- Evanston/Skokie School District 65
- Standards Based Grading & Report Cards
Standards Based Grading and Report Cards
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District 65's vision is that report card grades are meaningful, accurate, and actionable for students, their families, and educators. This report card, a snapshot of current learning, conveys two separate concepts:
- academic learning reflecting current proficiency of grade level standards
- and separate information on learning habits
Follow along with our curriculum
Our Curriculum & Instruction team has developed an At-A-Glance document that provides a broad overview of concepts and approximate time frames recommended for classroom instruction in core content areas by grade level.
Additional Information
Timeline
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District 65 is in the process of shifting our practices and tools to make progress on our vision for grading and report cards. We believe that this increase clarity of student learning and progress may contribute to stronger school and family partnerships and better support for learners. Our timetable for shifts is:
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School year 2022-23
Kindergarten - Fifth Grade Shifts- (K-5) Implement a revised the K-5 student facing report card to increase alignment with State Standards and update learning habits.
- (K-5) Publish to the community reporting descriptors, student learning targets and curriculum at a glance tools for K-5.
- (6-8) Add learning habits to the student facing report card
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School year 2023-24- (K-8) Publish to the community reporting descriptors, student learning targets and curriculum at a glance tools for middle school.
- (6-8) Implement course letters and opportunities for retakes.
- (6-8) Educate families and students on learning habits and a new standards based report card for 2024-25 school year.
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School year 2024-25- (6-8) Shift to a new student facing standards based report card.
Report Cards
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2022-2023 New Report Card Samples by Grade
Sample Report Card: Grades 6-8
Middle School Report Card Information SheetSample Report Card: Grades 6-8 (Spanish) - Coming Soon
Middle School Report Card Information Sheet (Spanish)
Learning Habits
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Learning Habits Descriptors K-5
Learning Habits Descriptors K-5
Kindergarten - Fifth Grade - Process of Learning Indicators - Habits of Learning Descriptors Beginning Progressing Meets Asks and responds to questions related to specific topics Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Uses feedback from others to make improvements Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Completes assignments with quality and punctuality Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Takes risks as a learner Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Exhibits effort and perseverance Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Takes initiative to learn Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Accepts responsibility for own behavior Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Demonstrates effective social problem solving skills Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Manages stress by using coping strategies Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Understands the effect of one's behaviors on others Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Identifies and communicates feelings and needs Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Respects others' identity, rights, and feelings Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Actively works to establish and maintain positive relationships Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Works collaboratively with others. Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. -
Learning Habits Descriptors 6-8
Learning Habits Descriptors 6-8
Sixth - Eighth Grade - Process of Learning Indicators - Habits of Learning Learning Habits Beginning Progressing Meets Prepares to Learn
- Ready to learn
- Prepared with needed materials
- Demonstrates organizational skills
- On-time
- Completes and submits assignments on time and with quality
Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with regular reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Engages in Learning
- Focused on learning and instruction during class (ie. Take detailed and organized notes that will be useful)
- Actively engaged in class discussions and learning
- Places effort into work
- Collaborates effectively
- Respectful to individuals, the class, and guidelines
Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with regular reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. Takes Initiative to Learn
- Reflects on learning and takes appropriate steps to improve
- Uses feedback (self-assessment, peer assessment and educator) to improve learning.
- Displays confidence to take on new challenges
Advocates for one's own learning needs. - Demonstrates honesty and integrity in learning
Inconsistently demonstrates all the behaviors with reminders Consistently demonstrates most of the behaviors with minimal reminders.
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Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with regular reminders.Consistently demonstrates all the behaviors with minimal reminders. - Ready to learn
Learning Measures
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Elementary (K-5) Learning Measures for Learning Habits
Elementary (K-5) Learning Measures for Learning Habits
Learning Habits Measures (Process)
Learning Habits Measures (Process) Meeting (ME) Progressing (PR) Beginning (BE) Meeting Standard: Meets the rigor of the end-of-term standard consistently and independently across a variety of contexts. Progressing in Learning of Standard: Making progress towards consistently and independently meeting the end-of-term standard across a variety of contexts.
Beginning Learning of the Standard: Developing foundational skills needed to progress towards meeting the end-of-term standard consistently and independently.
Insufficient Evidence (IE) Lack of student evidence submitted to assess standard. -
Elementary (K-5) Learning Measures for Academic Learning
Elementary (K-5) Learning Measures for Academic Learning
Student Academic Learning Measures (Product)
Student Academic Learning Measures (Product) Meeting (ME) Progressing (PR) Beginning (BE) Meeting Standard: Meets the rigor of the end-of-term standard consistently and independently across a variety of contexts. Progressing in Learning of Standard: Making progress towards consistently and independently meeting the end-of-term standard across a variety of contexts.
Beginning Learning of the Standard: Developing foundational skills needed to progress towards meeting the end-of-term standard consistently and independently.
Extending (EX) Meets and applies the rigor of the standard to more complex tasks that show a deeper level of understanding. Insufficient Evidence (IE) Lack of student evidence submitted to assess standard. -
Middle School (6-8) Learning Measures for Learning Habits
Middle School (6-8) Learning Measures for Learning Habits
Learning Habits Measures (Process)
Learning Habits Measures (Process) Meeting (ME) Progressing (PR) Beginning (BE) Meeting Standard: Meets the rigor of the end-of-term standard consistently and independently across a variety of contexts. Progressing in Learning of Standard: Making progress towards consistently and independently meeting the end-of-term standard across a variety of contexts.
Beginning Learning of the Standard: Developing foundational skills needed to progress towards meeting the end-of-term standard consistently and independently.
Insufficient Evidence (IE) Lack of student evidence submitted to assess standard. -
Middle School (6-8) Learning Measures for Academic Learning
Middle School (6-8) Learning Measures for Academic Learning
Student Academic Learning Measures (Product)
Student Academic Learning Measures (Product) Meeting (ME) Progressing (PR) Beginning (BE) Meeting Standard: Meets the rigor of the end-of-term standard consistently and independently across a variety of contexts. Progressing in Learning of Standard: Making progress towards consistently and independently meeting the end-of-term standard across a variety of contexts.
Beginning Learning of the Standard: Developing foundational skills needed to progress towards meeting the end-of-term standard consistently and independently.
Extending (EX) Meets and applies the rigor of the standard to more complex tasks that show a deeper level of understanding. Insufficient Evidence (IE) Lack of student evidence submitted to assess standard.
Resources
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Standards Based Grading and Reporting Handbook
District 65 Standards Based Grading and Reporting Handbook (English)
District 65 Standards Based Grading and Reporting Handbook (Spanish)Family Resource on Standards Based Grading
Presentations
2023-24 Middle School Grading and Report Cards - 2023-24 (English)
2023-24 Middle School Grading and Report Cards - 2023-24 (Spanish)Video Resources
New Report Cards and How to Read Them
Navigating the new for K-5 and 6-8Revisiones De La Boleta De Calificaciones
Info Session: Middle School Report Card Revisions (May 2023)
Credits: District 65 thanks Orland 135 School District and Renton School District for sharing their resources and allowing the District to draw from their work.
FAQs
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Why change to Standards Based Grading?
"Why would anyone want to change current grading practices?
The answer is quite simple: Grades are so imprecise that they are almost meaningless.” (Marzano 20001)
Since the State of Illinois and Evanston/Skokie 65 have implemented new learning standards and new curricula in many subjects, District 65 has not updated grading, assessing, and reporting that mirror updated practices in classrooms. Current Illinois learning standards are rigorous, and while the District has worked to implement standards-aligned curricula, our District has yet to systemically address how student learning and mastery of standards is assessed, graded, and reported.
Many experts in education from around the world (Dylan William, Doug Reeves, Myron Dueck, Thomas Guskey, Ken O’Connor, Susan Brookhart, and Robert Marzano) have found that the most effective grading practices provide accurate, effective, and timely feedback to improve student performance. The traditional grading system reduces everything a student does into a single letter grade that is neither timely nor actionable.
The single letter grade has so many academic and nonacademic variables attached to it. These variables differ from teacher to teacher and school to school. Standards-based grading provides District 65 with the opportunity to unravel some of the variables attached to grades and place them appropriately and consistently.
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Will my child be prepared for high school when they do not use a standards based grading report card?
Students who experience standards-based grading in K-8 are prepared for high school, even if their high school teachers continue to use a more traditional system, because they are aware of the content knowledge and skills they have achieved, and because they are pushed to become more independent learners who take more responsibility for their learning.
“A standards-based report card identifies the specific learning goals within the curriculum so that appropriate rigor can be ensured. It also communicates more detailed information about higher levels of success. These distinct benefits serve to prepare students well, no matter what type of learning environment they enter after they leave school.” (Guskey & Bailey 2017).
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What are the advantages of standards based grading?
- Allows students, teachers, and parents/guardians to gauge each student’s progress per standard
- Represents more accurate representation of student’s knowledge and skills at each rotation/trimester
- Provides multiple chances for students to show what they know
- Limits the chance of penalizing students for mistakes made during the learning process
- Increases consistency in grading policies and criteria across teachers and schools
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What is the main difference from traditional grading?
- Standards-based grading focuses on a student’s progress toward meeting grade-level standards rather than a simple accumulation of points.
- It uses a symbolic scale that in our case uses letter combinations to refer to where students are on their learning journey (EX, ME, PR, BE) rather than a letter scale (A, B, C, D, F).
- To earn the highest mark of a “EX”, students must demonstrate exceptional understanding of the standard, not just general understanding of the standard, requiring students to show they can think more deeply and tackle more complex problems on their assignments with consistency and independence.
- It is less subject to being influenced by non-academic behaviors, such as tardiness or not speaking up in class.
- Grades are determined by each student’s ability to meet standards; not by how he or she compares to other students in the class. All students are expected to meet or exceed standards. Course grades are not based “on a curve”; all of the students that meet high standards can receive high grades.
Traditional Grading System Standards-Based Grading System 1. Based on assessment methods (quizzes, tests, homework, projects, etc.). One grade/entry is given per assessment. 1. Based on learning targets and reporting standards. One grade/entry is given per learning goal. 2. Assessments are based on a percentage system. Criteria for success may be unclear. 2. Standards are criterion or proficiency-based. Criteria and targets are made available to students ahead of time. 3. Use an uncertain mix of assessment, achievement, effort, and behavior to determine the final grade. May use late penalties and extra credit. 3. Measures achievement only OR separates achievement from effort/behavior. No penalties or extra credit given. 4. Everything goes in the grade book – regardless of purpose. 4. Selected assessments (tests, quizzes, projects, etc.) are used for grading purposes. 5. Include every score, regardless of when it was collected. Assessments record the average – not the best – work. 5. Emphasize the most recent evidence of learning when grading. Adapted from O’Connor K (2002). How to Grade for Learning: Linking grades to standards (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
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Why do formative assessments, homework assignments, or participation count so little in a student’s grade, why should students take them seriously?
- Formative assessments and homework allow students to try out what they are learning without having to worry about how it affects their final grade.
- Teachers create formative assignments to gain insight into levels of student learning and to check for gaps in students’ understanding.
- Homework is used for practice, to prepare students for upcoming learning, and to reinforce and extend learning, but never to learn material for the first time.
- When students don’t complete homework, it becomes evident in their learning habits feedback, formative assessment feedback, and benchmark assessment scores.
- When these warning signs arise, students can then (with the help of their teachers and parents/guardians) set goals and develop plans to better support their own learning.
- Under standards-based grading, students are not relieved of the responsibility to participate in ALL aspects of their classes. Frequent independent practice of what is taught in class aids long-term learning.
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What does my child need to do to achieve an Exceeds (EX)?
- It is important to understand that an EX in standards-based grading is not the same as earning an “A” in the traditional system.
- Evanston/Skokie School District defines an EX as “Exceeds the rigor of the end-of-term standard consistently and independently across a variety of contexts.” This means that students need to be able to extend the grade level learning in a manner that shows they are transferring and applying the learning independently to different learning contexts. Examples of actions that may demonstrate skills aligned to “EX” include demonstrating they have a greater understanding by elaborating on their answers, solving more challenging problems, or showing connections between varying concepts that they have made on their own.
- Some students may find this aspect of standards-based grading more challenging since “going above and beyond the minimum standard” may take extra effort and persistence.
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If my child does everything that is asked of her/him/them, why doesn’t she/he/them get an EX (Exceeding) or ME (Meeting)?
- In a Standards-Based Grading system, a student’s grade depends on showing mastery of the standards. Completing the assigned work is important to a student’s learning, but assignments will be graded based on what a student is able to show what they know.
- Grades determined in our standards-based grading system more accurately show what students know and can do.
- If a student completes all assigned work but is unable to demonstrate mastery of the content knowledge, the student will not receive an EX or ME. They may receive PR (Progressing) if they are growing towards grade level proficiency in the skill or BE (Beginning) if they are working on acquiring the foundational skills that will help students grow towards the skill.
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What is the difference between a BE, IE and a blank grade?
- If a student earns a BE (Beginning), it means that he/she completed and submitted enough evidence to assess the student's performance towards the reporting standard. The work shows that they are beginning to demonstrate the learning that will support the student to get to grade level, but they are not yet making progress in the grade level learning. It is important that the student reviews this standard and works with the teacher to identify their next steps and receive further instruction to prepare for the next assessment or a retake opportunity.
- An IE (Insufficient Evidence) is given when there is not enough evidence for a teacher to assess a student’s understanding or progress towards standards. Typically, this means that a student did not turn in or complete an assessment or assignment. If a student earns an IE, they need to speak to their teacher immediately to determine if they can still turn in or redo the assessment in question; or complete an alternate assessment to make up the grade.
- A blank or empty cell on the report card indicates that a standard is not assessed that quarter. There is no action that needs to be taken on the part of the student. With multiple standards throughout the year, not all are assessed each quarter.
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How are middle school grades being calculated during the 2022-23 schools year as the District begins to transition to Standards Based Grading?
For the 2022-23 school year, middle school Literacy and Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies educators are beginning the process of issuing grades that are a more direct reflection of a student's knowledge and/or skills aligned to a grade level standard. This is referred to as Standards based grading.
Standards based grading focuses on reporting a student's level of proficiency on a grade level standard and expectation and works to separate items like practice tasks from a student's grade. District 65's vision for this work is to provide meaningful, accurate, and actionable grades for students, families, and educators.
This year, we are beginning to make shifts towards standards based grading and as we do this we need to make sure that the evidence we use in generating grades is more focused on assessment tasks that are completed by students after they have been taught the content, had a chance to practice, received feedback and done with independence unless the standard says otherwise. These tasks are referred to as summative tasks or assessments. As a result, students' course grades in these content areas will consist of 85% evidence from summative tasks and assessments and 15% evidence from the process of learning or formative tasks, which may include tasks that are focused on providing practice like homework, some classwork tasks, participation, etc.
As we make this shift, we want to underscore that a summative task may include the end of unit projects or assessments but also includes educator selected tasks that are completed by students after content has been taught, there has been an opportunity to practice and get feedback. This allows for grades to be a more accurate reflection of students' knowledge and skills aligned to grade level expectations. Please see the District 65 webpage on standards based grading for additional information.
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Why did my students grade shift from ME (Meeting) to PR (Progressing) in trimester 2?
Standards based grades are meant to report a student's ability to know and do what academic standards require of them at their grade level. As District 65 built our standards based report card, we committed to reporting progress on the standard at the end of each term.
Early in the year, the expectation of what a student can do in relation to a standard may be lower and then the demand or complexity of the learning later in the year. A student could be meeting the expectation of the standard at the end of trimester one, yet the demand of the learning may grow and become more complex by the end of trimester two. This could lead to a student still being proficient in trimester one learning but not yet proficient in the newer, more complex demonstration of the standard at the end of trimester two. Please see the example below and you can refer to the reporting standards and learning targets.
Reporting Standard for 2nd Grade Math: Uses an understanding of place value to create hundreds, to read and write numbers to 1000, to compare three-digit numbers, and to count by 1s, 5s, 10s, and 100s (2.NBT.1-4)
Learning Targets Per Trimester Learning Targets for Trimester 1 Learning Targets for Trimester 2 - I can build three-digit numbers in different ways.
- I can read and write three-digit numbers.
- I can compare three-digit numbers.
- I can build three-digit numbers in different ways.
- I can read and write three-digit numbers.
- I can compare three-digit numbers.
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My child used to get A’s, why are they not getting the top score any more?
In a standards-based grading system, meeting standards typically means that a student is proficient at that standard. Meets means that the student has a solid understanding of the content and can apply their knowledge to various contexts. In other words, they are performing as expected by the grade level standards.
Extending standards, on the other hand, typically means that a student has gone beyond demonstrating grade level proficiency and has shown an ability to apply their knowledge in more complex and challenging ways. It's important to note that extending standards are not required for students to be performing at grade level. Students are welcome to challenge themselves if they are meeting standards to determine if they can extend their learning. Some students might extend in some standards at some point at their grade level.
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How do I know if my kid is passing/failing? How do I know if my kid is doing well?
When you review your child’s report card, you want to look at two big areas:
First you want to see how well your child is going about their learning in school. These are called learning habits. A child does not pass or fail on learning habits. They work to improve. If your child is at beginning (BE) or progressing (PR), look at our District website to learn more about our learning habits and you may also wish to review this family resource that provides questions you can ask your student to start conversations about how to build stronger learning habits.
How to help your Child Succeed at School, New York Times
Strong learning habits are a foundation to support learning academic content like claims, evidence and reasoning or algebraic relationships. Learning habits are critically important for success in school and the jobs of the future which are becoming increasingly based on collaboration, creativity, communication and problem solving. Growth in learning habits (moving from Beginning to Progressing or Progressing to Meeting) should be celebrated and means that your child is getting stronger at how they go about their learning.
Second, you want to review your child’s academic learning measures. These tell you if your child is meeting grade level expectations (ME = Meeting on the report card) in the academic areas of their learning. Meeting communicates that your child has met the academic learning at this time in the year and is meeting expectations for this grade level. If your child is at beginning (BE) or progressing(PR), the report card and family learning target resources provide specific information on what your child is not yet able to do consistently and with independence. The focus is to seek out learning opportunities and practice to grow the student’s learning to meet the expectation.
Growth in academic learning measures (moving from Beginning to Progressing or Progressing to Meeting) should be celebrated and means that your child is better prepared to meet or extend grade level expectations.
Retaining a child (failing a course) is rare in District 65 and the decisions are always done in consultation with the family and in alignment with our Board Policy 6:280. If you have concerns about whether your child is in good standing to go on to the next grade level, please contact your school principal.
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How will my child be prepared for ETHS?
Course Placement:
Currently, ETHS primarily relies on a student's MAP score for initial course placement in math and literacy and language arts classes including reading and math support. Please check the ETHS website for their course placement process.District 65 is deepening our commitment to standards based learning and grading in order to drive greater levels of learning and growth for our students. This shift builds on the positive effect sizes of teacher and student clarity as well as student agency in learning. The overarching goal is to have all of our students better prepared for ETHS academically and in the areas of learning habits.
Taking Responsibility for Your Learning:
A second benefit of standards based learning and grading is that there is a clear and specific focus on building strong academic habits that are aligned to our District 65 Portrait of a Graduate, 21st century learning skills and executive functioning. By separating the process of learning feedback from what a student can know and do, students, families and teachers are better able to see the strengths and areas for growth with accuracy. Plans can then be put into place to support growth and development in these areas as well as to build off of a student's strengths.In standards based learning and grading, a student is supported in developing a growth mindset and student agency. If a student has not YET demonstrated their learning at the level desired, they are supported to engage in more practice until they can demonstrate that they have learned the concepts at an appropriate level of complexity.
This awareness of what you need to learn and taking the necessary steps to do it is a valuable skill that can be used in accessing the Wildkit Academy and ETHS educators. Additionally, the development of learning habits supports success in ETHS and beyond.
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How does my child get an Extend? Why is my child just getting a Meeting?
The goal for our students is to demonstrate that they are MEETING our challenging grade level expectations. Demonstrating MEETING means that your child has been able to not only demonstrate this area of learning at grade level expectations but they can do this consistently and with independence. A student who can do this should be well prepared to be successful in the next grade level and beyond.
The State of Illinois and District 65 hold a very high bar for what it means to demonstrate that you are meeting grade level State expectations.
In order to demonstrate that a student is EXTENDING, the student must demonstrate that they also meet the demand of the grade level standard with a greater level of complexity with independence. Because of the nature of different disciplines, a greater level of complexity may look different across content areas. Examples include:
In literacy, this means a students is able to:
- Either demonstrate mastery of a subset of standard(s) by reading a more complex text related to the topic of study OR
- Shows a deeper understanding of identified standards through tasks of deeper complexity (on identified end of unit assessments)
In math, students will demonstrate that they can engage in and complete extensions that are of a high level of cognitive complexity or that blend math standards together elevating the level of challenge.
In science, students who extend use more complex aspects of the science and engineering practices to communicate an understanding of the phenomena and grade-level content (disciplinary core ideas) being explored in class.
In social sciences, students demonstrate the ability to extend through activities or strategies (i.e independent research, cross curricular connections, debates & discussions, PBL.) that go beyond the core curriculum and aim to deepen students' understanding of the subject, through active engagement, and cultivating critical thinking skills that go beyond the standard.
This complexity means the student has gone beyond a typical or expected level of learning for the course.
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Can my student have work to do to get to EXTENDS?
Your student must first focus on demonstrating their ability to meet the learning targets. Meeting is a high bar and should be celebrated. Students who are meeting have met the grade level expectations at this point in the school year. If the student is demonstrating this with consistency and independence while still in the unit of study, an educator will make opportunities available to extend learning.
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What do these letters mean? Why do I see BR, ME, etc.?
Our website is the best reference to better understand the learning measures and the report card. We have included information about the learning measures below.
Learning Habits Measures (Process) Meeting (ME) Progressing (PR) Beginning (BE) Standards not addressed this trimester will be gray on the report card if they have been previously graded. If they have not been graded, they will not appear on the report card. Meeting Standard: Meets the rigor of the end-of-term standard consistently and independently across a variety of contexts. Progressing in Learning of Standard: Making progress towards consistently and independently meeting the end-of-term standard across a variety of contexts.
Beginning Learning of the Standard: Developing foundational skills needed to progress towards meeting the end-of-term standard consistently and independently.
Insufficient Evidence (IE) Lack of student evidence submitted to assess standard. Student Academic Learning Measures (Product) Meeting (ME) Progressing (PR) Beginning (BE) Standards not addressed this trimester will be gray on the report card if they have been previously graded. If they have not been graded, they will not appear on the report card. Meeting Standard: Meets the rigor of the end-of-term standard consistently and independently across a variety of contexts. Progressing in Learning of Standard: Making progress towards consistently and independently meeting the end-of-term standard across a variety of contexts.
Beginning Learning of the Standard: Developing foundational skills needed to progress towards meeting the end-of-term standard consistently and independently.
Insufficient Evidence (IE) Lack of student evidence submitted to assess standard. -
Why is there no overall grade?
The focus of our new way of reporting learning for students, families and educators is "to provide report card grades that are meaningful, accurate, and actionable for students, their families and educators.”
In a traditional grading system, students are given a combined grade based on their overall performance in a course. This includes their content knowledge, known as the product of learning and how they learn as students, known as the process of learning.
In a standards-based grading system, students are assessed separately on their mastery of learning standards and the process of learning. These two measures are reported separately. In this new grading system, your child's product of learning grades reflects their proficiency in each reporting standard, rather than an overall grade for the course.
We do not roll up the grades to one grade because it makes what a student can know and do less clear.
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How do I know what my student was supposed to be able to do?
Learning targets are written to capture what students are expected to be able to do aligned to the report card descriptor.
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What does research say about Standards Based Grading?
Research is clear that traditional grading practices have not accurately communicated student learning. Instead, grades have been determined from a myriad of factors. Evidence of this comes from Brookhart et al. (2016) review of over 100 years of grading research:
"This review suggests that most teachers’ grades do not yield a pure achievement measure but are rather a multidimensional measure dependent on both what the students learn and how they behave in the classroom."
Standards based grading is a manner of communicating learning in a more clear and actionable manner. It is not standards based grading in itself that changes academic outcomes for students. It is the work that is associated with standards based grading that ultimately improves academic outcomes for students.
Implementing standards-based grading itself does not ensure that a school will improve student achievement. Standards Based Grading is a communication tool. The extent to which a school uses this (more meaningful) information about students to do other things is likely a contributing factor to moving the needle on student achievement. Evidence of this comes from Link and Guskey (2022) in which they note the following:
"Grading is simply a way of communicating evaluations of the results of assessments and other evidence on students’ performance. However, better grading can provide clearer and more accurate information on students’ learning that then can be used as a basis for making improvements."
District 65 is focused on elevating educator clarity, formative assessment with actionable feedback, and student agency as we implement standards based learning and grading. Both educator clarity and student agency have been found to have high effect sizes (Hattie, Visible Learning) for improving student learning and achievement.
A study by Wiliam and Thompson (2008) investigated the effects of formative assessment practices, which align with SBL/G principles, on student achievement. While not specific to SBL/G, the study found that formative assessment practices, which include providing timely feedback and opportunities for improvement, led to significant improvements in student test scores.
Another study by Heritage (2010) examined the impact of standards-based assessments on student learning and achievement. While the study did not focus solely on standardized test scores, it found that the use of standards-based assessments improved student understanding and performance on targeted learning goals.
An additional factor is of course the quality of the implementation of standards based learning and grading. District 65 will gather feedback from our stakeholders - students, families and educators annually in order to determine how to improve our implementation while we monitor the long term impact on learning across the various racial and ethnic groups in District 65.
References:
Brookhart, S.M., Guskey, T.R., Bowers, A.J., McMillan, J.H., Smith, J.K., Smith, L.F., Stevens, M.T., & Welsh, M.E. (2016). A century of grading research: Meaning and value in the most common educational measure. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 803-848.
Link, L.J.. & Guskey, T. R. (2022). Is standards-based grading effective? Theory into Practice. http://10.1080/00405841.2022.2107338
Wiliam, D; Thompson, M; (2008) Integrating Assessment with Learning: What Will It Take to Make It Work? In: Dwyer, CA, (ed.) The Future of Assessment: Shaping Teaching and Learning. (pp. 53-82). Routledge: New York, NY, USA.
Heritage, M. (2010). Formative Assessment: Making It Happen in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
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Reporting Standards and Learning Targets by Grade Level
It's important that grading practices reflect our instructional beliefs and current Illinois learning standards. Report cards should reflect what students know and can do based on clearly established and communicated criteria or learning targets. This will help students (and their families) understand if they are demonstrating the learning required at each grade level.
Grades K-5
Standards and Targets: Kindergarten
Standards and Targets: Grade 1
Standards and Targets: Grade 2
Standards and Targets: Grade 3
Grades 6-8
Standards and Targets: Grade 6