“NO MATTER HOW LOFTY OUR ESPOUSED EDUCATION GOALS, OUR GRADING PRACTICES REVEAL WHAT WE TRULY VALUE.” -Tony Winger “WHAT WE KNOW TODAY DOES NOT MAKE YESTERDAY.

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NO MATTER HOW LOFTY OUR ESPOUSED EDUCATION GOALS, OUR GRADING PRACTICES REVEAL WHAT WE TRULY VALUE. -Tony Winger WHAT WE KNOW TODAY DOES NOT MAKE YESTERDAY WRONG. IT MAKES TOMORROW BETTER. -Carol Commadore Slide 2 MAKING STANDARDS BASED GRADING WORK IN YOUR WORLD LANGUAGE CLASSROOM Participants will be given an overview of basic principles of Standards- Based Grading and practical ideas about how to communicate clearly with students about their strengths and weaknesses. Well discuss ideas from A Repair Kit for Grading; 15 Fixes for Broken Grades by Ken OConnor. Examples of teacher-created standards-based scoring guides for speaking, writing, listening, reading, grammar, and vocabulary assessments will be shared. Explore how to make your class about learning and not just grades! Slide 3 WHERE ARE WE COMING FROM? Rockwood School District / Eureka High School All Spanish teachers / PLCs incorporate the same standard-based grading practices. RSD has a grading and reporting policy that is a work in progress. Disconnect between grading and reporting system Our focus is on Standards Based Grading and Feedback NOT Standards Based Reporting. We are not experts. We are learning everyday. Our practice is constantly evolving. Slide 4 3. WHAT POWER DOES A GRADE HAVE? Think Pair Share Slide 5 WHAT ARE THE 15 FIXES FOR BROKEN GRADES? Ken O'Connor, a.k.a. The Grade Doctor, is an independent consultant who specializes in issues related to the communication of student achievement, especially grading and reporting. Rockwood School District has used Ken OConnors book as a starting point for book studies and common language about standards based grading. Please refer to your packet for an overview of the 15 fixes our presentation is based on these ideas. Suggestion: Do a book study with your colleagues. Slide 6 1. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ARE REFLECTED IN GRADES IN MOST CLASSROOMS IN THE U.S.? A. how well students behave in class B. how well students can take tests C. if students are responsible and do their homework D. if students participate in class E. what students know and are able to do F. group work and projects that students do G. student attitudes towards the class H. all of the above Slide 7 2. WHAT DO YOU THINK GRADES SHOULD REFLECT? A. how well students behave in class? B. how well students can take tests? C. if students are responsible and do their homework? D. if students participate in class? E. what students know and are able to do? F. group work and projects that students do? G. student attitudes towards the class? H. all of the above? Slide 8 3. WHAT DO WE THINK GRADES SHOULD REFLECT? We believe grades should reflect what students know and are able to do. Slide 9 What should count in a grade? What shouldnt count in a grade? Vocabulary Assessments Grammar Assessments Speaking Assessments Listening Assessments Reading Assessments Writing Assessments Work that is graded Work that shows what a student knows and is able to do Participation Behavior Homework completion If you brought your book to class Extra credit for extra work Extra credit for bringing in a box of Kleenex, etc. Attendance Group work grades Slide 10 EHS SPANISH GRADEBOOK CATEGORIES AND WEIGHTS SpanishIII Practice Work (where feedback is given) 10%5% Vocabulary Quizzes 30%25% Grammar Quizzes 20%25% Communicative Skills 40%45% SpanishIII, IV, & AP Vocabulary25% Grammar25% Communicative Assessments 50% Slide 11 WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT NON-ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR ISSUES? Failure to complete assignments Turning work in late Coming to class unprepared Attitude problems Not working up to potential Falling asleep in class Slide 12 WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT NON- ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR ISSUES? We deal with them as BEHAVIOR issues with behavioral consequences. Talk to the student Behavior modification tools (getting planner signed, reward system, physical proximity, seating chart adjustment, etc.) Phone call or e-mail home Mandatory academic tutoring Detention Slide 13 HOW IS IT FAIR TO MAKE THE ENTIRE GRADE BASED ON ASSESSMENTS ONLY? We believe that ALL students can learn, just not always at the same rate. Students need to be held accountable for learning the material. Students who do not demonstrate proficiency are given opportunities to learn the material and re-assess. See Contract for Reassessment, Delayed or Make-up Assessment Slide 14 OPPORTUNITIES FOR RE-ASSESSMENT Designed for students who do not demonstrate proficiency (not prepared to move forward in their learning) Same format with different prompts or words. Must be done outside class time generally before or after school Students must complete additional practice prior to reassessment. 2 nd grade counts most recent evidence of what students know and are able to do Slide 15 HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT TO ASSESS? Unit Plan (backward design) Based on district curriculum / national standards Unpack the standards for each unit For each assessment. Reflect on which specific skills should be tested Create assessments on which students demonstrate those skills Create a rubric that communicates the differences between performance levels Gradebook categories are not the same as the national standards. Slide 16 TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF ASSESSMENT Share unit goals with students at the beginning of the unit. Share rubrics with students before assessments. Slide 17 TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF ASSESSMENT Share unit goals with students at the beginning of the unit. Share rubrics with students before assessments. Provide practice and feedback before the assessment (practice quiz, skills practice, etc.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu-cReXuRm8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu-cReXuRm8 Slide 18 WHAT SHOULD BE ASSESSED IN A WORLD LANGUAGE CLASSROOM? Slide 19 USE QUALITY ASSESSMENTS What should be assessed in a World Language classroom? What are some of the problems with using assessments produced by textbook companies? What do quality assessments look like? Are the purposes for your assessments clear? Are they clear to the students? Do your assessments match the goals you have for your students? Slide 20 SMALL CHANGES Start thinking in terms of Performance Standards and not just letter grades (and get your students to start thinking that way too)! Integrate some ideas from Standards Based Grading and Reporting into the constraints of your districts grading system (must give letter grades, percentage cut offs for letter grades, quarter grades, grading policies, etc.) Slide 21 POSSIBLE TITLES FOR PERFORMANCE STANDARD LEVELS Advanced Above Standard ExceptionalConsistently Proficient At StandardProficientUsually PartialApproaching ProgressingSometimes MinimalBelowWell BelowBeginningSeldom How to Grade for Learning, Ken OConnor, 2002, page 72 Slide 22 EHS WL DEPARTMENT TITLES FOR PERFORMANCE STANDARD LEVELS Same as MAP test Used by some Language Arts teachers in our school common language for students Each gives a description of the students performance / ability related to the standard Advanced Proficient Basic Below Basic Slide 23 LINK TO PERCENTAGES Traditional School ApproachStandards-Based Approach 90-100%Outstanding / Excellent 95-100%?Advanced 80-89%Above Average / Good 85-94%?Proficient 70-79%Average / Satisfactory 75-84%?Basic 60-69%Below Average / Poor 74% or below?Below Basic 59% or belowFailing / Unacceptable Far Below Basic? Slide 24 SET THE BAR HIGH, BUT HELP THEM REACH IT Use clear standards/goals/performance expectations when creating, explaining, giving, grading assessments Practice assessments, modeling, talking about the scoring guide these are all key steps to encouraging student success. Slide 25 INTRO TO SCORING GUIDES (SEE GOLD PACKET) PALs rubrics from Fairfax County This was our starting point for using descriptive standards-based rubrics department-wide http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OHSICS/forlang/PALS/rubrics/ http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OHSICS/forlang/PALS/rubrics/ Various levels, Speaking, Writing, Interactive Tasks Note: The lowest grade is a 50% (not a zero) Slide 26 WHY USE 50% AS THE LOWEST GRADE? A grade below 50% for work that was completed involves inappropriate mathematics. With the common grading scale where 59 and below is an F, there are A=11 points (90-100) B=10 points (80-89) C=10 points (70-79) D=10 points (60-69) F=60 points (0-59) The range for an F is six times greater than the other grades. Using 50% as the lowest grade evens things out. A=11 points (90-100) B=10 points (80-89) C=10 points (70-79) D=10 points (60-69) F=10 points (50-59) Slide 27 DO I HAVE TO DO MATH? Slide 28 WRITING RUBRIC Slide 29 SPEAKING RUBRIC Slide 30 READING RUBRIC Slide 31 READING TEXT Slide 32 LISTENING RUBRIC Slide 33 GRAMMAR RUBRIC Slide 34 VOCABULARY COMPREHENSION QUIZ RUBRIC Slide 35 VOCABULARY PRODUCTION QUIZ RUBRIC Slide 36 VOCABULARY PRODUCTION QUIZ FULL RUBRIC Slide 37 WHAT DO STUDENTS THINK OF STANDARD-BASED GRADING AND REPORTING? Comments from our students Slide 38 DO YOU THINK ITS EASIER TO GET AN A USING THE STANDARD-BASED SCORING GUIDE? WHY? WHY NOT? Yes, I know exactly what must be done in order to be successful. I dont know if its easier to get an A, but it is definitely easier to understand your mistakes. Instead of just having a problem marked wrong, you understand what you did wrong and are able to learn from your mistakes and understand what you need to work on instead of making the same mistakes over and over. Slide 39 DO YOU THINK ITS EASIER TO GET AN A USING THE STANDARD-BASED SCORING GUIDE? WHY? WHY NOT? Yes, because you are given more points for doing things right. There is more focus on what we do well rather than what we do wrong. Yes, its tests more what youve learned instead of the little things you havent. Slide 40 WHAT EFFECT DO THE STANDARD-BASED SCORING GUIDES HAVE ON YOUR MOTIVATION TO SUCCEED? Id rather be advanced than just have an A. I like it a lot more because it says exactly what is expected, and is not so mysterious about what you have to do. I like getting advanced. Slide 41 WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR GRADE REFLECTS IN SPANISH CLASS? That you are getting better at Spanish when you get Proficient or Advanced. How well you understand the material you learn for the language and then how well you are able to apply what youve learned to put it all together. Slide 42 WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR GRADE REFLECTS IN SPANISH CLASS? With the delayed assessment or re-take option, I dont have to worry about a bad day ruining my grade. Some days you just cant perform as well on a test for some reason, like if you arent feeling good, but with these options, you dont have to worry about one of those days ruining your grade. This results in my grade accurately depicting what I really know. Slide 43 WHAT IS YOUR TAKE-AWAY? WITH WHOM CAN YOU DISCUSS THESE IDEAS? Slide 44 MAKING STANDARDS BASED GRADING WORK IN YOUR WORLD LANGUAGE CLASSROOM Jenni Highfill [email protected]@rockwood.k12.mo.us Denise Pahl [email protected]@rockwood.k12.mo.us Kim Lackey [email protected]@rockwood.k12.mo.us Eureka High School, Rockwood School District