# data[].attributes.headline
Mindful assessement d tanner book presentation

# data[].attributes.subject
Mindful assessement d tanner book presentation

# data[].attributes.body
Grading smarter not harder by Myron Dueck

# data[].attributes.body
Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman

# data[].attributes.headline
8 How Do You Teach to the Standards When Doing Project-Based Learning?

# data[].attributes.subject
8 How Do You Teach to the Standards When Doing Project-Based Learning?

# data[].attributes.body
There isn’t one single, perfect PBL approach.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's easy to remember the highlight reels of the project-based approach I used when I taught eighth grade. I think about the moment we finished our second mural and my students were so excited they started spontaneously cheering or the moment students asked thoughtful questions to our guests during the immigration documentary or the way students continued to surprise me with their blogging projects year after year or the creativity in their STEM-related engineering projects.

But for all the highlights, there are also a string of failures. I've made a ton of mistakes in my PBL journey. Big mistakes. Epic mistakes. I designed project-based units that were cringe-worthy; where I had to stop after a few lessons and say, "This was a bad idea. I tried something and it failed. We're going to change this up a bit."

One such project was the Great Linear Equation Debacle of 2011. As an eighth grade self-contained teacher, I wanted to prove that our math block could be fully project-based. After a successful statistics project, I decided we would do a "Linear Equations in Real Life" project. I challenged students to find real examples of linear equations and interview experts who used this skill in their daily life.

It tanked.

Students couldn't find enough real examples, much less, experts they could interview. The project felt forced and the end goal was something they didn't find relevant. To make matters worse, students struggled to determine linear functions while looking at a graph or to solve a linear equation using an algorithm. At first, I blamed my students. I viewed their disengagement as laziness rather than confusion. However, after four days of a failing project, I realized it was a design problem. On a fundamental level, those standards didn't fit in with a project-based approach.

In my drive for authenticity, I had created pseudo-context. In my rejection of cookie cutter learning, I had turned the PBL process into something cookie cutter. At that point, we regrouped and focused on a problem-based approach with more scaffolding and some time for guided practice.

It was a hard lesson in how to align the content standards you have to teach with the project-based learning that leads to student voice and choice.

People often debate about whether we should be process-driven or product-driven in project-based learning. But I think there's a third option. We can be learning-driven. In other words, we should start with the question, "What do we want students to learn?" and let that drive the process and the product.

At times, this looks very product-focused. Ask a student in the midst of a NaNoWriMo project (where they create a novel in a month) and they are focusing on that end result of a finished novel. True, the process is important but they might just deviate from it a bit. By contrast, a student in a design thinking project might begin with empathy toward a group and only later, after working through the process, hit a place of ideation and prototyping. But regardless, you as a teacher, will be focused on what they are learning through this journey.

PBL is not a license to ditch the standards or take a break from real learning. It's not the same thing as a pizza party or Field Day. As educators, we need to make sure our projects lead students to a place where they can master the standards. But how do we actually accomplish this?

How do you do PBL when you have a ton of standards to teach?

Whenever I mention Geek Out Projects or Genius Hour, people ask, "How do you get away with teaching whatever topics you want? Don't you have a ton of standards you need to teach?" People assume we have added an additional project to an already packed plate. But that's not how it works. We aren't adding anything. We're re-arranging the plate in a way that honors student voice and choice.
The key is to tap into content-neutral standards. For example, in our Geek Out Blogs, my middle school students had to make sure that their blogs included persuasive and explanatory texts. Here are the two main standards we used.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

Students also engaged in research:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

They moved through the entire writing process:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 8 here.)

They also published their work to the world, both in writing shorter and longer posts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

This project included nearly every single Common Core Writing Standard in the first few weeks of school. Notice, also, how none of those standards mention specific topics. These were all topic-neutral standards, which meant students could choose skateboarding or fashion or history or video games and they're still learning the same standards. As long as they were practicing discreet skills in reading and writing, they could choose their own topics. This was an interest-driven approach to PBL.

Our Tiny House Projects, by contrast, required students to master specific conceptual standards with the freedom to use multiple modalities. We combined volume, surface area, and proportional reasoning with standards around budgeting and finance. This was a problem-driven approach with a tight focus on specific concepts.

A little nuance here. Even in a project-based learning unit, you might still need to teach some specific skills through direct instruction. I still had to demonstrate how to find the volume and surface area. We also practiced using proportional reasoning to solve spatial problems all around our school. However, I integrated direct instruction and skill practice into the project rather than taking a "teach first, project second" approach.

Students began this project with a specific challenge:
Subscribe to YouTube Channel
So, instead of working on an open-ended project, students engaged in a challenge-based project, where they had to design a product within tight parameters.

Notice in the previous two examples how the types of standards required two vastly different approaches to project-based learning. That's not a bad thing. There isn't one single, perfect PBL approach. Sometimes, the best option is an open-ended topical project. Other times, it's more inquiry-based. Still other times, you might choose an empathy-driven design thinking framework.

Check out the following table to see the connection between the types of standards you teach and the corresponding PBL approach.

Note that sometimes you will use a hybrid approach. For example, I have combined elements of inquiry-based learning when I had students do interest-driven PBL. Many of our design thinking projects also had elements of problem-based PBL. And every single PBL approach had elements of product-driven PBL. So, there is always going to be some overlap between the models. However, the key idea here is the word driven. What is the key driver in the project your students are working on?

#1: Inquiry-Driven

Inquiry-driven PBL begins with a state of curiosity and wonder. It might be as simple as the sentence stem "I wonder why _________" or "I wonder how _________." Students then have the opportunity to research, ideate, and create. However, it might also begin with an observation of a natural phenomenon. I recently wrote about biomimicry, and the way engineers often study nature for inspiration in their designs. It's why geckos are the future of spacecraft and why birds solved the problem of noisy trains.

With the inquiry-driven PBL approach, you can have open-ended topics or you can have a specific concept-related topic and ask students to pursue their own questions within those parameters.

If you're interested in an inquiry-driven PBL project, you might want to check out the Wonder Day or Wonder Week Project. These two projects walk students through the inquiry process, allowing them to answer their own questions and share their insights with an audience.

Check out the following sketch video you can share with your students. You can also download the Wonder Day Project Here.
Subscribe to YouTube Channel
#2: Interest-Driven

Another approach is the interest-driven PBL process. I alluded to the Geek Out blogs earlier. But another option is Genius Hour. Modeled after Google's 20% Time, students get to choose their own passion projects and work through a process of discovery and creativity independently.

Check out the following video to see more about the Genius Hour process:
Subscribe to YouTube Channel
Here's a Genius Hour video you can use with your students.
Subscribe to YouTube Channel
Note that Genius Hour still connects to specific content standards. However, these are skill-based, topic-neutral standards.

#3: Product-Driven

PBL experts often say, "Students should focus on the process and not the product." But there's also a time and a place for projects that challenge students to focus on developing a quality product. In these projects, the product has tighter parameters but the process is more flexible.

One of my favorite examples is the NaNoWriMo project. Here, students know specifically that they will create a novel. They might not know the audience and they aren't necessarily focused on a question or a challenge. True, they will engage in inquiry and empathy at some point. But they are driven by the challenge of creating a novel in the month of November.

Similarly, when we created our Scratch Video Game projects, students started with the simple challenge of designing a functioning video game in three weeks. Although they focused on crafting for an audience and they went through an ideation process, it was product-driven. They wanted to create an awesome video game that people would actually play.

In product-driven PBL, students typically have tight guidelines on the format but looser guidelines on the topics. In this sense, it resembles elements of interest-based PBL, with a key difference being the emphasis on creating the product rather than on the discovery of new information. So, instead of students making something to demonstrate what they learned, the focus is on the making itself.

#4: Problem-Driven

Problem-driven PBL begins with a specific problem or challenge that students must solve. An example is our maker challenges that present a specific scenario that leads students into research, problem-solving, ideation, and a final product that solves the initial challenge.

Here's an example of a Maker Challenge:
Subscribe to YouTube Channel
With problem-driven PBL, teachers typically begin with specific concept standards and then provide more flexible options of what students design and create. However, not every problem-driven PBL project has to include a tangible product. Sometimes students design a system or plan an event. Sometimes their creative work is merely a "pitch" to a group of judges from the community.

#5: Empathy-Driven (Design Thinking)

Empathy-driven PBL can have elements of the previous four PBL approaches. In fact, with the LAUNCH Cycle (a K12 design thinking framework that A.J. Juliani and I developed), we don't always begin with empathy. Sometimes it starts out with a problem, a geeky interest, or a sense of wonder at a natural phenomenon. But even so, students begin to build empathy as they Ask Tons of Questions and as they clarify the audience during the Understanding and Navigating Ideas phases.

Check out the following video on the LAUNCH Cycle:

Subscribe to YouTube Channel
Note that the LAUNCH Cycle will often begin with a challenge, a phenomenon or a product idea but this will ultimately focus on empathy. That's the critical component that leads to genuine design thinking.

It is possible to teach with a PBL framework while also reaching all the standards. But this requires us to think creatively about how we teach. It can help to ask questions like: Where is the authenticity in this standard? Where outside of school might a student actually practice this standard? Is this a connecting skill standard? A process standard? A concept? Where is the freedom built into this standard? How does this standard fit with other standards? Where is the student voice and choice? For example, do they get to choose their own formats (multimedia, for example)? Do they get to choose their own topics? How do these standards work with each PBL model?

Ultimately, when this happens, students are able to master the standards at a deep level while also engaging in meaningful work and powerful projects.

Looking for More?

If you're interested in getting started with project-based learning, check out my Getting Started with PBL page, complete with articles, videos, and resources. You might also want to check out my PBL toolkit, which includes a set of projects and mini-projects, along with a Getting Started with PBL guide and a set of assessment resources you can use within the project-based learning framework. I will also send you a weekly email with free, members-only access to my latest blog posts, videos, podcasts and resources to help you boost creativity and spark innovation in your classroom. Just sign up below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Do You Teach to the Standards When Doing Project-Based Learning?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's easy to remember the highlight reels of the project-based approach I used when I taught eighth grade. I think about the moment we finished our second mural and my students were so excited they started spontaneously cheering or the moment students asked thoughtful questions to our guests during the immigration documentary or the way students continued to surprise me with their blogging projects year after year or the creativity in their STEM-related engineering projects.

# data[].attributes.body
Make Grading Great again! Just do without it!

# data[].attributes.body
A Spanish teacher writes about her experience using SBG in her classroom and the advantages she has encountered so far.

# data[].attributes.body
Emma

# data[].attributes.body
Eureka Math is the most widely used curriculum in America with over 50% of all teachers using it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teachers often ask for help with assigning grades in . This is understandable: We math teachers share a love for numbers and a desire to see the measurable results of our teaching. But assigning grades is often easier said than done. Mathematics standards focus on concepts and skills that are often layered throughout topics, modules, and even grade levels-students will master them over time, not conveniently at the end of a week or a marking period. Nonetheless, many educators are required to submit weekly grades, so here are some suggestions for determining standards-based grades with the help of the Eureka Math curriculum.

Are my students on target?
As any educator knows, it takes time for learners to develop procedural skill, the ability to problem solve, and a full understanding of concepts. So to generate periodic grades, teachers must determine whether students are progressing satisfactorily on their journey toward proficiency rather than assess them after a standard is taught to mastery. Eureka Math provides helpful rubrics with Mid- and End-of-Module Assessments that explain the progression toward mastery and assess achievement on a 1-4 scale. Each step on the scale describes the qualities expected of student work at that level.

Although I don't recommend using the mastery rubric directly as a scoring rubric, it can help teachers determine grades when they need to. When I use the Progression Toward Mastery rubric to help me derive a grade, I consider the achievement stages described in the steps on the scale and adjust my expectations to match the level of experience I know students have with the standard. Let's take a closer look at two work samples from Grade 6.
Grade 6 Module 1 Mid-Module Assessment Problem:

The first response is correct. The student provides a ratio from the table that shows thepart-whole relationship between size 8½ shoes and the total number of shoes ordered. But the first response uses a larger unit for the ratio than the second response. In the second response, the student provides the correct ratio in the smallest unit, which may demonstrate a more advanced understanding of equivalent ratios.

Grade 6 Module 1 End-of-Module Assessment Problem 3(c):

I still need more grades. What should I do?

Nick Homa is a Eureka Math Fellow and an instructional advisor for grades K-8 in Shelby County (TN) Public Schools, which serves Memphis and its suburbs.

So which student answer meets expectations? It's up to the teacher to define what student work should look like at this point. The expectation may vary from problem to problem, but I generally find it practical to consider step 3 the target and step 4 as extra credit, indicating that the student exceeds expectations. According to the curriculum rubric and my own knowledge of what I have taught, the first response would receive a 3 and the second would receive a 4. Your interpretation may vary.

Since I base my grading on where students are on the mastery spectrum, I am aware of which skills we have only recently learned and which skills we will expand on after the assessment. For example, at the time of the Mid-Module Assessment (shown in the examples above), students are still forming the skill of manipulating ratios to find unit rate. But that skill should be solid by the time of the End-of-Module Assessment (see Problem 3(c) below). Honoring the idea of a progression toward mastery, by the time of the End-of-Module Assessment, an equivalent ratio like the 8:50 response above no longer meets expectations. After the teaching and learning in this module is finished, such a response (e.g., $36/3 hours in the problem below) would earn a 2 on the End-of-Module Assessment.

If you are like many educators, you need more grades than what you can get from Mid- and End-of-Module Assessments. I find it helpful to grade assigned Problem Set (Homework) problems as well as topic assessments that I create. I make these topic assessments from unused problems from recent lessons. Once more, it is very important to determine what successful work looks like at a given time as student learning progresses toward mastery. This means creating rubrics ahead of time to identify the goal for the lesson or topic and the quality of work expected for each step. Here is an example I created, patterned after the curriculum's rubric, to assess student work on a Problem Set from Grade 6 Module 1 Lesson 19.

I'd like to see my students meet the target by solving in terms of cost per gallon, or the unit rate, but they only began learning this skill in the previous lesson. The rubric accounts for the fact that student learning is still in the early stages of mastery. In this case, a step 4, usually reserved for exceeding expectations, now indicates meeting expectations because the student uses learning about unit rate just acquired today to correctly answer the question. A step 3 response may be correct but use previous learning of a ratio relationship instead of a unit rate. A step 2 response could include an incorrect answer but show evidence of an attempt to apply concepts about unit rate learned in today's lesson. When designing your own rubrics, the key is to set realistic expectations considering what you've taught most recently.

Using rubrics to assess progress sheds light on what went well and what improvements can be made to teaching and learning. Rubrics also help you provide useful feedback to students, who can respond by addressing their mistakes as learning opportunities instead of failures. You can engage students in a positive environment, where success is not measured simply in terms of right and wrong answers but by the entirety of a student's understanding with respect to the progression toward mastery.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teachers often ask for help with assigning grades in . This is understandable: We math teachers share a love for numbers and a desire to see the measurable results of our teaching. But assigning grades is often easier said than done.

# data[].attributes.headline
14 Take inspiration from 50+ US schools and their programmes on PE! 

# data[].attributes.subject
14 Take inspiration from 50+ US schools and their programmes on PE! 

# data[].attributes.body
Teachers as authors giving you instructional samples!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instructional Unit Samples - Physical Education | CDE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I am very proud to present the teacher-authored instructional samples in Physical Education. Each of these units represents the work of a team of Colorado educators to translate one curriculum overview sample into a full instructional unit with learning experiences, teacher and student resources, assessment ideas, and differentiation options.

# data[].attributes.body
Article about how to incorporate SBG into Project based learning. Two steps for preparing and two steps for combining.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Incorporating standards-based grading into project-based learning is a challenge, but these four practices will help you get started.

If there's one thing I've learned in my 10-year teaching career, it's that designing valid and reliable assessments in a project-based learning classroom is a time-consuming process-at least it is for me. Like most teachers, I want to engage my students in dynamic, real-world learning experiences that require authentic knowledge application. Unfortunately, I discovered quickly that aligning the type of learning experiences I desired with the standards-based grading practices required by my district required significant changes in my practice.

Over time, I researched best practices in both standards-based assessment and project-based learning, and worked to incorporate them in my classroom. Here are some of the practices I've come to utilize.

Preparing for Standards-Based Grading

Practice 1: Create learning scales from the standards. I'm fortunate to work in a district that provides teachers a significant amount of instructional freedom. For example, my district tasked all our professional learning communities (PLCs) with using our judgement to create a condensed list of content area standards that we felt were most critical to summatively assess and report to parents.

Once we completed this list, our PLCs created Level 1.0-4.0 learning scales (with Level 3.0 being the grade-level standard) that delineated the knowledge required of each student at each level on the learning scale.

For example, on my own learning scales, students need to be able to define specific vocabulary terms located in the standard itself to be considered at Level 2.0, whereas specific knowledge application (as shown in the standard) is required at Level 3.0.

Practice 2: Design leveled assessments from those learning scales. Standards-based grading proved a significant shift for me, in that I needed students to be able identify their location on the learning scale as shown by assessment data. To accomplish this, I designed summative assessments with progressively more difficult questions that aligned with my learning scale.

For example, on my World War I assessment, students are required to define mutual defense alliances at Level 2.0, whereas explaining how mutual defense alliances helped contribute to the start of World War I is considered a Level 3.0.

Combining Standards-Based Grading with PBL

Practice 1: Map the learning scales and assessments to projects. At the beginning of the school year, I provided copies of all 13 of my Level 1.0 to 4.0 learning scales to each of my classes and asked students to read the scales and sort them into piles based on what they perceived to be the common themes. I compiled each class's findings into a single document in which I looked for commonalities.

Next, I showed students my master list, and we ended up giving each of the common groupings a thematic name: Environment, Civil Rights, Basic Needs, and Conflict. These groupings then became my curriculum map for the year, and I used them to develop projects. The intent of this was to give students a voice in the order in which we studied historical topics, by looking at history thematically instead of chronologically.

Practice 2: Separate individual assessments from group grades. In my first few years of incorporating PBL in a traditional grading system, I regularly lumped together individual assessments with a group project grade. I assumed that if students were aware that their actions could impact the achievement of others, they'd be motivated to achieve for fear of letting others down. This held true for some student teams but not others, which caused significant group issues.

To alleviate this, I began separating individual assessment scores from group products. To assess students individually, I decided to administer an official biweekly single-standard assessment based on a critical learning standard previously identified by my PLC. I could then use data from formative and summative assessments to plan lessons for small groups, during which other students engaged in project work. Only the scores from the summative assessments are reported to parents.

For the group portion, I have made projects simply a "go/no go" in the gradebook. In other words, students are required to do the project and present it to an outside audience, but it doesn't count for or against their grade.

If the students don't have their project completed when it's due, I require them to present whatever they have done, no matter the level of completion. Feedback from the audience, as well as peer evaluation data, is posted in the gradebook in lieu of a formal grade. If the project is not completed at all, I simply don't report the individuals' grades at the end of the quarter until it is finished.

Because of all this, 100 percent of the reported grade is based on individual achievement on our critical learning targets, which, when combined with the audience and peer feedback, paints a detailed picture of student achievement in multiple aspects.

In summary, incorporating standards-based grading into my project-based learning classroom has been a challenge, but has proven worth it. I now prescribe a more personalized set of lessons to individual students, while simultaneously getting all students to engage with the outside world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Incorporating standards-based grading into project-based learning is a challenge, but these four practices will help you get started. If there's one thing I've learned in my 10-year teaching career, it's that designing valid and reliable assessments in a project-based learning classroom is a time-consuming process-at least it is for me.

# data[].attributes.body
This is about a teacher sharing her shift, setup and experiences with introducing SBG in her Calculus II course.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Beginner’s Guide to Standards Based Grading |

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Kate Owens, Instructor, Department of Mathematics, College of Charleston

# data[].attributes.body
A blog about all things standards based at CVU.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
One of the mistakes we made early on in our transition to standards-based grading and reporting was our communication with parents. Because we understood our students' learning so much better than we had in the past, we assumed that reporting that learning to parents would not only help them understand the benefits of a standards-based system, but also see that we were intentionally addressing both strengths and struggles. So after a quarter of great learning and tracking and assessing, we sent detailed standards-based reports home with a key and a brief explanation. We waited for the praise to roll in.

What we forgot, however, was that most parents really want one thing above all else. They want to know we like their kids. Yes, most also want to know if they are being decent human beings, if they are getting their work done, where they are struggling, and where they are excelling, but if we know their kids well enough to appreciate the quirks, understand the contradictions, and ultimately enjoy the people they have raised, then parents are happy. Our mistake was showing that we knew their students academically, without taking the time to show we knew--and liked--them as people as well.

Having a comprehensive communication plan is vital in all classrooms, but maybe even more so as we transition to standards-based learning. The shift to a completely new method of teaching and grading can be a difficult change for students and parents, and forgetting to communicate what we often do best--which is getting to know our students--can make the transition even harder. Initially, tracking and reporting learning can take a lot of time for teachers, particularly if they are learning a new grade book tool or using technology differently for the first time; the idea of communicating in addition to standards-based reporting can cause stress and force teachers to steal time from other important tasks such as planning or assessing. Even so, it's an essential part of the transition that can make the difference between class- and school-wide implementation success or failure.

In order to help teachers and schools avoid (or at least lessen) this aspect of implementation dip, we gathered suggestions and ideas we have seen teachers in our district use to successfully--and efficiently--build and maintain effective communication plans in a standards-based class.

The Plan: A comprehensive classroom communication plan has multiple purposes, which at times overlap. We have separated them here, but you'll notice that some of the strategies cross parts, making the communication more efficient. Depending on your teaching situation and the number of students, you may need to adjust ideas to fit your context, and you and your colleagues may have other tried and true strategies to add to these lists.

Personal Connections: Parents want to know you care about their kid. This means occasional communications about specific, personal interactions, needs, successes, or other relevant updates.

Personal emails: One teacher takes 20 minutes every Friday afternoon to send personal emails. She keeps a list of students and checks off when she emails their families. The emails are short and positive--one nice thing that the student did that week. She can usually get through 10 students each week, though says she tries to send one positive email to each family within the first month.

Postcards or notes home: Like the emails, this is a great way to quickly connect. One teacher gets a set of mailing labels printed at the beginning of the year and pre-labels postcards (generic ones that the school prints). She keeps these next to her computer and tries to send one a day.

Parent conferences: This is a common way to make personal connections, and teachers we talked to recommended always starting and ending the conferences with positive, personal stories or observations.

Individual comments on standards-based reports (at end of unit, in the portal, or at reporting time): Most standards-based grading and reporting tools allow teachers to enter individual comments. While this can take extra time, a few positive and personal words can go a long way to showing parents you know their kids and care about their success.

Curriculum: Parents want to know what you're doing in class. Letting them know the content you are using to practice important skills can help them feel connected to their kids, and can also give them ideas for conversations at home. If your standards are mostly skill-based, then communicating about content becomes even more important, as your reporting system may not include the rich, engaging choices you and the students are making about content. Some parents are really interested in the curriculum, while others just want to know that there is one, so it's important to find a balance--consider a system that provides layers of detail that parents can access if they choose.

Class and/or team blogs or websites:While it can be time-consuming to keep up a blog or website, many teachers are turning to their students to help, providing a relevant anchor task and another way to work on skills and collaboration. One teacher assigns small writing teams to the task each week, providing guidelines for updates, a chance to include photos, and practice at asking and responding to questions. Another updates his website each unit, providing detailed descriptions of what they will be studying, links to additional videos and related TED talks, and a calendar of summative assessments. In order to ensure the parents see these updates, he sends a group email to the parents.

Google classroom or other LMS (learning management system): Many teachers use an LMS to organize tasks and assignments for students, and these can be used with parents as well. Parents can have access to their students' sites, and some teachers set up views for parents within the system as well.

Common blurb on top of standards-based reports:Most reporting tools allow teachers to write and post a common message for parents and families. This is an efficient way to provide an overview of the curriculum, but should not take the place of more detailed communication for parents who want it.

Weekly emails from students to parents: This is one of our favorites, and can be used for a variety of purposes. One team of teachers has their students write to their families every Friday. They carve out 30 minutes to reflect on the week in a variety of categories, including content, habits, skills, and questions. The students cc their home-room teachers, and the teachers have set up the emails to go directly into a folder (so they don't fill up their inboxes!). The expectation is that this is communication between student and family, but the teachers can monitor what's being communicated if necessary. Parents have loved this, and often reply to their kids (parents are told that teachers will not reply to these emails!).

Habits and Behaviors: Parents want to know their kid is doing what they're supposed to be doing, and what to do (or what you're doing) if they're not. So many parents get in the habit of checking online portals for completion, which can cause misunderstandings and stress when they are not accurate or updated regularly. Constant checking like this can lead to a much greater focus on compliance than on learning, so it's important to develop a system that allows accountability and provides necessary information without distracting from what is most important.

Weekly emails from students to parents: Getting students to keep track of their own work completion can help them practice positive executive functioning skills. Having students include a to-do list in their weekly email keeps parents informed and prevents having to communicate this in other ways. Early in the year, this may require more organization on the teacher's part (ensuring the lists are accurate!), but as time goes on, there will only be a handful of students who need continued guidance (and this is ok--students' executive functioning skills develop at different rates through adolescence). These emails are also a great place to ask students to reflect on their behaviors or habits for the week--providing guiding questions can be helpful. One teacher we know also has a few email templates for students who need more structure, with questions already entered.

Weekly contact from core teachers: Teachers who work on a team can collaborate on this type of communication. One team we work with has 4 teachers and 80 middle school students. They meet once a week to formally talk about students anyway, and during this time they create a google doc list of any significant habits/behaviors or missing work issues that need to be communicated to parents. The core teacher (homeroom teacher) then writes emails home to the students on their list that need communication. They found this system to be effective, and quickly realized that they did not need to email home every time a student missed an assignment--they were able to coordinate with each other to use school time to address most issues, and those that couldn't be resolved could then be communicated.

Summary habits scores in standards-based reports: It's the teacher's job to improve problem habits and behaviors, not just to report them, so we strongly suggest using the formal reporting system for summative habit scores only--and combining this with personal comments and follow up communication as necessary.

Learning: Finally, parents do also want to know how their kid is progressing in skills--where they excel and where they struggle. Some want to know this so they can help at home, some want to know what questions to ask, and others want to make sure their children are progressing as expected. Teachers in standards-based classrooms have LOTS of information about learning to share, and we caution you to work with families to determine the level of information that is most useful and desired. The level of detail we need as teachers is not always what parents need or want, and can lead to overload, frustration, and disconnection.

Unit and/or marking period reports: During these formal reporting periods, teachers will have the most accurate, summative data about the learning targets to report. It's important to let parents and students know that while summative, these current levels of achievement are just that, current. They can change as the learning changes. Make sure there is a simple key with explanations of what they will see, as well as any other contextual information that is relevant to the report. If sending a standards-based report home for the first time, we highly recommend an email or letter prior to receiving it, and an opportunity for questions or feedback after receiving it.

Portal: Many standards-based grading tools offer a portal, where parents and students can check their progress and achievement whenever they want. This can be confusing to parents new to standards-based grading, particularly if you previously had a portal based on completion and points. Be sure to clearly communicate to parents and students about what will be updated and when, how it's different than an assignment-based portal, and all of the other ways they have to see how their students are doing in your class.

There is no single tool that can quickly and comprehensively communicate all of the above purposes at the same time, and wishing that the standards-based grade book tool could take care of it all will just lead to frustration for everyone. Developing new and effective ways to communicate with our families during the transition to a standards-based system may be a bit more time consuming initially, but making sure that families feel included during the changes will provide the safety and trust we all need to improve learning.
Here is a template with an example of a full communication plan for a team. Feel free to use as is or adapt for your needs!

Have other strategies you use to build relationships and communicate for a variety of purposes? Let us know!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
CVU Learns: One School's Journey to Standards Based Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One of the mistakes we made early on in our transition to standards-based grading and reporting was our communication with parents. Because we understood our students' learning so much better than we had in the past, we assumed that reporting that learning to parents would not only help them understand the benefits of a standards-based system, but also see that we were intentionally addressing both strengths and struggles.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a test to see how much one can actually write in order to present this site or if the text is then cut off.

# data[].attributes.body
One Year of Geometry Planing and Grading with all the materials that have been used!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The following links are a snapshot of how Standards-Based Grading works in my classroom. Vision / Summary A Vision For Grading SBG Summary: A Year in Review Detailed Breakdowns Creating Concept Checklists Creating Quizzes Grading Quizzes What does it look like in the gradebook? Retake Policy Student Learning Folders Using Formative Assessment Unpacking Quizzes Growth...

# data[].attributes.body
Practical help with SBG in Physics. (Standards, gradingcard)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is standards-based grading (SBG)?

- A brief description will eventually appear here. It will talk about: Multiple data points. More useful, pinpointed feedback. Remediation. Students see progress. Stress level, motivation level. Feedback instead of judgement. Etc.

My physics standards

Here is the historical list of standards (school year 2012 - 2013) for my classes. It includes lists for my Honors (sophomores and some juniors) and Regular (juniors) physics classes. The standards are grouped by model.

I am hoping to post a new list for my current classes (school year 2015 - 2016) this fall.

My particular SBG implementation

I used to use a flavor of SBG called Conjunctive Standards-Based Grading.

- A brief summary will eventually appear here.

I am currently using 5, 6, 8, 10 SBG.

Other best SBG posts on this blog

Usefulness of Test Corrections
Effort vs. Luck (Learning and Assessment Flow Chart)
Monkey Monkey Monkey (Or, will students take tests seriously if they can do them again?)
Choose your Test Flavor (On folding student choice into in-class assessments/reassessments)
Managing Extra Tests (On out-of-class assessments/reassessments)
- Original post (fall, 2011)
- Update (spring, 2012)
- Bundled Objectives (2012 school year idea)
Standards-Based Grading in a Points-Based World (Fitting SBG ideas into a system that requires points and continuously calculated grades)
Offside Assessments (How many standards do you test at once, and how do you test them?)

Student feedback (Course Evaluations)

Don't just take it from me. Hear what students in SBG physics classes think-

I think it is fair because it is really who works the hardest gets the better grade, so it is no one's fault but your own when you do badly.

It has made me become more conscious of how much I need to practice things before I move on to be able to fully understand them.

I don't feel left behind in this class because I know there are opportunities outside of class to improve my grade.

I think this grading system is good because it shows whether or not we actually understand the material. For example, you can't see what you don't understand if you get a 78%, but a 1 shows that you obviously don't have a firm grasp of the material.

I absolutely LOVE the new grading system. It's highly, highly conducive to learning. I am usually very number driven and end up putting a lot of pressure on myself to achieve a certain number; the grade is my priority. With this system, I am focused on the material - what really matters. I work harder in class because I want to understand everything fully instead of slacking off in certain places because I know that my number grade will survive it.

I love it. I never realized until this year (when I was forced to think about the logic of the class grading system), but it makes absolutely NO SENSE to get a bad grade for not knowing something perfectly when you first do it. That's just ridiculous to expect. Also, if I actually LEARN through the school year, and know the material really well by the end (LEARNING- what I thought we were encouraged to be doing), we are still brought down because we didn't, at some point, know it. Doesn't that make it seem like even if you actually improve and learn over the course of the year, you'll still be treated like you don't understand it partially? Stupid. Basically, I LOVE this grading system, despite how frustrating it can be when it doesn't work in favor of my grade because it's always in favor of my learning.

Other Links

Here is the entire SBG category archive of this website.

- Other links will eventually appear here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is standards-based grading (SBG)? - A brief description will eventually appear here. It will talk about: Multiple data points. More useful, pinpointed feedback. Remediation. Students see progress. Stress level, motivation level. Feedback instead of judgement. Etc. My physics standards Here is the historical list of standards (school year 2012 - 2013) for my classes.

# data[].attributes.body
Break the grading system into graspable pieces

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It has been my goal to really dig deep into the nitty-gritty of Standards based grading. I use it in my classroom, but not nearly to its fullest potential. The idea of standards based grading aligns PERFECTLY with my Student Data Tracking Binders (click HERE to read up on these) and my Standards Based Assessments (click HERE to read up on these), so I figured it was time to do a little research to understand it better.

While I am on this journey of learning this REALLY tough and confusing stuff, I thought I'd share out my findings for you in a few blog posts.

So, without further ado, here is what has been going on behind the scenes my friends...

My research this summer has really helped to crystalize the WHAT?, WHY?, and HOW? of standards based grading. I will be blogging about this periodically and in the end, will compile all of this informational together for you, as a great guide to getting started. I promise you though, I have only scratched the surface of standards based grading.

For part 1, I'll start from square one and explain the WHAT.

Now the big question, what do these "levels" look like in my classroom? If research suggests that students are proficient or meeting grade level expectations at a level 3, then what should a level 4 look like? Well, here is the most BASIC analogy I could think of, and I am totally sharing this with my kids!

Fonts courtesy of: Kimberly Geswein

Graphics: Squiggle Dot Designs, NRC Design Studios, Collective Creation

Stay tuned for part 2, where I explore the WHY .

For those of you that follow youngteacherlove on Instagram, you know this has been my view as I wrap my brain around all of this!

I'd love to hear your thoughts so far! Do any of you use standards based grading in your districts? Thanks for reading!

and click here for part 3 and to grab all of this information in a big freebie!

Filed Under: Assessments, Data Binders, Standards Based Grading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Walking Through Standards Based Grading: Part 1 - Young Teacher Love

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It has been my goal to really dig deep into the nitty-gritty of Standards based grading. I use it in my classroom, but not nearly to its fullest potential. The idea of standards based grading aligns PERFECTLY with my Student Data Tracking Binders (click HERE to read up on these) and my Standards Based Assessments ...