Standards-Based Grading FAQ

• Along with anecdotal experience, leading educational experts including:

  • Joe Feldman, Grading for Equity

  • Building Equitable Learning Environments Network

  • Gary Howard, You Can’t Lead Where You Won’t Go

  • Benner, Brown, and Jeffrey, Elevating Student Voice in Education

  • Tammy Heflebower, A School Leader’s Guide to Standards-Based Grading, foreword by Robert Marzano

• Traditional grading practices are highly subjective, with points awarded for things like attendance, homework, and participation inconsistently between classrooms. Standards-Based Grading assigns grades that tie student achievement to specific topics within subject areas. This practice works to make grading practices more objective and consistent for all classrooms.

• We looked at the grading systems and scales used in school districts in Colorado, including Jefferson County (the second largest school district in the state), Roaring Fork, and Summit County and worked to find a conversion scale that works best for our school district. 

• As schools implement Standards-Based Grading and the 0-4 scale, the conversion to letter grades will no longer happen. Transcripts and college applications will be converted by the receiving institution.

• In the interest of a consistent and aligned grading system for a student’s academic career with Eagle County School District, high school grade levels must also be part of Standards-Based Grading. Standards-Based Grading is a high-impact practice in K-12 education.

• Standards-Based Grading informs GPAs very similarly to traditional grading. Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment classes will still be weighted. See below for a consolidated grade scale for course grades.

Consolidated Grade Scale for Course Grades

• While the district-wide implementation started during the 2020-21 school year, some of our schools have been implementing Standards-Based Grading or similar practices for many years. In an effort to provide consistency and transparency across the district, all schools are now working to align instruction and assessment. This work is being paced to match the capacity of each school, but it’s important for us to maintain district-level expectations while also providing district level support to keep things fair and consistent.

• Watch our “This is Happening Too Fast!” video for more information.

• In March of 2021, all teachers trained on grading practices and were surveyed at the end. Ninety-five percent of ECSD teachers agreed that we should align grading practices across our district. Teachers provided input on which practices to prioritize. Our Grading Committee, which consistently works on this subject, includes teacher representatives from across the district, grade levels, and subject areas, as well as specialists and leadership team members. 

• Yes, the Grading Committee includes teachers who are piloting Standards-Based Grading and they have provided feedback that assists the implementation process.  

• In Wednesday professional development meetings and department/grade level meetings, all teachers are invited to provide feedback and ask questions. Their comments and questions are important to inform district leaders where additional training is needed. This open dialogue has led to positive conversations with teachers that show an increased buy-in and understanding from them, as well as constructive criticism that we can adapt and learn from moving forward.

• Classroom dialogue is changing for the better. Students are realizing scores are about the learning, not an economy where points and grades are the currency. While initial conversations may not have been as positive, as teachers become more comfortable with and knowledgeable about the process, students are following suit.

• Schools are in different places in this process, and even within schools, some teachers have more experience or knowledge with Standards-Based Grading. Our overall goal is to provide a more consistent grading system in the district, but we understand that will take time. Teachers are working with their instructional coaches to fully understand this change. Numerous professional development opportunities have been and will continue to be provided to teachers throughout the district.

• Superintendent Qualman’s door is always open and will happily schedule meetings for parents with feedback or concerns. Before the implementation of Standards-Based Grading in Eagle County School District, there was no consistency in grading practices or philosophies across the 18 schools. There are times to seek community input, and there are times when we need to rely on research and educational pedagogy. Parent feedback informs the implementation process, so we hope to continue the dialogue so we can be responsive to irregularities and bumps in the road.

• Staff members are receiving training as well as ongoing professional development and resources. Each school is handling this implementation slightly differently, and so there is not a specific number of hours dedicated to this work. Staff members are supported in this work through Teacher Leaders, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and district outreach.

• Yes, but teachers have professional discretion to enter assignments in the gradebook as they see fit. This varies by grade level, content area, and length of the unit or term.

• Consistency is our goal, and moving forward teachers will teach and grade to the same standards using consistent assessment practices.

• In many ECSD schools, Standards-Based Grading isn’t a big change. For some, the change feels more significant. That may cause some students to experience cognitive dissonance or stress as they get used to the new system. It’s important to talk about the change, remind students of the purpose, and show them how Standards-Based Grading is intended to help them be more successful. Students are encouraged to talk with their teachers and principals about the implementation process and point out when something isn’t working.

• Yes, we will continue to provide district- and school-level support as needed to parents, teachers and students. If you are interested in your school providing a support night, contact your principal.

• This system should demonstrate where your child is currently in regards to content mastery. From there, students can work with their teachers to continue to grow their knowledge. Long-term, we want all students to strive for and achieve the highest grades they are able to attain, understanding that it will take time to get there.

• Yes. 4s are earned when a standard is met and there is demonstration of application, creativity, or connection of the standard.

• When designed appropriately, assessments have task items that contain opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of the skills and concepts of standards at all levels of proficiency. Tasks or question items are written to challenge students to demonstrate understanding of supporting skills and to demonstrate mastery. Each task or question can measure a specific skill (or multiple) needed to show mastery of a standard. The questions students answer correctly and the depth of their response determine the level of proficiency the student receives. If a student answers the questions designed to meet the expectations of a skill at the level 3 proficiency, then the student earns a 3 on that standard. If the student answers questions that exceed expectations of the skill at the level 4 proficiency, then the student earns a 4 on that standard. 

• The score of the assessment is not an average or total number correct, rather the assessment is scored based on the standards and skills that each task or question measures.

• Grade 3 Math Assessment Example

• Absolutely. A 4 can be earned through consistent and independently demonstrated proficiency of a standard, but this does not mean the student is not supported and encouraged in their learning. Working with a teacher, students can gain a better understanding of what they need to do to demonstrate that proficiency.

• This is an incomplete statement. On rare occasions, some standards are very basic and serve as building blocks for more complex tasks or conceptual understanding. The statement should end with a comma and an explanation of when the 4 will be attainable and why it isn’t necessary in a specific task or assignment.

• Teachers collect a body of evidence to assess students on various standards. These may not always include tests, but can, as well as projects, papers, quizzes, and other assessment styles.

• Because students have the opportunity to work with teachers on retakes and chances to demonstrate mastery of content. Extra Credit will no longer be offered as it would promote the idea of chasing points as a transaction.

• Schools and departments are working towards more consistency, but there will be variation based on grade levels and subject matter. Learning is a process, and Standards-Based Grading is designed to honor that process and give students the opportunity to improve without penalty.  Retakes are not unlimited, and teachers can offer them when they make sense in the scope of the unit.

• No. Mistakes happen in the real world, and life is a continuous learning process, so understanding that and accepting it to improve is an important lesson to be learned. While students could learn to rely on later attempts to demonstrate mastery, they will soon learn early and often attempts to demonstrate knowledge let them receive feedback and manage their time responsibly.

• Students who strive for 4s and set themselves up to excel in high school will be better prepared for the rigorous course load of colleges.

• All student work contributes to a body of evidence of student learning on a standard. Students are given multiple opportunities over the course of a unit to demonstrate their learning. Although a student may demonstrate a 4 level on a standard at the beginning of a learning period, they will be assessed on the standard more than once. Grades are calculated using the most recent assessment recorded in the gradebook. PowerSchool provides opportunities to access the body of evidence showing how a student has performed over time on a particular standard. If the most recent assessment does not represent the body of evidence on the whole, teachers use their professional expertise to determine the final grade on a particular standard. It is also important to understand that some standards are assessed in a unit. Some standards are assessed over the course of the semester, or even the school year. They are assessed over longer periods of time, but not necessarily continually.

• Standards-Based Grading assesses students based on their understanding of standards rather than assigning points to earn letter grades. Students are assessed on the level of proficiency of the skills and concepts they demonstrate. In a traditional grading system, a student may earn points for behaviors and extra credit that do not represent their understanding of content standards. In Standards-Based Grading systems, students demonstrate proficiency of a grade level standard as well as being able to transfer and apply skills to new or real world situations in order to earn a 4. Students are not expected to begin a unit of study demonstrating a 4 level of proficiency. The system is designed to provide multiple opportunities to demonstrate learning over the course of a unit. As skills and concepts are taught, students receive academic feedback and have opportunities to revise their work to earn a 4.

• Grades should be entered into PowerSchool throughout the semester and should share more information as far as what was graded. Instead of seeing a grade on Quiz 2 or Test 4, information about what was taught and learned should be included as well as what the expectations were.

• The schools that are currently doing the full implementation of Standards-Based Grading have already switched to a 0-4 scale. For those that are slowly making the transition it will depend on the path forward, but as the shift is made we encourage you to contact schools directly for a better understanding of the timeline.

• They can’t. Please contact the teacher or the principal so that they can address the issue directly. Grades should be entered in a timely manner to provide feedback to students.

• This is a change and we will continue to support our students as we move through it. We will also work with teachers to help them better understand the process and ways in which they can help to reduce that stress on students by entering more grades into PowerSchool.

• Advanced Placement (AP) classes are through ECSD and are assessed on a 0-4 scale with the AP standards. Dual Enrollment (DE) classes are through Colorado Mountain College. There are several DE teachers piloting Standards-Based Grading in their classes this year. Because DE classes are through CMC, we have to find a middle ground that meets the needs of both institutions.

• Based on Superintendent Qualman’s conversations with admissions officers, colleges look at a matrix of different things when considering applications, including GPA and classes on the student’s transcript. These professionals are not as interested in weighted GPAs as many might think, and instead consider what classes students took and how they challenged themselves, such as college-level courses while in high school.

• Yes, there will be a valedictorian. Since GPAs work the same way they do now, and we will still have weighted grades for advanced classes, the GPA and class ranking are not impacted by Standards-Based Grading.

• There are no placement tests for AP courses. AP Human Geography is the only Advanced Placement course currently encouraged for freshmen.

• If a student is in private school or transfers from out of district, the student's counselor looks at their transcript and determines if they have had the appropriate pre-requisite classes just as they would with any ECSD student.

• Superintendent Qualman attended a college fair with admissions representatives from a variety of schools. Some of the schools that have provided impressions and feedback on the ECSD Standards-Based Grading system include University of Colorado – Boulder, Penn State University, University of Missouri–Columbia, Regis University, USC, University of Southern California University of Maryland, American University, St. Lawrence University, and St. John's College.

• A student that has a 2.0 will struggle to get into certain schools and would also struggle at those schools. Standards-Based Grading will not lower a student's grade unless that student is unable to demonstrate mastery of specific content, in which case the student may need more academic support to be successful at the college level. We think it is better to determine these needs prior to a student stepping foot on a college campus.

• Elementary schools transitioned to standards-based grade reporting about 15 years ago. The way that has looked has changed over the years, and we are now working to align practices across the district. With district-wide support and consistency we are confident that these practice’s will equate to success for all schools.

• Standards are assessed more than once during a particular unit of study. Mastery standards are the high-priority concepts and skills that will be taught and assessed over the course of a semester or school year. If you have questions about which standards are being taught and how often they will be assessed, your classroom teacher can help. Understand that specific standards are not continually evaluated, but rather over the course of the semester and even the school year.

• Teachers should be working with all of their students to help them achieve greater content mastery. If this is not happening, you should discuss with your principal who can address each specific situation.

• Standards-based learning and grading promotes high expectations for all by providing detailed feedback and reporting on students’ academic proficiency of grade level standards.

• Students with IEPs and 504 Plans will have appropriate instructional accommodations to support them in meeting the grade level standards. Meeting or exceeding grade level standards is the goal for all students, including students learning English and with learning differences.