Standards Based Grading

Standards: How will I be graded?

You will quickly notice that our class grades look very different from others. Because I believe
that a students grades should be based on what that student can demonstrate he or she knows
about the subject, you wont find a list of assignments in our gradebook. Our gradebook
instead will list the skills we intend to cover in our classroom. These are the standards for our
class.

A score of 18/20 (90%) on Chapter 1 test does not really tell you much. But a score of 5/5 on
graphing linear equations tells you that the student knows how to graph linear equations. By
the same token, a score of 2/5 on that same concept tells you that the student has not yet
demonstrated a grasp of how to graph a linear equation and that he or she needs more
practice.

Each standard in our class will be assessed multiple times in a variety of different ways. Quizzes
and tests will be supplemented with projects and problem sets so that students with different
strengths can demonstrate understanding of a standard in ways that play to their strengths and
also, on other assignments, that push them in different directions. Because many assessments
will measure more than one standard, you will also find that an assessment may list multiple
gradesone for each standard assessed.
Gradebook: How will I know how Im doing?

Starting today the gradebook for this class is open! Due to the different nature of a Standards
Based Grading system, this class will not be using the gradebook on the community site. You
will need to go to another site to access your math grade (the link is on the community site).
When you create an account and log in you will see your progress in all of the standards for this
class in a multi-colored bar chart:

As you can see, each standard has
a numeric score in addition to the
color. Each standard is graded on a
5 point scale, with 5 being the
maximum score. Green bars
indicate that you have a solid grasp
of this standard; yellow means you
still need some work; red indicates
troubleyou should definitely see
me in tutorial!
Reassessment: What happens after an assessment?

If you are unhappy with your grade, I not only allow, but I encourage you to spend time
reviewing a particular skill on which you have scored poorly. I will then allow you to
demonstrate your growing knowledge in that skill and I will change your score on that standard
accordingly.

If you have a bad day or do not fully understand the topic on the day of the quiz, you will have
the opportunity to show your improved understanding at a later time. I care less about when
the material is fully grasped than that it actually is understood at some point. That being said,
grades and understanding of concepts can be time sensitive, so you will need to complete all
retakes in a timely manner (you should schedule a retake with me no later than 1-2 weeks after
the original assessment). I also believe strongly that long-term knowledge is more desirable
than simply being able to pass a quiz. As such, if you begin to regress in a particular skill, your
grade will drop to reflect this as well. My hope is that you will grow to recognize that learning
(and consequently, grades) is something over which you have a great deal of power.

By allowing you to reassess, you can work on the concepts that you do not understand and
show me that you are able to grasp the material with additional practice. Ultimately, that is
what is most importantthat you leave this class understanding the concepts in mathematics
that are taught over the course of the trimester.