OIS is committed to creating a safe, positive school environment that ensures academic, social and emotional growth for all learners through collaboration, respect and compassion.
Standard Based Grading at OIS
Standards-based grading (SBG) communicates how students are performing on essential learning targets that are created and identified from the Wisconsin Academic Standards. The purpose of standards-based grading is to identify what a student knows, or is able to do, in relation to pre-established learning targets, as opposed to simply averaging grades/scores over the course of a grading period, which can mask what a student has learned, or not learned, in a specific subject. Standard based grading allows students to take more ownership for their learning because expectations and targets are clearly presented to students ahead of time so they know what they are working towards.
Unlike traditional grading systems, a standards-based grading system measures a student’s mastery of grade-level learning targets by prioritizing the most recent, consistent level of performance. Therefore, a student who may have struggled at the beginning of a course, when first encountering new material, may still be able to demonstrate mastery of key content/concepts by the end of a grading period. A student who is at grade level at the start of the course can then work to apply the knowledge and background they already have to push themselves further.
In a traditional grading system, a student’s performance for an entire grading period is averaged together. Early quiz scores that were low would be averaged together with more proficient performance later in the course, resulting in a lower overall grade than current performance indicates.
Standards-based report cards separate academic performance from work habits and behavior in order to provide parents a more accurate view of a student’s progress in both academic and behavioral areas. Variables such as effort, participation, timeliness, cooperation and attitude are reported separately, not as an indicator of a student’s academic performance. At OIS, we call these personal accountability levels: self directed learner, community contributor, quality produce and effective communicator.
What do the numbers mean?
A student’s performance on a series of assessments (both formative (practice along the way) and summative (end of unit/chapter/topic test or project that summarizes the learning) will be used to determine a student’s overall grade in a subject area.
3- Proficient- Meets grade level learning target (this is our goal for ALL students). This means that a student consistently and independently demonstrates grade-level understanding of the learning target.
2.5- Developing PLUS- Making progress toward grade-level learning targets. This means that a student is putting the effort in, but has not yet shown, on a consistent basis, that they understand the content or the skills that we are utilizing in class.
2- Developing- Below grade-level learning target. Developing means that a student requires teacher assistance and support in order to demonstrate grade-level understanding of the learning target.
1.5- Basic PLUS- Making progress toward developing- This means that a student is putting the effort in, but has not yet shown, on a consistent basis, that they understand the content or the skills that we are utilizing in class and are one grade level below target proficiency.
1- Basic- Significantly below the grade level learning target. Basic means that a student demonstrates limited understanding of the grade-level learning target and is significantly below the grade-level learning target.
*- Not applicable at this time. This means there is not enough evidence to earn a score at this time.
S- See IEP Progress Report-This means the student is getting services in Special Education for academics.
I hope this information provides a better understanding of how our grading system works here at OIS. Again, we emphasize your child’s most recent evidence of learning- standard based reporting allows students to take more ownership for their learning as expectations and learning targets are clearly presented ahead of time. The educational journey to mastery of the State Standards takes time. If you are not seeing 3 and 3.5s, that is OK! Mastery of a standard takes practice, review and time.