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This year I have been using both the two-column report card and standards referenced grading (SRG).  Both have required additional student and family communication to be understood. I have found the specific scores on the two-column report card to be helpful when parents know to click on the personal management score to see more details.  The specific conversations and support from home regarding student behavior have been very helpful.

Standards referenced grading is a work in progress.  We began this fall and were able to introduce it to the families at conferences and through emails home.  The process has allowed for more specificity around the standards, which in turn has lead to some great classroom discussions.

The biggest challenge has been changing the mindset away from letter grades when the traditional grading mindset is reinforced in Skyward.  The way it is currently configured takes away from the conversations we are having in the classroom and brings the parents back to asking, how can my student get an A. I want to instead hear what does my student  need to learn to meet this standard.  Focus on the grades shows me that I have more work to do in communicating the reasons we switched to SRG.

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I will be using the Google Add-on called Orange Slice to grade essays submitted on Google classroom. This is newer, and much more user-friendly version of a Goobric-type grading tool. Orange Slice allows you to put different weights on different grading categories, it is easy for the students to see feedback through the use of color codes and teacher comment area, and it has a peer editing review function. It also allows the teacher to give holistic feedback. There is a way that students can correct their mistakes and the teacher can re-score. It shows their progress. Check it out!

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I've been using a standard rubric for my English 11 students' writing assignment s for the past few years. This year, instead of filling out the rubric in isolation, I'm attempting to conference with students earlier in their writing process (still referring to the rubric when appropriate), so that they can use my feedback before they finish and "hand in" their work.
I decided to try this for a few reasons. For one thing, I read Kelly Gallagher's writing book, and he talks about the need for students to discuss their work with the most experienced and, probably, most skilled writer in the room--the teacher. Also, I had become convinced of the absolute futility of asking students to apply written feedback from the current task to their next writing assignment; in their mind, the project is "DONE," as soon as it is turned in.  They rarely even saw the feedback.

So far, I like the results of these mid-process conferences.  Many of the students seems to genuinely enjoy discussing their work, and to appreciate some timely guidance.  And their products are certainly of higher quality.  The challenge, of course, is making the timing work.  It's messy!

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After every group meeting I send students a letter reflecting on what we did in group that week.  In this letter I include the following:

1. A graph showing their self-rated anxiety levels from the week (google form).
2. Questions which ask them to reflect on why they rated themselves the way they did.
3. Suggestions for coping strategies that could be used during the week.
4. A reminder of when group will meet again next week.

I also try to add some picture at the bottom of the letter that reflects something they are interested in.  My hope is that the letter helps the student build a stronger connection to the group but that it also helps them to look at how they are feeling week to week and recognize the positive impacts they can have on their moods.

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I switched to Standards-Referenced Grading towards the end of September. The switch from "traditional" grading in PE to Standards-Reference has been both challenging and frustrating for students, parents and myself. Grading by the standards hold students in PE class accountable for applying knowledge that is learned in class into various settings. Parents and students struggle with the thought that because they are athletic/active, they should get an "A," however, there is not a direct correlation because athleticism and activity levels to the standards. Essentially, students will have to demonstrate their proficiency levels which in return holds them accountable for applying what was taught to what was learned.  I like this because it directly shows each student what they have learned, what they haven't learned yet, as well as areas to improve on and more meaningful feedback.

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I am using the 2 column grade book this semester to provide feedback to the students and parents about their progress in non-academic ways. It was a challenge to set it up in Skyward at first, but then I learned that you could have your grade book cloned from someone else who already had the columns set up. A method I have found to be helpful is to put 3's in all columns for all students. As the quarter progresses, I either keep or change the 3 depending on the student's behaviors. I am able to keep track of which students I need to have a conference with and then come up with ways to support them

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I've been using the Standards-Referenced Grading this fall. It has not been without challenges. What I really like is that it gives much more meaningful feedback to students/families. I score a 3 (proficient), 2 (partially proficient,) or 1 (not proficient, YET) on different skills/standards. Throughout the quarter, students have multiple opportunities to build their skills and show proficiency. As their proficiency increases, I change the scores in Skyward to reflect that; thus, assignments in Skyward are skills and not assignments. Skyward has been the frustrating challenge. Skyward is not designed to be used with Standards-Referenced Grading. One struggle is that it converts each score to a percent and letter grade. A 2 is not equivalent to a D, but that's what Skyward will convert it to; this is hard for students/families to ignore. As a building, we came up with slightly different percentages that correlate the proficiency level with letter grades and percents accordingly. After explaining my grading method and detailed rubric to parents at conferences, I've had tremendous support for this method. They like that the scores correlate to the rubric and they have an idea of how to help their child.

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Reflect on your experience using the questions above to guide you.