Common beliefs about grading and reporting.

Our highest performing PLCs report out on the standard. With this in mind we need to have conversations about what our core beliefs are in relation to grading and reporting. We have pockets of teachers who report out on the standard. To continue our work in this area we need to develop some consistencies and core beliefs across the district. Our school improvement committees have helped to develop the survey questions below to help gain feedback from teachers.

We will be putting together a task force to meet over a period of time to review the survey results, review the research, have dialogue, gather input from stakeholders, and then create a set of beliefs that we share as a district in relation to grading and reporting.

The survey is broken down into four areas: Practice, Curricular Alignment, Behavior, and Multiple Opportunities. We believe these are the key areas for our task force to focus on.

Here's an example of how each question is setup on the Google Form:

Practice: 

Description: Homework is defined as additional practice beyond what is done in the classroom.

1. I believe all homework that I assign is meaningful and supports the student's learning. 
2. I believe homework should not be included in the final grade. 
3. I believe formative assessment should not be used for grading purposes, only for feedback.

Curricular Alignment

Description: How aligned is your curriculum to your I Can Statements?

1. I believe all classroom instruction and assessments should be aligned to my I Can Statements.
2. I believe it is important to provide multiple learning opportunities for students to demonstrate growth for each I Can Statement.
3. I believe it is important to regularly report progress to parents and students based on the I Can Statement.

Behavior:

Description: Behavior is defined as anything that would be included in the grade that changes the reporting of mastery. For example, late assignments, classroom behavior, poorly completed assignments, missing homework, zeros, and etc.

1. I believe behavior should be reported separately from the student's academic grade.
2. I believe zeros teach students responsibility.
3. I believe zeros cloud the reporting about what a student knows and is able to do. 
4. I believe students should always receive full credit when they turn in their late or missing assignments.
5. I believe it is acceptable to use bonus points/extra credit in a student's grade. 

Multiple Opportunities:

1. I believe reiteration of a skill or concept is a significant part of competence. Redos and retakes are important to determine mastery.
2. I believe redos and retakes should replace the grade and not be subject to reduced points. 
3. I believe the latest grade should be used and not the average when determining mastery. 

More to come....