Walking Through Standards Based Grading: Part 1

Alright my friends...I think I am back (kind of). While it may seem like I've been neglecting this blog due to glamorous vacations to the beach, that is not the case. For any teacher, right?! We spend our summers WORKING! Ok maybe I sleep in until 9:00am, and enjoy a little quiet coffee time, but I swear that lasts like 20 minutes and I'm back to it!

And (don't think I have forgotten) I also have been working like a madwoman on all things 4th grade ELA Assessments and 6th grade Math Assessments (I promise they are ALMOST done!!!).

It has been my goal this summer 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!