What is Standards Based Grading?
Standards Based Grading communicates how students are performing on a set of clearly defined learning targets called standards. The purpose of standards based grading is to identify what a student knows, or is able to do, in relations to pre-established learning targets, as opposed to simply averaging grades/scores over the course of a grading period, which can mask what a student has learned, or not learned in a specific course.
How does standards based grading differ from traditional grading?
Unlike with traditional grading systems, a standards based grading system measures a student’s mastery of grade level standards by prioritizing the most recent, consistent level of performance. Thus a student who may have struggled at the beginning of a course, when first encountering new material, may still be able to demonstrate mastery of key content/concepts by the end of a grading period.
In a traditional grading system, a student’s performance for an entire quarter is averaged together. Early quiz scores that were low would be averaged together with a more proficient performance later in the course, resulting in a lower overall grade that current performance indicates.
Standards based report cards separate academic performance from work habits and behavior in order to provide parents a more accurate view of a student’s progress in both academic and behavioral areas. Variables such as effort, participation, timeliness, cooperation, attitude, and attendance are reported separately, not as an indicator of a student’s academic performance.
What are the problems with traditional grading?
Does not inform students where they are in the learning process and what they still need to learn to be proficient
Emphasizes collection of points vs. learning
Often includes considerations outside of content--extra credit, participation, behaviors
Does not provide specific, meaningful information to parents
Treats practice and performance the same (e.g. homework)