Comments on: The Standard is Authenticity

By: Chad@classroots

Chad@classroots — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:48:58 +0000

I would love to join the discussion on the wiki, Head Monkey. SBAR certainly changes participants’ view of traditional grading. I’ve tried to apply both systems well by doing the essential work of backwards design regardless of the scale used at my schools.

I’ve seen SBAR used in HS history courses that assess students primarily through writing. The teachers use letter grades like a 5-point scale, but don’t mess with percentages. A 5 becomes an A, a 4 becomes a B, etc. I’m not sure how the teachers determine final grades. Let me know by DM or email if you’d like me to find out more.

By: Head Monkey

Head Monkey — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:44:32 +0000

My middle school switched to standards based 2 years ago and it has been a difficult yet rewarding journey. I have chosen to move up with my students to high school this year and am struggling with how I am going to keep my beliefs in a system that gives zeroes and percentages! Any suggestions?

I am presenting at a conference in October regarding middle schools assessment, but would love to add feedback about high school practices as well. Wiki will contain all the details http://www.standardsbasedgrading.wikispaces.com WARNING: I just started it so it is pretty thin right now! Thanks in advance!

By: blairteach

blairteach — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:44:36 +0000

This post aligns directly with the message I try to share with schools. Grading is often the last bastion of teacher autonomy and discussions of change frequently elicit heated confrontations and staff divisions. I recently saw a standards-based report card that reported (on a four-point scale) grades for 3-5 standards per subject. The overall subject grade then reflected the average performance on the standards. Below each subject was a section titled “Employability Skills.” This section included grades on work completion, level of engagement, behavior, working in groups, and leadership skills — the kinds of things that too often color the academic grade in traditional grading. Just something to think about . . .

By: thehurt

thehurt — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:21:20 +0000

Thanks for the mention. This is exactly the discussion we’ve been having both at Edumacation and within my department and building. As you mention, standards-based grading makes so much more sense from a true assessment and feedback standpoint. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mesh well with our existing A-B-C grade system, which is what parents and the general public know and “understand.”

It is with this in mind that our department even began the discussion. At this point, we are all on the same page and are using a 4-point SB scale which we convert to a 10-point scale for use in the gradebook.

Of course, we continue to look for alternate solutions that are more effective, but for now, this has seemed to work in providing both feedback and something we can put in the gradebook.

By: Mary Beth Hertz

Mary Beth Hertz — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:09:42 +0000

What I find amazing, Chad, is that my district has been pushing Webb’s Depth of Knowledge as a way to ask higher level questions and develop lessons that incorporate higher level thinking skills, but the assessment methods have not changed.

If we want to push our students to think on a higher level, then we as educators need to push ourselves to do the same. This would require ‘higher level’ assessments such as the kind you describe here.

Thanks for an insightful post on an important topic!

By: Chad@classroots

Chad@classroots — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:17:09 +0000

I meant it as a good thing, hoping the parallel structure of the paragraph would carry throught that sentiment. Let me go on record as saying that an _advantage_ to SBAR is that it reports on students’ learning, and leaves management and engagement up to your students’ intrinsic motivations and your relationships with the students – which are influenced by the types of learning opportunities you design for them. I’m right there with you.

By: Matt Townsley

Matt Townsley — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:09:31 +0000

Chad – You’ve made some great points, re: people count the most. Couldn’t agree more on that note. SBAR create a common conversation piece, in my opinion, to reform our assessment and ultimately teaching practices. A part of your post caught my attention though..”There’s not a lot of wiggle room in the 4-point scale to fudge with decimals, to reward extra credit schoolwork less demanding then the learning, or to take points off of mastery for too much talking.” One reason I am in favor of SBAR is because, when used appropriately, does NOT take into consideration things like talking, participation, and in some systems: late work. This is the value of SBAR! It only reports what students “know.” Advocates for SBAR sometimes create a separate “citizenship” grade to report on things like talking or whatever behavior you feel is less desirable. A downside to traditional grading is that an “B” or 85% might mean so many different things…100% content mastery, but didn’t turn in 15% of the HW OR 80% content mastery and 5% extra “effort.” I’ve even seen classrooms where an 85%/B means that a student is failing (in terms of content mastery) but completed all of the assignments and therefore earned a passing grade! The single letter/grade cannot truly communicate clearly both effort/citizenship and content mastery. In my opinion, this is the major downfall of traditional grading schemes. I do agree with your idea of uniting with colleagues on all things related to assessment, instruction and feedback, however I would argue that SBAR gives a practical starting point for measuring learning and not using single numbers/letters/percentages to capture so many factors (citizenship, mastery, etc.) at once.