Grading

Standards-Based Grading

Standards-based grading (SBG) is a system of assessing students’ progress toward learning specific standards set for each grade level and course. It is not just a new way of grading but also a set of teacher practices that promote learning.

It is based in a growth mindset, the understanding that our skills and knowledge develop through effort and persistence.

Students are graded on the same standards across the district. This means that regardless of which teacher a student has or what school they attend, they will focus on learning the same content and skills.

Updated Secondary Report Card

Updated Secondary Report Cards were created using feedback for pilot schools: Pacific Middle School, Evergreen High School and Puget Sound High School.

Secondary Report Cards

What are standards?

Standards describe what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of each grade level or course.
Each content area (i.e., mathematics, English language arts) has specialized standards that connect with their discipline.
Standards are adopted and developed by Washington State’s Office of Public Instruction, in alignment with national frameworks.

What are essential standards?

Our teachers were part of the district-wide process of selecting the essential standards for the most commonly taught courses. Teams reviewed all the standards for a course and used the criteria below to select those that were essential:
- Endurance: Standards that provide students with knowledge and skills beyond a single test date.
- Leverage: Standards that provide knowledge and skills that will be of value in multiple disciplines (examples: non-fiction writing, graphing, arguing from evidence).
- Readiness: Standards that provide knowledge and skills that are necessary for success in the next grade or level of instruction.
Other standards will continue to be taught, but only the essential standards are part of the grade. This helps teachers and students focus on the skills and content that are most important.

Benefits & Support

Why is standards-based grading beneficial for students?
How can families support standards-based grading?

Why is standards-based grading beneficial for students?

Standards-based grading provides feedback for students and families on current learning and ways to progress.
Students and families can see which specific standards are current strengths and which standards the student needs to work on.
Students have opportunities to be assessed again if they have not mastered a standard. If they perform better, the new grade replaces the previous one.
Students are not penalized for having a bad day that causes them to do poorly on a task or test. They will have other opportunities to show they have met the standard, such as a chance to re-do the assignment or more time to complete the assignment.
Students have the opportunity to choose how they demonstrate mastery of the standard using their personal strengths, as appropriate to the standard.
Standards-based grading helps a student change their mindset from task-orientated learning to a growth mindset. By doing this students have more ownership of their own learning, become advocates of their own learning, and will be able to better identify and use their own strengths.

How can families support standards-based grading?

Standards-based grading helps families focus on learning instead of focusing on task completion.
By accessing the gradebook on ParentVue, families can identify strengths and opportunities for improvement, and they can focus on key concepts with their students.
Instead of asking, "What did you work on today," families can talk about standards with their students. For example, if a parent sees that their child is working on using evidence, the family may ask, "Tell me about how you wrote using evidence today"?

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