiency scales.
What do the symbols mean (4,3,2,1,M,N,X)?
Does my student sill receive a letter grade?
Yes, students receive an A, B, C, D, or F at the end of each semester. Transcripts (high school) and progress reports (middle school) still include letter grades.
Letter grades are determined by Enduring Skill proficiency scores. The semester letter grade will be informed by the student’s pattern/trends of proficiency over the semester-long body of work with consideration to their more recent demonstrations of proficiency.
Important Note: If a student has missing evidence in the form of M (missing) or N (No Evidence / Refusal to Complete) in any amount, then the student runs the risk of failing the course. In these cases, there may not be enough evidence to determine skill proficiency nor a course grade.
Red Highlight F vs. No Highlighted: In the event a student receives an “N”, the letter grade automatically changes to a red highlighted F. This indicates that the student has no evidence on a crucial assessment. This requires communication with the teacher to resolve.
An F that has no red highlight is the result of two or more Enduring Skill scores trending at a 1 (still developing).
How can I see my student's progress in the gradebook?
You can access all proficiency grades in PowerSchool under the “Evidence-Based Reporting” tab on the left-hand side. To see your student’s grades, you must access them through the computer or mobile web browser. You cannot currently access EBR grades through the PowerSchool mobile app.
I remember when students had an 89.9%, teachers could override the grade. Does this still happen in EBR?
It is best for students to make sure they do retakes to replace any low scores but yes, teachers can still do overrides. Grade overrides take place at the end of the semester when teachers finalize course grades
I feel like it's difficult to get a grasp on how my student is doing because I don't see their homework. How do I know how they are doing in class?
The instructional model for EBR consists of practice, scrimmage, and games:
Homework and practices (in-class activities) are used to drive instruction and practice isolated components of learning. Scrimmages (formative assessments) are used for students to receive feedback on all success criteria for an Enduring Skill(s). You want to be looking at the scrimmage and game scores to see how well your student is doing in their learning journey.
Additional FAQ section targeting the following areas:
