A presentation for journalism advisers thinking about making the switch to Standards-based grading. I shared what I did my first year of SBG on my publication staff, what worked, what didn't and where I'm headed next.

1. HOW SBG MADE ME
BETTER.
Sandra H. Coyer, MJE
English/journalism teacher
Puyallup High School
Puyallup, Wash.

2. FORMAT FOR TODAY
• Walk you through what I did and why I did it
• Feel free to ask questions through the process

3. WHAT I USE TO DO
• Graded students in three main areas:
• deadline completion grade each issue
• product grade each issue
• job completion grade each issue
• Portfolios (string books) due each semester

4. REFLECTION
• Wasn’t “unhappy” but felt I could be better
• Staff: about 30 kids, 10-12 grade, 5 had taken a beginning j class, 15 new to journalism
this year, 8-10 returning staffers
• One class period daily, 3-4 week production cycle
• Print pub, website, student-maintained Facebook site, some dabbling with VVTV
• Editorial Board had requested a Thursday “workshop” day
• How could I make it meaningful and not feel like something thrown in “just because”

5. WHERE I STARTED
• District move to SBG
• District had not established journalism standards so…
• Washington State Journalism Curriculum guide
• Ultimate philosophy: grade should reflect what students know and should be able to
demonstrate

6. PROBLEM AREAS
• In SBG, behavior shouldn’t impact grade
• But meeting deadlines (a behavior) is such an integral part to production
• Different students, different positions, same gradebook
• Gradebook program is not workable, no workarounds

7. ULTIMATELY: WHERE I STARTED

8. TEACHING PLAN
• How to make this work while still putting out a print publication every month (3 week
production cycle) as well as a publication website (updates more frequently) and a
student-maintained Facebook site?
• Students wanted more instruction.

9. WORKSHOP DAYS
• Thursdays were workshop days, specifically designed around teaching units.
• Students were quizzed on Associated Press Style in small bell ringer activities.
• Students were also quizzed on current events.
• Started with Power Standard #1: The student understands and exercises the rights and
responsibilities of free speech in American society.
• Students learned the court cases, SPJ Code of Ethics, etc through skillbuilding
activities, formative assessments, and summatively in a test.

10. WORKSHOP DAYS: PHOTOGRAPHY
• Next, students worked on Power Standard 6: The student recognizes the relationship of
photography, art, graphics, and design to effective communication.
• Students began with a group photography project (had to illustrate the elements of photo
composition in a Powerpoint to share with the class). This was skillbuilding.

11. MORE PHOTOGRAPHY
• Students next individually had to attend an
event, take photos (at minimum), and create
a photo essay for the event. In order to earn
a B or an A, students had to also interview
people at the event then compose a caption
for the photo essay that included not only
the action from the photos, essential info
from the event, but also added color from
the interviews. The photo essay then had to
go through the editing process in order to be
publishable online.

12. PHOTOGRAPHY SUMMATIVE
• Students then had to demonstrate
their ability to tell a story effectively
through multi-media. They had to
attend another event, take
photos/video, interview people, then
put the shots, interviews and info
together in a video story using any
video editing program they felt
comfortable with.

13. RESULTS
• Mixed overall.
• A few students really took to video reporting and did well, posting to the Facebook site
as well as the website.
• Others had a lot of issues finding events and then stories at those events.
• Approximately 85% of students completed the assignment at least at the basic level of
skill.

14. ONE EXAMPLE FROM MANY

15. PORTFOLIO: PRE-SBG

16. PORTFOLIO: DURING SBG
Students given handout at quarter to begin putting
together the portfolio. It had previously been divided
by issue now it was divided by Power Standards with
the appropriate documentation behind each.
Quarter was the first time they started organization.
The reflection sheet was a 5-page handout.
Verdict: Some students completed it, others did not. It
was designed around getting students to take
ownership but…

17. PORTFOLIO: FIRST SEMESTER
Students were given this handout at the
semester in order to self-evaluate progress
on portfolio.
Students whose portfolios were ready
needed a whole class period to complete.
Others whose portfolios were not ready did
not get them turned in timely in order to get
grading done. Ended up doing interview
reflections (like a job would do) with many.
Verdict: A 9-page handout seems daunting.

18. PORTFOLIO: ANOTHER EVAL ATTEMPT
In an attempt to document growth and make
things easier (in terms of what I was seeing and
not seeing), I created this atrocity.
It is 17-pages long.
The students volunteered to come explain why
it didn’t work.

19. WHAT I LEARNED
• Students like having a purpose beyond the print product.
• Student will rise to the level of expectation.
• Students WILL apply rubrics objectively using the assessment criteria.
• Longer rubrics/checklist don’t work.
• Students appreciate when they are given scaffolded assignments.

20. HOW I BECAME BETTER
• More opportunities to teach my passion.
• Did more research on current practices, integrated more technology into classroom
• Explained assignments in terms of targets and standards
• Grading will always be subjective, but SBG provided common language for assessment
(we, as stakeholders, were all talking the same language)
• Held me accountable to what was going on in workshop days

21. HOW I WILL CONTINUE TO BE BETTER
• Next years’ staff is mostly new (about 20 new staffers), will need more basic instruction.
• All staffers will create a learning plan at the beginning of the year (and at each grading
period potentially) to identify targets and standards for that grading period. Individualized
learning plans for what students will want to do and show competency in.
• We will then map out the skillbuilding together, as well as formatives and summatives.
• Work on aligning grading expectations for what standards mean (not all staffers have had
me as a teacher so the SBG rubric will be new).

22. HOW I WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE
• Update staff manual with more reference pieces for staffers to use.
• Continue AP Style quizzes (need to make new ones), as well as News Quizzes.
• Increase workshop instruction days to potentially 6 a month, rather than 4.
• Have students do more self-assessment, using the criteria from the rubric to expound on
why they would score themselves what they do. Color-code stories as part of
assessment (leads one color, quotes another color, transitions another, etc) and
evaluate the quality of the parts.
• Potentially change portfolio structure again. House portfolios in the classroom for easier
access and completion?

23. FINAL REFLECTION
• Please use your Smartphone or laptop to go to www.socrative.com
• Log in as a student into room number: 793326
• Complete the exit ticket:
• Your question: Was there something you thought I was going to
cover today but didn’t?