At Hannibal Middle School, the goal is to help improve student achievement for all students in every classroom every day. We believe standards-based grading gives parents, students, and teachers a better understanding of a child's strengths and areas to improve, which helps encourage a student to work to their full potential. The purpose of the standards-based grading system is to help increase student achievement by clearly communicating a student's progress as timely, accurately, and fairly as possible. Accurate and meaningful grades are one way in which this is accomplished because they provide the ultimate form of feedback to a student about their journey to mastering standards and skills.

Standards are statements about what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. The Missouri Department of Education posts adopted standards at the following site: https://dese.mo.gov/college-career-readiness/curriculum/missouri-learning-standards

Standards-based grading focuses on a student’s progress toward meeting grade-level standards rather than an accumulation of points. It uses a number scale (4, 3, 2, 1) rather than a percentage or letter grade. Non-academic behaviors are reported separately. Grades are determined by each student’s ability to meet the priority standards and all students are given the chance to meet or exceed the standard. The standards-based progress report gives parents a better understanding of their child’s strengths and areas to improve, so as to encourage students to work to their full potential.

Homework is practice. Homework assignments will be aligned to standards in order for students to utilize homework as practice toward proficient performance on grade-level standards. Students should be able to articulate how a homework assignment helps them practice toward performance at a level 3. Teachers will not use homework completion as an indicator of student proficiency on a standard and instead will use student assignments, assessments, and/or student work products from class to determine proficiency. However, homework completion will be used as an indicator of student responsibility, which contributes to students becoming future ready.

Homework assigned in a standards-based classroom will be graded based on completion. A proficiency scale for homework completion has been developed and implemented in classrooms. The following is the proficiency scale in use:

Score 3.0: The student turns in completed homework.

Score 2.0: The student turns in homework 75% completed.

Score 1.0: The student turns in homework 50% completed.

Score 0.0: The student does not turn in homework on time, or the homework is only 25% completed.

In general, parents can help their students by being active in the life of the child by attending parent/teacher conferences, volunteering in the school when possible, checking progress via SIS, or maintaining ongoing communication with the teacher. You will be able to find additional support and resources on our HMS website.

All students earning 3’s or higher for all academic standards in their classes will earn honor roll recognition.

Students with an IEP, 504, or English Language Learning needs will continue to receive the accommodations they are eligible to receive and they will continue to receive appropriate support and/or interventions. Teachers will report how they are performing as measured against content standards, when those standards are not aligned with the grade level they are assigned, parents will be notified that the student proficiency report is for a standard other than that of the assigned grade. All students benefit from having well-developed lesson plans, quality instruction and assessment that informs instruction and provides meaningful, accurate feedback regarding learning.

Students are able to take increased ownership of their learning. Identifying one’s strengths and weaknesses as a learner, being self-motivated to meet course objectives, developing strong study habits, and mastering course standards are all aspects of this system that will help students in college.

At this moment in time, HMS is in the process of transitioning to standards-based grading. The following timeline is in place for HMS to make this transition:

• Piloting SBG- 2012-2013

• Math SBG- 2014-2015

• ELA & Science SBG- 2020-2021

• Full Implementation of SBG- 2023-2024