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This 100's chart can be minimized and taped down to students' desk. This is extremely helpful for younger elementary students to use in math class for adding/subtracting and number identification. When students are given a visual, they are more likely to explore with it.

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Teachers can use blooket to review learning material with students. This is a great resource because students can work at their own pace while engaging in a fun online activity. Blooket can be used for any subject math, reading, social studies, & science.

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Join a game of Blooket to answer questions and compete in a fierce clash to determine who is the best and what Blook will come out victorious.

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This online resource is great for teachers who are looking for tons of behavior charts. Teachers can discuss with students' what behavior chart they feel will be the most helpful to them in the classroom. Since this website has many different behavior charts, teachers can try what will be the most beneficial for their students.

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Free Printable Behavior Charts for Kids | Official Site

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A behavior chart is a positive parenting tool that can be used to eliminate problem behaviors and support children. We have a huge selection of free behavior charts, chore charts, potty training charts and much more!

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Mystery Science is a resource that teachers can send out to their students to watch science related videos. Every week, a student across the United States asks a question about a science related topic that is going around the word and Doug gives a grade appropriate explanation for the question. For example, they have videos of the cicadas that happened this summer. This is a great way for students to understand certain science topics.

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Watch the video to discover the answer to “Do scientists change their minds?” and don’t forget to vote for next week’s question!

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Teachers can use Starfall to assign kids' reading and math activities. This is a great resource to differentiate lessons. I have seen teachers use this to group students spelling tests for a low skilled group, medium skilled, and high skilled.

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Starfall Education: Kids Games, Movies, Books & Music for K-5 and above

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At Starfall, children have fun while they learn - specializing in reading, phonics & math - educational games, movies, books, songs, and more for children K-5 and above.

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Teachers can explain and hang this poster in their classroom so students can visually see different ways to add. The pictures allow students to understand the steps they need to take to complete an addition problem.

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Ways to Add & Subtract Anchor Chart - This anchor chart shows several different addition and subtraction strategies with examples. This chart matches two of my products: - Addition and Subtraction to 10 Worksheets & Exit Tickets- Addition and Subtraction to 20 Worksheets & Exit Tickets...

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Khan Academy is an awesome resource for teachers to create lessons/exit tickets, students to watch explanation videos on math/reading topics, and printable resources for teachers to use for small group or activities at home.

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About this unit

Learn about tens and hundreds. Compare 2-digit and 3-digit numbers.

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Place value (tens and hundreds) | Early math review | Khan Academy

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If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser.

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Teachers who use standard based grading can have this resource available for students and their parents to reference when going over given grades. This is a great explanation for teachers, students, and parents to understand how assignments are graded. This resource should be visible when analyzing students' grades.

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Standards-based grading (SBG) departs from traditional grading systems that rely on letter grades and percentages and instead measures students on the mastery of specific learning objectives. This forward-thinking approach not only encourages students to take ownership of their education, but it also provides educators with a more insightful understanding of each student's strengths and areas for growth.

What is Standards-Based Grading?

Standards-based grading breaks down large subjects into smaller learning objectives to help teachers better measure student learning. Instead of assigning a grade to students according to traditional grading scales, standards-based grading measures students against specific skills and standards. This makes it really clear to teachers where students are thriving and where they need help.

Standards-based grading is often contrasted with the more traditional approach to grading and assessment. Instead of the all-or-nothing, percentages-and-letter-grades system, standards-based approaches consider evidence of learning and the data it produces in different ways.

Traditional Grading System vs. Standards-Based Grading System

Adopting a Standards-Based Grading Mindset

When embarking upon standards-based grading, it's crucial that you don't seek only to reimagine the way grades and report cards work. You must be prepared for the pedagogical shifts that are necessary to ultimately adopt a standards-based approach. That's where the term "mindset" comes into play.

According to Tom Schimmer in Grading from the Inside Out , it might be more beneficial for educators to think about a standards-based mindset rather than standards-based grading. Like any mindset work, that subtle shift in language helps keep the focus off the grading process while highlighting the cultural and paradigm shift.

Understanding the Standards-Based Grading Scale

Since standards-based reporting is based on demonstration of mastery, it can't rely on the traditional grading methods based on the percentage of work completed. The standards-based approach relies upon standards.

We tie learning materials-assignments, projects, assessments, etc.-to the standards, learning objectives, or learning targets we want to measure. Whether working individually or as part of a professional learning community (PLC) or team of teachers, educators can take an assessable material type in Schoology Learning and align it to the standards that already populate in the platform.

Most standards-based scales are 0-4 or 0-5 and reflect students' increasing skill or mastery. For a 1-4 scale, a score of 1 indicates that students have little understanding of a concept and cannot demonstrate any mastery of it. As students learn and progress, they can demonstrate partial mastery and score a 2. Once they meet a target, they score a 3. The 4s are reserved for students who exceed the learning target. You can see this in the chart below.

Regardless of the method, it's essential to communicate what the proficiency scales actually mean beyond a number. What does a proficiency score of 4 entail? What does a 1 mean?

Keep in mind that numbers can be quite deceiving when considering progress against proficiency levels. A student at the beginning of a unit may only be at a 1, which is understandable before learning occurs. Parents and students reviewing their progress may see that in a more negative light.

To remedy this, set up your proficiency scales (at the district or course level) to display text instead of numbers, which can greatly alleviate concerns about the level indicators.

The Landscape of Standards-Based Grading

Teachers are often frustrated by factors at school that are out of their control. But one thing educators can control is how they assess student progress and learning. Research shows that a standards-based mindset paired with standards-based grading correlates to higher academic achievement. Therefore, it's critical that teachers link assessments and reporting to the standards, as well.

With the birth of the Common Core, learning targets became more rigorous, consistent, and transparent. The focus has been to create fewer, more challenging standards that make students think more deeply and work towards more meaningful understandings and applications.

What we now consider outdated school curricula often relied heavily on fact memorization and low-level rote learning, so it makes sense that traditional grading practices were likely an appropriate way to measure how a student was doing in school. Modern experts-such as Guskey, Marzano, O'Connor, and Reeves-agree it's time for teachers to update their instructional and grading practices to align with current realities of how and what students are learning.

10 Steps to Implementing Standards-Based Grading

Implementing standards-based grading requires careful planning and thoughtful execution to ensure effectiveness. Here are 10 steps to help you implement SBG in your school or classroom.

1. Learn the standards

Familiarize yourself with the academic standards and learning objectives established by your district. These standards are the foundation of your SBG system.

2. Explain the system to stakeholders

Invite open dialogue with students, families, and fellow educators to explain the purpose of the benefits of SBG. Address any concerns or misconceptions and build a shared understanding of the new system.

3. Define clear learning objectives

Break down academic standards into specific, measurable learning objectives for students. These objectives should be concise, understandable, and aligned with the curriculum.

4. Develop a grading scale

Design a grading scale that aligns with the standards-based approach. This scale can be based on a continuum of mastery levels (e.g. the four-point scale) or use descriptive indicators (e.g. emerging, developing, proficient, advanced) to assess students' progress toward meeting each learning objective.

5. Communicate grading criteria

Clearly communicate the grading criteria and expectations to all relevant stakeholders, particularly students and parents. Provide rubrics or scoring guides that outline the proficiency levels for each learning objective, helping students understand what is required to demonstrate mastery.

6. Emphasize formative assessment

Focus on formative assessments rather than summative ones. Use a variety of assessment strategies such as quizzes, projects, presentations, graded homework, and observations to gauge students' understanding and progress. This will help you adjust your instruction as appropriate.

7. Provide timely, specific feedback

Give your students feedback that is specific, constructive, and actionable. Emphasize feedback that highlights strengths and areas for improvement related to the learning objectives rather than assigning grades based on completion or effort.

8. Support growth and revision

Encourage students to engage in self-reflection. Give them opportunities to revise their work and demonstrate improved mastery of learning objectives over time. Foster a growth mindset that values effort, persistence, and continuous improvement.

9. Track progress and report grades

Maintain records of each student's progress toward meeting the learning objectives. Use a standards-based gradebook or a digital tool.

10. Evaluate and adapt

Continuously assess the effectiveness of your grading system. Collect feedback from students, parents, and colleagues to identify areas for improvement. Adjust your approach as needed to ensure the system is fair and transparent and accurately reflects students' learning progress.

Standards-Based Grading Pros and Cons

The instructional changes that often come along with transitioning to standards-based grading bring several advantages to the classroom. As with most things, we must identify the aspects of this approach that are deemed positive and those that might prove challenging to implement.

Standards-Based Grading and Students

In a standards-based grading system, students are intrinsically motivated and have ownership of their learning. Students can focus on mastery and understanding in a standards-based classroom without constantly worrying about getting the most points. They become more motivated to really comprehend the material, so eventually you'll hear fewer questions like, "Will this be graded?" and more questions that will help them gain a deeper understanding of the skills and concepts they're learning.

For students to have ownership, learning targets should be presented in student-friendly language to support student understanding of learning goals. When rubrics are incorporated, students have a better grasp on the path to success and can easily self-assess and reflect on their own progress. This self-direction paired with focusing their efforts and choosing their activities leads to ownership of their learning.

4 Ways Standards-Based Grading Improves Instruction

1. Instruction is more relevant

In traditional classrooms, you often see teachers routinely presenting curriculum to students-one whole group lesson after another. Sometimes, this is the best method, for example, in an introductory lesson when everyone needs to receive the same information. Over time, though, since students learn at different rates, there will be some who are bored because of the slow pace and some who are confused because they're struggling to keep up.

2. Teachers provide effective feedback

Quality feedback can improve and accelerate student learning. Rather than simply seeing a score of 90% or 7/10, students receive direct feedback on the skill used or task performed so that they understand where they need to focus their efforts to improve. Teachers can also use this feedback opportunity to enhance instruction since they can see if the majority of the class is having difficulty understanding a standard.

3. Grades have deeper meaning

Students understand why they receive each score. They get a breakdown of how they performed on each standard that details their level of proficiency. Students and parents appreciate being able to track performance so thoroughly, rather than receiving a vague letter grade with no explanation and questionable value.

4. Teachers and students are clear about expectations

Goals through clearly identified learning targets and proficiency scales are clarified at the beginning of the class, so the teacher knows exactly what they are expected to teach, and students know exactly what they are expected to learn. Using consistent formative assessments, teachers and students can track how well they understand the learning targets and adjust instruction as needed to ensure proficiency.

When Standards-Based Goes Right

"I am brand new to my position as Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. I was given the huge task of creating a reporting system for five K-8 schools. I immediately contacted PowerSchool. With amazing responsiveness, patience, and expertise, PowerSchool worked with me to be sure we had an excellent standards-based report card. We were able to create a report card that was supportive of students, parents, and teachers who are new to standards-based reports. From school board members to students, I am getting positive feedback, including the most important from families: 'I understand this!' Teacher gradebooks are all aligned to standards-based grading which allows them to quickly and concisely see how students are progressing. By looking at student progress, teachers can quickly assess whether students require additional attention based on progress of standards. Students are amazed at how quickly they can see their progress in class. For the first time this year, all our students and their families will have the ability to see a clear, concise summary of their progress as measured by content area and habits of work standards-amazing!"

What Standards-Based Grading Means for Parents

Parents need accurate, meaningful, and consistent measures of learning to better understand their student's progress. Traditional grading is very subjective, and standards-based grading is one way to remedy that.

Since standards-based reporting is designed to only reflect true evidence of learning, parents get a clear picture of what the student has or hasn't mastered without the influence of other factors, such as effort and attitude. Consistency can be ensured with a teacher-provided rubric that establishes clear expectations and precisely explains what the student will need to master.
Source: Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for a Maine school district
Parents can expect a meaningful grade, one that clearly communicates what learning has taken place. Standards-based grading supports learning by focusing on the concepts and skills that have or have not been learned rather than accumulating or losing points, so parents know what their students need help with.

Final Thoughts

Adopting a standards-based mindset may be the cultural shift your school or district needs. With increased accountability and clear expectations, students and teachers can actually have more freedom to explore their interests and preferences.

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Everything You Need to Know about Standards-Based Grading

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This guide to standards-based grading includes implementation suggestions, a deep dive into SBG scales, and much more.

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If you are a teacher that has students who speak a second language, ELLevation has resources to help for all subjects. These activities can be used as a whole class, small groups, and differentiation graphic organizers.

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Enter your current school or district email address

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Raz-Kids is a way to engage your students in reading. This resource has online books that can either be read to the kids or the kids can read it on their own. It also has the ability to print the books out. These are great books for students' book bins. Each student is at their own skill level and Raz-Kids has books for everyone!

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Jack Hartmann has great learning videos for all subjects. We use him for counting to 100 by 1, 10s, & 5s. We also use his videos for sight word practice and color words. His YouTube page is a great resource for the classroom!

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Jack’s music is research-based and teacher-approved to focus on helping children learn important state, national, and early childhood standards. All of Jack’s songs and videos engage children with not only great educational content, but with cool beats kids love and fun movements.

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Brain Pop has videos, quizzes, and lessons on all subjects. These videos are great to add onto any lesson to give the students a full understanding of the material. BrainPOP also a English Language Learner section that has videos that are easily understood for our English learners.

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Flippity has free resources and activities for students to do on their devices or print outs. The activities that they have are word searches, games, flashcards etc. This is a great resource to keep students engaged on their independent skill level work.

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Flippity.net: Flashcards and Other Resources for Educators and Learners

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Create an interactive virtual breakout activity.

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Storyline Online has hundreds of children books that are read and recorded for the students to watch. The readings make it entertaining and educational to keep the children engaged.