Using Standards-Based Grading to Address Students' Strengths and Weaknesses

N

114

Grading; Academic Standards; State Standards; Scoring Rubrics; Student Improvement; Student Evaluation; Accountability; Elementary School Students; Elementary School Teachers; Middle School Students; Middle School Teachers; Urban Schools; Rural Schools; Parents; Surveys; Interviews; Student Surveys; Action Research; Teacher Researchers

This action research project report uses standard-based grading to address the problem of traditional grades not adequately assessing student content mastery and students' lack of awareness regarding their strengths and weaknesses. Research was conducted by one elementary and two middle school teachers with 158 students between the dates of September 6th and December 16th, 2011. Data was also collected from 95 parents and 14 teachers. Traditional grades were difficult for students and parents to interpret because they combine a number of factors into one summary grade. Teacher researchers conducted both parent and student surveys in addition to a teacher survey and interview. Through these tools, the teacher researchers found that students and parents alike agreed that they did not always understand why students received certain grades and were not able to identify their students' strengths and weaknesses. Parents were not confident in the teacher's abilities to explain grades. In an attempt to fix traditional broken grades, teachers sent home bi-weekly progress reports detailing student progress toward individual state learning standards. Teachers then adapted lesson plans and teaching methods to help students improve upon a set of chosen state standards. Teacher implemented a new way of grading that did not allow outside factors to affect grades. In post documentation, teacher researchers found that 84% (n=114) of students agreed with the fairness of the grades that were assigned to them. This proved to the teacher researchers that when students knew what standards needed to be mastered, they worked diligently to accomplish the goal set before them. Nine appendixes present: (1) Parent Survey Site B; (2) Parent Survey Site A; (3) Teacher Survey; (4) Open-Ended Questions for Teacher Interview; (5) Student Survey Site A; (6) Student Survey Site B; (7) First Quarter Parent Letter Site A; (8) Target Sheet Site A; and (9) Second Quarter Parent Letter Site A. (Contains 38 figures.)

As Provided

45

2012

ED531172