Standards-Based Grading

Overview

The purpose of grading is to communicate what students have learned or are capable of doing as a result of learning. Standards-based grading ensures grading is in alignment with academic state standards.

Secondary Proficiency Levels and Descriptors

All graded assignments are aligned to a state academic standard and graded using the common descriptors below. In order for students to earn an A, they must show that they have fully met the standard and can transfer their learning to an authentic or new situation or task. This allows them to not only demonstrate learning of the content but also develop critical thinking skills and creative thinking which are essential in today's and tomorrow's workforce.

Level	Grade	General Descriptor
Exemplary	A	Independently and fully meets the standard by creatively transferring learning to a new situation and connecting it to previous learning.
Proficient	B	Independently and fully meets the standard.
Approaching	C	Requires assistance to fully meet the standard.
Beginning	D	Does not yet meet a grade level standard and requires significant assistance to demonstrate some understandings or skills needed to meet the standard.
No Evidence	F	Either whole pieces of evidence are missing or the submitted evidence is incomplete.

RMS and RHS Grading Practices

Grades will not include participation, attendance, behavior, extra credit or homework completion.
Students can turn in late work without penalty until the end of the unit.
Students can retake end-of-unit assessments until the end of the next unit.
Retakes may be performed during WIN (RHS) or as arranged by the teacher. Students are limited to one retake of summative assessments.
All formative assessments must be completed in order to take a reassessment.
RMS: Formative Assessment is 30% of the final grade and summative assessment is 70% of the final grade.
RHS: Formative Assessment is 20% of the final grade and summative assessment is 80% of the final grade.

*Middle school students taking high school credit courses, and high school students taking college credit courses will have slightly different grading categories.

Common Definitions

Formative assessment: Assignments under this section include any graded assignment that is practicing a skill, understanding or concept that is directly aligned to the summative assessment. Students should have an opportunity to practice a skill or concept before it goes into the grade book.
Summative assessment: Assignments under this section include a demonstration of learning at the end of a unit, such as a project, performance, final portfolio or test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this grading system lower expectations for students?

No, it has not lowered expectations. In fact, this grading system has raised them! Our common proficiency levels and definitions will consistently hold students to high levels of rigor in all courses. Grades should not be dependent on a student’s teacher, but rather their learning. To earn an “A” students must demonstrate full understanding of a standard and transfer their learning to a new or authentic situation. Prior to our changes, the consequence for not turning in an assignment was an F, now the consequence is students really need to do the assignment to demonstrate learning. We are expecting students to engage and show what they have learned in all classes.

How will students be held accountable?

We believe in holding students accountable for their learning with deadlines that also embed grace for being human. Students must still turn in late work by the end of the next unit and they still have hard deadlines at quarters and semesters. Instead of focusing on earning points for a grade, these changes shift the focus to demonstrating mastery and learning. Research shows that when this shift occurs, a student's intrinsic motivation is increased and deeper learning occurs.

If there are no deadlines or homework, how are students prepared for the real world?

Students still are given deadlines and homework assignments. Students must turn in all work by the end of the next unit, and have hard deadlines at the end of quarters and semesters, just like in the real world. By having somewhat flexible deadlines, we are still giving students grace to be human and hope that they can still demonstrate learning even if they missed turning in assignments. Additionally, students are given homework as practice. We want homework to allow students to make mistakes and learn from them instead of just completing a task for points.

In addition, by changing an “A” to mean students must transfer learning to a new or authentic situation ensures that students are learning how to critically think to prepare for today and tomorrow’s workforce. Our students will face new challenges that need to be solved and we want to ensure that we are not only teaching the state standards, but providing the necessary critical and creative thinking skills that students will need to be successful after high school.

Why do elementary students use numeral scores (1-4) while secondary students still earn letter grades?

Elementary schools have implemented standards-based report cards, while secondary schools are still using a traditional A-F letter scale. At the secondary level, we still want to ensure student grades are transferable to post-secondary institutions. We have common definitions for what A through F learning should look like across each course to align with how elementary students are graded on report cards.

Want to Learn More?

RPS Policy 601: Academic Standards and Instructional Curriculum
Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, How It Transforms Schools and Classrooms (video)
Book: Grading from the Inside Out by Tom Schimmer
Podcast: Aspire To Lead, Episode with Tom Schimmer on Grading from the Inside Out

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