This document summarizes standards-based grading and assessment practices at the STEM Institute. It explains that grading communicates student progress rather than being essential to instruction. Assessments are used to guide teaching rather than assigning grades. Standards-based grading focuses on student mastery of learning standards rather than letter grades. The document provides answers to common questions about how students know what to learn, how parents can understand student progress, and how learning is assessed and reported.

1. Standards Based Grading and
Assessment
STEM Institute, September 17, 2013

2. ● Pull up as far as possible
● If you want to park and walk your child, park in
the lot on Military & Walker
Parking

3. ● Ask your child to sign in
○ Can work at home
○ See progress
● 45 minutes per day in school
ALEKS

4. ● Approximately 2.5-3 hours per day
○ Translates to 18-21 hours of work time in the
last week
● Roughly 80 facts for research by the end
○ About 4-5 facts per hour
● Needs to be cited
○ Correctly
○ From actual resources
Research

5. ● Purpose of Grading and Reporting at STEM Institute:
○ Communicate academic progress and learning to parents and others
● Grading is not essential to instruction or learning.
○ Without grades, teachers can still teach and students can still learn
and do.
○ Kids need detailed analytical expectations to be successful, not just a
letter grade.
● Checking on student knowledge and progress is essential
○ Teachers are advocates for students.
○ It’s all about student progress.
● Assessments themselves do not matter. It’s what teachers do with the
assessments.
What Standards Based Grading
Is

6. What Standards Based Grading is not about……
● the letter grade
● making report cards confusing
Standards Based Grading
Explained

7. Would you rather have your student earn an “A”
and learn only a little, or have your child earn a
“C” and learn a lot?
Think about this

8. ● Meeting with mentor teacher to discuss projects
○ What they want to learn
○ What standards fit
○ What they unexpectedly learn
○ Using their standards spreadsheets
● Standards are located on STEM Institute
webpage
● Discussions with mentor groups about what
standards & learning is happening with all
students
How does my child know what
they are supposed to learn?

9. ● Talk to your child and ask about what they are learning with
their projects
○ Be aware that they might not articulate the standards soon
○ Have your child discuss why they chose their topic
○ Ask your children about their mentor meetings
● Check out the standard spreadsheets to view student learning
● Remember, the most important pieces
○ Your child should be at a “3” - proficiency - by the end
the of the year
○ A “4” is mastery and many students may not achieve this
yet
○ Students have the year to improve their learning
○ If students score a “1” on their rubrics, they will be
required to redo that piece until they show a clear
How do I know what my child is
learning?

10. ● By having conversations with students
● Through the final paper, presentation, and
assessment with mentor teachers
○ Using the rubrics for the projects
○ Using rubrics for our school goals on
■ Communication
■ Collaboration
■ Critical Thinking
● Using the standards spreadsheets to track student
progress and growth
How is this assessed?

11. My child doesn’t understand something and earns a “1” or a
“2”?
● We work individually with your student
○ to suggest questions to research to increase knowledge
○ to improve a specific skill
○ to create goals to reach proficiency
● We provide short workshops/group meetings for very small
groups to
○ teach a specific skill
○ hold discussions on similar topics to help increase
knowledge
What if….

12. ● Using the Standards Spreadsheet
● Every six weeks, you will receive a copy of the
Standards Based Report Card.
How is this reported?