Assessment and Grading for Standards
MAKING THE TRANSITION TO STANDARDS-BASED GRADING
Dr. Harry London [email protected] 847-306-0093
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Why Grade Students? Grades should communicate student learning
to: Students Parents Other educational professionals
Grades place a value or judgment upon
student assessment results and growth
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
The Grading Dilemma Imagine if school athletic teams attempted to engage in competitions where neither the coaches nor the officials had a consistent idea of the dimensions of the field or the rules of play. Howls would rise from the students, teachers, and parents about the unfairness of it all just as they do every time an athletic official makes a ruling that differs from the judgment of the fans. But these voices of protest are strangely silent when dramatic evidence of inconsistency is presented in the classroom Reeves 2006 Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Critical Questions If the fundamental purpose of a school is to ensure learning for all students, are we willing to examine all the practices, policies, and
procedures of our school in light of their effectiveness in promoting learning? So, what are the practices, policies, and procedures that cause the school to be inconsistent with the fundamental assumption that all kids can learn and be successful? Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
How do I Solve This Dilemma? Separate how you Assess and grade learning and reasoning Assess successful learner traits
Create assessments that are aligned with
standards Hold students accountable for successful learner traits as well as academic performance Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Terms How would you define assessment? How would you define evaluation?
Traditional Compliance Grading Grades are based on a variety of things
Homework Class assignments Extra credit Participation Attendance
Learning is part, but often not the major key to determining a grade Everyone does it their own way Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Grades Reflect Student Learning Teachers have discussed their philosophy of
grading and agreed as to the essence of those philosophies Grades are standards-based rather than compliance driven Curriculum and assessment drive grading
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Activity Talk with your neighbors – 1. How closely do grades in your school reflect student learning? 2. Do grades correlate to high stakes test results in your school? Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Quality Assessments Aligned with plans Aligned with teaching
Aligned with standards Rubrics are used as appropriate and agreed
upon Critical thinking is expected and assessments allow for use of critical thinking skills to attain exceeds or exemplary rating Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Standards-based Assessment Items on tests, quizzes and authentic
assessments are keyed to standards Items listed in rubrics used for projects keyed to standards Items listed in rubrics for writing prompts keyed to standards
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Activity: Discuss with your neighbors how a standards-based assessment should look, and what type of feedback the teacher should be giving
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Assessment Tools Compatible Across Grade Levels/Departments All teachers in each grade level (department)
should use the same or similar assessments to ensure fairness and consistency in curriculum and standardize the experience for students The teacher who has those students next year can make assumptions about what has been learned regardless of which teacher’s class they are coming from
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Grades Should Reflect All Teachers Using The Same Criteria To Evaluate Students Grade levels/teams/departments create and
use common assessments Expectations and academic language have been discussed and are similar from teacher to teacher The same benchmarks are used from teacher to teacher to evaluate learning The same rubrics are used to evaluate student progress Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Some Steps to Change the Way your Teachers Grade Students Agree upon criteria to be used in reporting
learner progress . Agree upon language to be used in communicating with students and parents Look at the assessments being used by teachers, are they standards-based? Have professional development that helps teachers create standards-based assessments and use the data from those assessments Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Some More Steps Identify learner traits that should be reported
to students and parents Train teachers to ensure they report meaningful results to students and parents and make meaningful comments Train parents to look for progress reports that reflect learning and understand the wealth of information they will be getting about the progress of their child Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Achievement Targets to Identify Common Core Standards Knowledge & understanding Reasoning
Performance skills Products Dispositions (learner traits)
College Readiness Standards Academic Language Cognitive Skills Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Teachers in a Grade Level/Team Share Expectations for Student Learning Expectations and academic language have been discussed and are consistent from teacher to teacher Cognitive skills development is part of instruction and assessment The same benchmarks are used from teacher to
teacher to evaluate learning The same rubrics are used to evaluate student progress Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Common Assessments Developing common assessments at each
grade level/team/department is important for a standards-based environment Common assessments drive the instruction in all classrooms at each grade level/department/team Common assessments hold teachers accountable for teaching the required knowledge, skills, and concepts so students reach standards Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
How Should we Assess the Tough Stuff? Listening Speaking
Group work Projects Other
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Some Thoughts Rubrics Checklists
Interviews Portfolios Others?
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!
For Further Information, Contact Dr. Harry London [email protected] 847-306-0093
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Dr. Harry London [email protected] 847-306-0093
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Why Grade Students? Grades should communicate student learning
to: Students Parents Other educational professionals
Grades place a value or judgment upon
student assessment results and growth
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
The Grading Dilemma Imagine if school athletic teams attempted to engage in competitions where neither the coaches nor the officials had a consistent idea of the dimensions of the field or the rules of play. Howls would rise from the students, teachers, and parents about the unfairness of it all just as they do every time an athletic official makes a ruling that differs from the judgment of the fans. But these voices of protest are strangely silent when dramatic evidence of inconsistency is presented in the classroom Reeves 2006 Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Critical Questions If the fundamental purpose of a school is to ensure learning for all students, are we willing to examine all the practices, policies, and
procedures of our school in light of their effectiveness in promoting learning? So, what are the practices, policies, and procedures that cause the school to be inconsistent with the fundamental assumption that all kids can learn and be successful? Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
How do I Solve This Dilemma? Separate how you Assess and grade learning and reasoning Assess successful learner traits
Create assessments that are aligned with
standards Hold students accountable for successful learner traits as well as academic performance Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Terms How would you define assessment? How would you define evaluation?
Traditional Compliance Grading Grades are based on a variety of things
Homework Class assignments Extra credit Participation Attendance
Learning is part, but often not the major key to determining a grade Everyone does it their own way Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Grades Reflect Student Learning Teachers have discussed their philosophy of
grading and agreed as to the essence of those philosophies Grades are standards-based rather than compliance driven Curriculum and assessment drive grading
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Activity Talk with your neighbors – 1. How closely do grades in your school reflect student learning? 2. Do grades correlate to high stakes test results in your school? Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Quality Assessments Aligned with plans Aligned with teaching
Aligned with standards Rubrics are used as appropriate and agreed
upon Critical thinking is expected and assessments allow for use of critical thinking skills to attain exceeds or exemplary rating Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Standards-based Assessment Items on tests, quizzes and authentic
assessments are keyed to standards Items listed in rubrics used for projects keyed to standards Items listed in rubrics for writing prompts keyed to standards
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Activity: Discuss with your neighbors how a standards-based assessment should look, and what type of feedback the teacher should be giving
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Assessment Tools Compatible Across Grade Levels/Departments All teachers in each grade level (department)
should use the same or similar assessments to ensure fairness and consistency in curriculum and standardize the experience for students The teacher who has those students next year can make assumptions about what has been learned regardless of which teacher’s class they are coming from
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Grades Should Reflect All Teachers Using The Same Criteria To Evaluate Students Grade levels/teams/departments create and
use common assessments Expectations and academic language have been discussed and are similar from teacher to teacher The same benchmarks are used from teacher to teacher to evaluate learning The same rubrics are used to evaluate student progress Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Some Steps to Change the Way your Teachers Grade Students Agree upon criteria to be used in reporting
learner progress . Agree upon language to be used in communicating with students and parents Look at the assessments being used by teachers, are they standards-based? Have professional development that helps teachers create standards-based assessments and use the data from those assessments Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Some More Steps Identify learner traits that should be reported
to students and parents Train teachers to ensure they report meaningful results to students and parents and make meaningful comments Train parents to look for progress reports that reflect learning and understand the wealth of information they will be getting about the progress of their child Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Achievement Targets to Identify Common Core Standards Knowledge & understanding Reasoning
Performance skills Products Dispositions (learner traits)
College Readiness Standards Academic Language Cognitive Skills Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Teachers in a Grade Level/Team Share Expectations for Student Learning Expectations and academic language have been discussed and are consistent from teacher to teacher Cognitive skills development is part of instruction and assessment The same benchmarks are used from teacher to
teacher to evaluate learning The same rubrics are used to evaluate student progress Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Common Assessments Developing common assessments at each
grade level/team/department is important for a standards-based environment Common assessments drive the instruction in all classrooms at each grade level/department/team Common assessments hold teachers accountable for teaching the required knowledge, skills, and concepts so students reach standards Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
How Should we Assess the Tough Stuff? Listening Speaking
Group work Projects Other
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
Some Thoughts Rubrics Checklists
Interviews Portfolios Others?
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!
For Further Information, Contact Dr. Harry London [email protected] 847-306-0093
Copyright 2015 London Educational Consulting
