Frequently Asked Questions

Standards-based grading (SBG) measures student progress toward the learning goals for their grade level and courses, based on Washington state’s learning standards

Standards-based grading evaluates learning of specific content and skills students are expected to know, rather than grading based on points earned on individual assignments and assessments. Grading is not based on behavior or how long it takes to demonstrate learning. The grade is based on how close your student is to meeting the learning goals.

There are many benefits to using SBG, including:

• Families and students receive feedback on current learning and ways to progress. 

• Students can 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 it.

• Standards-based grading helps students see themselves as learners who can learn more and improve if they don't understand something at first. Students discover how they learn best and are empowered and motivated to learn. They are better able to identify and use their strengths.

Standards are the academic skills students need to know and be able to do for their grade level by the end of the term or school year.

Essential Standards are the most important standards that students must know for their grade level or course.

Highline teachers participate in a districtwide process to select the essential standards for the most commonly taught courses. Teams review all the standards for a course and use the criteria below to select those that are essential:

• Endurance: Standards that provide students with knowledge and skills beyond a single test date.

• Leverage: Standards that provide valuable knowledge and skills in multiple content areas (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.

A rubric is a learning and assessment tool that names expectations for assignments and performance tasks, with a scale for scoring the student’s level of mastery of the skills and knowledge required. Teachers use a rubric to monitor students' learning of standards in each content area (math, literacy, science, etc.). Each rubric has four levels.

• Beginning

• Approaching

• Meeting

• Exceeding

Teachers use a rubric to monitor student learning of standards in each content area (math, literacy, science, etc.). Students use the rubric to set goals on what they need to do to meet a standard. 

Teachers use a rubric to monitor students' learning of standards in each content area (math, literacy, science, etc.). 

Elementary Rubric 

• 0 - No Evidence: Has not learned this standard yet or work submitted is not complete.
• 1 - Beginning: Basic understanding of the standard.
• 2 - Approaching: Making progress toward fully understanding the standard.
• 3 - Meeting: Complete and correct understanding of the standard.
• 4 - Exceeding: Extended and complex understanding of the standard.

Middle & High Rubric 

• 0 - No Evidence: Has not learned this standard yet or work submitted is not complete
• 1 - Beginning: Starting to understand the standard.
• 2 - Approaching: Getting close to understanding the standard and can do the simpler parts of the skill independently.
• 3 - Meeting: Fully understand the standard and can do the skill independently.
• 4 - Exceeding: Advanced understanding of the standard and can demonstrate my knowledge in complex ways.

A student might perform at the beginning level (1) at the start of a unit. This is normal. Students will have multiple opportunities to show growth toward meeting a standard. If the student’s performance improves, the 1 will be replaced by a more advanced level (2, 3 or 4) later in the term, and the initial 1 won’t have a negative impact on the final grade. 

A family might become concerned with their student’s learning progress if they start to see a pattern that does not demonstrate that their student is progressing. For example, in the gradebook, this may look like 1-1-1, 2-2-2 or 1-2-1. If this happens, the family should talk with their student about their learning. If more clarification is needed, reach out to the teacher. 

Students will demonstrate their learning through assignments, activities and assessments (tests). In the gradebook, you will see three types of assessments.

• Formative Assessments measure understanding during learning
  • Examples: A short activity students do at the end of a lesson to show what they've learned.
• Summative Assessments measure understanding after learning
  • Examples: unit tests, project, writing assignments, presentations 
• Reassessments measure understanding after additional learning
  • Examples: Repeated or revised unit tests, projects, papers, or presentations. 

In ParentVue and StudentVue, the most recent scores for standards are averaged to generate a letter grade based on the scale below. 

• NC (0-1.19): NO EVIDENCE on most standards and may be BEGINNING in some. NC stands for No Credit. In high school, the NC does not earn credit for a course.

• D (1.2-1.59): BEGINNING on most standards and may be APPROACHING on some.

• C (1.6-2.39): APPROACHING on most standards and may be BEGINNING or MEETING on some.

• B (2.4-3.19): MEETING most standards and may be APPROACHING or EXCEEDING on some.

• A (3.2-4.0): MEETING most standards and may be EXCEEDING on some.

Missing and Excused gradebook comments may be entered for assignments, which provide information to students and families about a student’s learning progress. However, these comments will not be associated with standards, and will not calculate into a final grade.

In a standards-based gradebook, academic progress is separated from other non-academic behaviors such as participation and work completion. The final grade is not about behavior, work completion or attendance. Students still receive feedback and reflect on these areas, but the gradebook and report card only measure performance on learning standards.

Even though we do not average the grades of all assignments, we expect students to complete all assignments because that is how they learn, grow and ultimately master standards.

Continuing to work towards standards at home is still an important part of learning. In a standards-based approach, the focus is less on completing individual assignments and more on building the knowledge and skills to demonstrate mastery of standards. 

Students will still come home with work to complete. As their family, you can support them by asking which standards they are working towards. Instead of asking, “Did you do your homework?,” you could ask, “What learning did you work on today?” You can look in the online gradebook to see which standards they need to continue to work on in order to meet expectations.

Our secondary report cards convert the scores in the gradebook into a letter grade. This allows college admissions officers to easily compare our students with those in districts with traditional grading systems. 

College admissions officers have reported that students coming from standards-based schools tend to be more successful in college because their K-12 experience has focused on their attainment of key skills and knowledge.

Standards-based grading helps students take ownership over their learning and build a growth mindset that helps them be successful in the future.

Here are many ways families, parents and guardians can support students with their learning. 

• Focus on Learning: Standards-based grading helps families and students focus on learning instead of focusing on task completion. 

• Monitor Learning Progress: Monitor your student's learning progress by logging into ParentVUE to access the gradebook. The gradebook will help you identify your student's strengths and opportunities for improvement. 

• Ask Questions: We have suggestions for questions you may consider asking students about school. Consider asking students one of these questions that reinforce learning with SBG:

  • What standard are you learning?
  • What do you need to know and be able to do to meet the standard? 
  • Where are you on the rubric and where do you want to improve?
  • How did you demonstrate your learning?
  • What work or study habits will help you demonstrate your understanding of a standard? 
  • How can I support you?