By Megan Heine, posted January 2, 2017 —

Over the last several years, there has been a shift in education away from traditional grading practices to those that communicate more specifically how a student is performing against a standard. By reporting a student’s progress on a standard, teachers are able to focus on his or her skills that need the most help. This year, for the first time, I have taken the plunge to report student’s grades that are specific to the standard that was assessed. Instead of receiving a Unit 4 Test score, for example, a student will now have a score for Interpreting Functions or Solving Linear Equations. In addition to reporting their progress by standard, I also give students multiple assessments on each standard, building in a retake process into the everyday rhythm of our classroom.

This plunge, fortunately, was taken by our geometry PLC, not in isolation. As a team, we decided that we wanted students and parents to get more specific information about a particular student’s progress. As a result, we have two assessments per standard with an opportunity for a third, if needed. Each standard also gets formatively assessed as a PLC, so that we can discuss the data and respond, based on student need.

The first time, the standards are assessed as one chapter test but reported separately. The second assessment occurs one to two weeks later and separately. Once the second assessment is taken, the first assessment score is rendered inactive in the online grade book, and the most recent score becomes the active score for that standard.

There are many reasons why I have really enjoyed “grading” in this way. For one, I have put the students in charge of keeping track of their scores. I gave them a sheet of paper containing a table and lines on which to write the specific standard, their first assessment score, the second assessment score, and their final score. If they are happy with their second score, then that becomes their final score. If not, they have an opportunity to re-assess after extra practice and time spent with me.

Students have instant access to their progress on each standard and can show their parents/guardians their progress, as well. This transfer of responsibility has really helped the students know exactly what skill they need to practice to achieve the level of success they desire. The score is also entered in the online grade book, which students have access to; however, by allowing them to keep a physical copy of their progress in one place, their mindset has shifted.

The second reason, which might be my favorite, is that the retake process is built into the culture of the classroom. Although I am a firm believer in giving students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their skills, the retake process after the fact has never been a piece I have been able to manage well. If a student is not successful on the first attempt, there is already a process in place for students to try again, not as a reaction to the first score, but as a continuation of the learning.

And although there are many other reasons, the last reason I will discuss here is that when the time comes to provide specific data to administrators, parents, and students, I can look back in my grade book and tell specifically what standard a student has mastered. When a student is unable to complete a course successfully, the teacher must identify all the standards for which the student did not pass. In the past, it has required going back through each test to identify which specific problems a student got wrong. With the grade book set up by standard, it takes me about two minutes per student to identify which standards were mastered and which were not.

My future posts will include topics related to this implementation, including how the formative assessment process drives the instruction, how students have responded, and what additions I plan to make to this process in the future.

Megan Heine, meganheine@gmail.com, is an 8/9 math teacher at Southview Middle School in Ankeny, Iowa, where she teaches algebra 1 and geometry in a 1:1 Chromebook environment. She blogs at https://peacelovemath.wordpress.com/ and Tweets from @PeaceLoveMHeine. She is the co-moderator of a local Twitter ed chat, #ankedchat. Heine has recently completed her Master’s degree in Educational Technology from Boise State University and is passionate about transforming her classroom into a student-centered learning environment by using EdTech tools that hook and inspire students to embrace and explore mathematics.