Adjusting Assessment: Grading Practices That Inform and Support Student Success and Growth

Purpose & objective

The purpose of this interactive session is to connect attendees with the tools, knowledge, and strategies necessary to transition to standards-based assessments or strengthen their current use of it. Participants will be able to engage with a wide array of interactive assessments and grading tools generated by teachers across a wide range of subject areas including, but not limited to, ELA, mathematics, history, science, world languages, and engineering. The session will include an introduction to standards-based instruction and learning and discuss the benefits of utilizing technology to facilitate standards-based assessments and grading. By participating in this session, the attendee will:

-Discuss the impact of standards-based instruction and assessment on student learning and parent understanding of student progress
-Learn how to utilize technology to track student progress with regard to course standards and identify areas where students may need additional support
-Gather assessment and project ideas through exposure to cross curricular teacher creations such as guided reading checks for English, spiral practice assignments for mathematics, and through course assessments for all subject areas
-Explore and participate in guided-creation of standards-based assessments and gradebooks for future use
-Examine multiple methodologies for calculating and reporting student mastery in equitable ways
-Review data reports from various digital platforms and understand how to use these to inform future instruction and individual supports or interventions
-Gain access to resources and tutorials for standards-based technologies that they can utilize to turnkey this experience within their schools

Evidence of success will be determined as the participants share their takeaways for utilizing standards-based technologies in their respective schools. Moreover, success will be measured by the implementation ideas and standards-based collaborative creations that participants share with their fellow attendees and global communities.

Outline

The presentation will include the following components:

1. Overview of Standards-Based Grading (5 minutes): We will begin by reviewing the principles of standards-based grading and will then offer a brief discussion of current theories of grading and assessment in order to provide a theoretical framework to inform practices within the classroom and inspire teachers to reimagine their approach to assessment design, grading, and reporting. During this portion of the presentation, we will have attendees examine a traditional gradebook and a standards-based gradebook and discuss their differences with regard to transparency and insight. Further, we will review research such as Guskey’s (2014) and Wormeli’s (2018) work on the importance of ensuring that grades accurately communicate student progress, thereby empowering students to take ownership of their learning process and growth. During this time, we will distribute an extensive annotated bibliography of supportive technologies that we use to support standards-based assessments and grading.

2. Virtual Gallery Walk (10 minutes): During this portion of the presentation, attendees will use their devices to engage in an interactive gallery walk where they will explore teacher designed standards-based assessments, assessment data, and gradebooks from a wide range of subject areas including mathematics, history, language arts, science, and world languages. In addition, they will gain exposure to a wide range of educational technologies and tools that can be used to support standards-based assessment, data analysis, and grade reporting such as Edulastic, Actively Learn, Canvas Quizzes, LinkIt!, Formative, and more! In doing so, participants will gather instructional materials and assessment ideas through their interaction with the curated artifacts featured. While attendees engage in the gallery walk, attendees will be able to preview the creation stations that they will be using later in the session.

3. Exploration of Standards-Based Assessment Data & Grading (5 minutes): We will provide an overview of digital platforms that can be used to support standards-based assessment across all subject areas and will model how to align and tag questions with standards within any given platform. Moreover, we will review snapshots of data from various standards-based assessments and discuss how this information invites students and their families to engage more deeply in the learning process as well as how it can be used to inform future instruction. At this time, we will also introduce and examine multiple methodologies for calculating and reporting student standard mastery, such as recency, top performance, and consistency, to ensure that grading and reporting is equitable for all learners.

3. Interactive Design of Standards-Based Assessments (30 minutes): Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in the creation of standards-based assessments or gradebooks that fit their curriculum or diverse student needs and interests. During this time, they will have hands-on experience using the digital tools and platforms reviewed and will be able to work on their respective projects with the assistance of the presenters. Presenters will provide tutorials on how to use each platform and have subject-specific supports available as well. This portion of the presentation will embrace the structure of a makerspace and therefore attendees will have the opportunity to explore their own interests and become innovative designers with the support and coaching of the presenters.

4. Virtual Sharing and Exploration of Learning Artifacts (5 minutes): After designing a technology-enhanced standards-based assessment or gradebook, each participant will generate a link or QR code to share out their learning artifacts. Session participants will have an opportunity to explore one another’s final products and network with one another.

5. Roundtable Question and Answer (5 minutes): We will provide time at the end of our presentation for a roundtable question and answer session where participants can engage in peer-to-peer interaction to discuss how they can implement standards-based assessment at the classroom, school, or district level in a manner that suits their curriculum as well as students’ interests and needs. During this time, attendees will receive digital resources that include technology tutorials and subject-specific standards-aligned assessments that they can adapt for use within their schools.

Supporting research

Gagnon, J. C., & Maccin, P. (2007). Teacher-reported use of empirically validated and standards-based instructional approaches in secondary mathematics. Remedial and Special Education, 28(1), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.1177/07419325070280010501

Guskey, T. R. (2014). On your mark: Challenging the conventions of grading and reporting. Solution Tree Press.

Guskey, T. R., Townsley, M., & Buckmiller, T. M. (2020). The impact of standards-based learning: Tracking high school students’ transition to the university. NASSP Bulletin, 104(4), 257-269. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636520975862

Knight, M., & Cooper, R. (2019). Taking on a new grading system: The interconnected effects of standards-based grading on teaching, learning, assessment, and student behavior. NASSP Bulletin, 103(1), 65-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636519826709

Lehman, E., De Jong, D., & Baron, M. (2018). Investigating the relationship of standards-based grades vs. traditional-based grades to results of the scholastic math inventory at the middle school level. Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, 6, 1-16.

Scarlett, M. (2018). "Why did I get a C?": Communicating student performance using standards based grading. Insight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 13, 59-75. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ118948.pdf

Wilxox, J. & Townsley, M. (2022). Addressing the concerns and providing some strategies for implementing alternative grading practices. National Science Teaching Association.

Wormeli, R. (2018). Fair isn't always equal: Assessing & grading in the differentiated classroom. Stenhouse Publishers.