Not mentioned in any of these articles is that in the last few years administrators and educators in New York, Maryland, Kentucky, Minnesota, California, Texas and Florida have been implementing new programs and many more districts nationwide are moving toward grade –reform programs especially in middle and high schools.
The questions they have been asking are; who deserves high marks?, what standards are judging students on?, and what goal are we trying to move students toward?
At this time all states now mandate that teach certain curriculum, and 45 have begun implementing a national list of education standards know as Common Core. Schools are realizing that if you don’t have standard-based grading, you can’t measure, or communicate, how well students are actually learning the material as opposed to merely being “exposed” to it. In this system, homework doesn’t count toward the main “knowledge” grade, which is determined primarily by scores on end-of-unit tests. A separate mark is given for work habits and more subjective measures, like attitude, effort and citizenship. The key being to separate the product (what the student learns) from the process (attitude, ability to function well in the classroom). Either of these skill sets might require help, but you can’t focus in on what needs work unless the two are evaluated separately. When Kentucky’s Oldham County school district started standards-based grading parents were concerned when then they saw their kids’ grades drop. And some of the students who were involved in athletics had to shift tactics to keep their grades up so they remained eligible to participate in sports. In the past they added an “extra-credit project” to shore up their poor grade, but under the new system they had to buckle down and study in order to do well on classroom tests. An added feature is that standards-based grading allows students to retake tests (same subject, different questions), the point being to master the material, not necessarily on the first try, because children not all children learn at the same rate, and the emphasis remains that they learn the material and that they are supported in that effort.
Districts that have adopted mastery grading say it has changed, for the better, the way teachers and parents talk about students. Being able to focus on specifics allows the parents, teachers to put their heads together and figure out how to help. A standards-based system also allows teachers to spot hidden talents that often go undiscovered, especially among those that do not have the social skills that some others have.
The first year Minnetonka, MN implemented mastery grading, students received 7% fewer A’s-what their administration viewed as a “market correction.” But in the subsequent years marks have been on an upward climb. In the last 5 years ACT subject test scores for Minnetonka have risen, as have the number of students who are named National Merit Scholars and the percentage of those who pursue the rigorous International Baccalaureate degree has increased. In 2009 147 students at Minnetonka HS received F’s, in two years that number was down to 54. The success of this change has school administrators from other districts and states calling to find out how they did it. They are all told the basis is grading the students on what they know, not on how well the “do school.”
There are many things that need to be address within the educational system in the US. Things that need to change and even be eliminated. After working within education, for an educational publisher for 25 years, I believe this approach can help in all aspects of education. First and foremost it focuses on children learning, and simultaneously provides a format to address the myriad problems in both learning and being successful in the classroom. It could be the foundation for changing education and educational standards in the US. Because of the size of our systems and the diversity found in them we have to develop answers that focus on ways for all students to learn to their real potential. Education is the foundation for life and well-being in this country. I may not be in the majority, but I believe that everyone deserves a good foundation.
On The Evil Economics Of Judging Teachers
Not mentioned in any of these articles is that in the last few years administrators and educators in New York, Maryland, Kentucky, Minnesota, California, Texas and Florida have been implementing new programs and many more districts nationwide are moving toward grade –reform programs especially in middle and high schools.
The questions they have been asking are; who deserves high marks?, what standards are judging students on?, and what goal are we trying to move students toward?
At this time all states now mandate that teach certain curriculum, and 45 have begun implementing a national list of education standards know as Common Core. Schools are realizing that if you don’t have standard-based grading, you can’t measure, or communicate, how well students are actually learning the material as opposed to merely being “exposed” to it. In this system, homework doesn’t count toward the main “knowledge” grade, which is determined primarily by scores on end-of-unit tests. A separate mark is given for work habits and more subjective measures, like attitude, effort and citizenship. The key being to separate the product (what the student learns) from the process (attitude, ability to function well in the classroom). Either of these skill sets might require help, but you can’t focus in on what needs work unless the two are evaluated separately. When Kentucky’s Oldham County school district started standards-based grading parents were concerned when then they saw their kids’ grades drop. And some of the students who were involved in athletics had to shift tactics to keep their grades up so they remained eligible to participate in sports. In the past they added an “extra-credit project” to shore up their poor grade, but under the new system they had to buckle down and study in order to do well on classroom tests. An added feature is that standards-based grading allows students to retake tests (same subject, different questions), the point being to master the material, not necessarily on the first try, because children not all children learn at the same rate, and the emphasis remains that they learn the material and that they are supported in that effort.
Districts that have adopted mastery grading say it has changed, for the better, the way teachers and parents talk about students. Being able to focus on specifics allows the parents, teachers to put their heads together and figure out how to help. A standards-based system also allows teachers to spot hidden talents that often go undiscovered, especially among those that do not have the social skills that some others have.
The first year Minnetonka, MN implemented mastery grading, students received 7% fewer A’s-what their administration viewed as a “market correction.” But in the subsequent years marks have been on an upward climb. In the last 5 years ACT subject test scores for Minnetonka have risen, as have the number of students who are named National Merit Scholars and the percentage of those who pursue the rigorous International Baccalaureate degree has increased. In 2009 147 students at Minnetonka HS received F’s, in two years that number was down to 54. The success of this change has school administrators from other districts and states calling to find out how they did it. They are all told the basis is grading the students on what they know, not on how well the “do school.”
There are many things that need to be address within the educational system in the US. Things that need to change and even be eliminated. After working within education, for an educational publisher for 25 years, I believe this approach can help in all aspects of education. First and foremost it focuses on children learning, and simultaneously provides a format to address the myriad problems in both learning and being successful in the classroom. It could be the foundation for changing education and educational standards in the US. Because of the size of our systems and the diversity found in them we have to develop answers that focus on ways for all students to learn to their real potential. Education is the foundation for life and well-being in this country. I may not be in the majority, but I believe that everyone deserves a good foundation.