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- 1. 10/21/2015 1 De-Myth-tifying Grading in Special Education 1980 2015 10/21/2015 2 Primary Purpose • “the primary purpose of…grades… (is) to communicate student achievement to students, parents, school administrators, post-secondary institutions and employers.” and • To provide teachers with information for instructional planning. Taken from “Reporting Achievement at the Secondary School Level: What and How?”, in Communicating Student Learning: ASCD Yearbook 1996, p. 120. What makes grading so
- 2. hard? • Teacher preparation programs seldom include course work or even discussions of recommended practices for grading students in general, much less for students who may be struggling learners. As a result, teachers at all grade levels grapple with issues of fairness in grading. • Despite the magnitude of this problem, few recommendations for grading struggling learners can be found in the research literature or in education policy. • Urban Grading Legends 10/21/2015 3 Urban Legends: Bigfoot/Sasquatch Urban Legends • I can’t fail a special education student. • I give all my Life Skills students an 85. • The report card grade does not really mean anything.
- 3. 10/21/2015 4 Urban Legends • The grade on the report card can’t be less than the IEP mastery level (default 70%) • I teach a lot in my classroom, but I can only grade the things that are on the IEP. • I don’t do the grades for my special education students in my classroom, the special education teacher does that for me. What’s the problem?? • Some students are not getting REAL grades. • Multiple court cases regarding failing students who are not receiving appropriate specially designed instruction or students only get “A’s” and it doesn’t truly reflect how he/she really performs in relation to the curriculum 10/21/2015 5
- 4. What does the law really say? • Neither the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) nor any other federal education laws contain requirements for grading. Therefore, each state has discretion on the issue. • The TEC is the set of state laws our state legislators have passed that relate to education. ARD committees do not have the authority to override state laws. The Texas Administrative Code (TAC) is the set of rules that the State Legislature has authorized Texas Education Agency (TEA) or the State Board to write. ARD committees must also follow these rules. • The state statutes apply to all public school students in Texas regardless of special education eligibility. Local Grading Policies TEC §28.0216 (1) “must require a classroom teacher to assign a grade that reflects the students’ relative mastery of an assignment; [and] (2) may not require a classroom teacher to assign a minimum grade for an assignment without regard to the student’s quality of work.” (3) may allow a student a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade. • These rules apply to classroom assignments,
- 5. examinations, and overall grades for each grading period. • Because of this, teachers may not assign a grade based on effort, and cannot pass a student who has not mastered the curriculum. See page 7 of Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities. 10/21/2015 6 Finality of Grade TEC §28.0214 (a) An examination or course grade issued by a classroom teacher is final and may not be changed unless the grade is arbitrary, erroneous, or not consistent with the school district grading policy applicable to the grade, as determined by the board of trustees of the school district in which the teacher is employed. (b) A determination by a school district board of trustees under Subsection (a) is not subject to appeal. This subsection does not prohibit an appeal related to a student's eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities under Section 33.081. See page 7 of Grading and Progress Monitoring
- 6. for Students with Disabilities. Award of Credit TAC§74.26 (a) The award of credit for a course by a school district affirms that a student has satisfactorily met all state and local requirements. (b) Districts may offer courses designated for Grades 9-12 (refer to §74.11 of this title (relating to High School Graduation Requirements)) in earlier grade levels. A course must be considered completed and credit must be awarded if the student has demonstrated achievement by meeting the standard requirements of the course, including demonstrated proficiency in the subject matter, regardless of the time the student has received instruction in the course or the grade level at which proficiency was attained. The academic achievement record (transcript) shall reflect that students have satisfactorily completed courses at earlier grade levels than Grades 9-12 and have been awarded state graduation credits. (c) Credit for courses for high school graduation may be earned only if the student received a grade which is the equivalent of 70 on a scale of 100, based upon the essential knowledge and skills for each course. (d) In accordance with local district policy, students who are able to
- 7. successfully complete only one semester of a two-semester course can be awarded credit proportionately. See page 8 of Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities. 10/21/2015 7 Notice to Parent of Unsatisfactory Performance Sec. 28.022 (a) The board of trustees of each school district shall adopt a policy that: (1) provides for a conference between parents and teachers; (2) requires the district, at least once every 12 weeks, to give written notice to a parent of a student's performance in each class or subject; and
- 8. (3) requires the district, at least once every three weeks, or during the fourth week of each nine-week grading period, to give written notice to a parent or legal guardian of a student's performance in a subject included in the foundation curriculum under Section 28.002(a)(1) if the student's performance in the subject is consistently unsatisfactory, as determined by the district. See page 9 of Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities. Student Advancement TEC §28.021(a) • Promotion from one grade-level to the next can be determined “only on the basis of academic achievement or demonstrated proficiency of the subject matter of the course or grade-level.” • The ARD committee makes the promotion/retention decision based on the student’s mastery of the curriculum; decision may or may not include mastery of specific IEP goal(s) related to the required curriculum • Decision must follow local policies. See page 6 of Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities. 10/21/2015
- 9. 8 District Grading Policy Do you know your district’s grading policy? If you don’t know, go to your school homepage and find the school board resources and click on grading policy. Guiding Questions 1. What are the major reasons we use report cards and assign grades to student’s work? 2. Do our grades for students reflect the degree to which they have met the standards for a course? 3. Ideally, what purpose should report cards or grades serve? 4. What elements should teachers use in determining student’s grades? (For example: major assessments, compositions, homework, attendance, class participation, etc.) 10/21/2015 9
- 10. Purpose and Audience of Grades: A student’s grades communicate his/her relative mastery of content. Formative Assessment • to make instructional decisions; • to gauge the efficacy of teaching practices and the student’s acquisition of knowledge and skills; • to identify and remediate individual and group deficiencies; • to allow students to reflect on their progress prior to the determination of a final grade; and • to guide future instructional decisions and learning experiences. Summative Assessment • convey information regarding achievement to parents and students; • call attention to the needs of struggling learners; • determine students’ grade-level promotion and retention; and • determine awards, accolades, and entry into clubs/activities.
- 11. BEWARE OF THE CARDIAC SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT “Oh my heart thinks he’s getting an 85 right now.” 10/21/2015 10 Decision Making Responsibilities Related to Grading Quick Review: Special Education Basics Accommodation A change that is necessary and does not fundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectations. An accommodation levels the playing field. Modification A change that is necessary and does fundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectations. Instead of leveling the playing field, it changes the game. A modification measures the child’s performance on different standards (fundamentally altered). 10/21/2015
- 12. 11 What Accommodation does this puppy have? 10/21/2015 12 http://bit.ly/TEKScurriculumframework http://bit.ly/TEKSverticalalignment TEKS Curriculum Framework: TEKS Vertical Alignment: Reduced or Simplified Vocabulary Accessing Prerequisite Skills Reduce Learning Expectations D e p th o f C u
- 13. rr ic u lu m Complex Simple Awareness Acknowledge Explore Respond Experience Anticipate Participate 10/21/2015 13 We give students what they need to be successful. 10/21/2015 14 The challenge… Is 95% REALLY 95%?
- 14. • Grade level curriculum • Modified curriculum • Alternate curriculum What are your thoughts about this? What does this mean when we look at grading and report cards? Grades reported for students accessing grade level expectations with accommodations need no additional information. • If I use glasses or need extra time to complete work, this does not require additional reporting because they do not fundamentally change the test or standard. Modifications DO change the game. • If I do less work or use less challenging material, that does change the standard and my report card should reflect that. See page 10 of Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities. 10/21/2015 15 THE INCLUSIVE
- 15. GRADING MODEL Determining grades for struggling learners that are fair, accurate, and meaningful. Step 1: Determine if Adaptations are Needed for Each Grade-Level Standard See page 14 of Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities. 10/21/2015 16 Step 2: For Each Adaptation, Determine if an Accommodation or a Modification is Needed Sorting Things Out Step 3: Establish the Appropriate Expectation for Each Area Requiring Modification Don’t “water down” the curriculum… Instead, directly link the modification to the grade-level standards.
- 16. 10/21/2015 17 CASE EXAMPLE: CARLOS Carlos may not be ready to work on 8th grade science standards in mineral identification. The 8th grade science standards can be modified to the skill of sorting and classifying that are fundamentally related giving appropriate access to the 8th grade TEK. See page 19 of Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities. High Expectations 10/21/2015 18 Step 4: Apply Appropriate and Equitable Grading Practices to the Appropriate Standards • Appropriately modifying the standards for a student answers the question, “What to measure or grade?” Teachers can now assign report card grades based on the modified expectation. • In subject areas where only accommodations are needed, learners’ grades should be based on the
- 17. same criteria used to evaluate the performance of other students in the class with no penalty for accommodation. Step 5: Clearly Communicate the Meaning of the Grades • Teachers must provide additional information for the grades that are based on modified standards so that everyone is aware of exactly what was measured. • It’s crucial that everyone understands what standard was measured and how the student performed relative to what was measured. 10/21/2015 19 Who is responsible for what?? General Educator Special Educator Paraprofessional IEP Goals and IEP Progress Reporting • All students receiving special education services must have measurable annual IEP goals. • IEP goals are not a substitute for the grading assignments linked to the general curriculum. • Rather than substituting for or supplanting the general
- 18. curriculum, IEP goals help a student access and progress in the general curriculum. • Schools are also required to report on the student’s progress toward mastery of IEP goals; however, this is a separate and distinct requirement from assigning course grades, as IEP goals are not the same as course content. 10/21/2015 20 If a student is receiving special education services, should a student’s progress or mastery toward his or her IEP goals be the basis for his or her grades? A student’s progress or mastery toward his or her IEP goals is never the basis for his or her grade. It is important to point out that, even if written in measurable terms, a goal such as “70% mastery of grade- level TEKS” does not meet IDEA requirements of a measurable goal detailed in 34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)(ii). Such a goal is simply a restatement of the expectations for all students in general education. Student’s IEPs should not contain a restatement of the state standards, but must include measurable annual goals. Those goals designate the necessary learning for the student to have access to and progress in the general curriculum as well as resulting in
- 19. the student’s attainment of standards set out as critical in his or her PLAAFP. LEAs report students’ progress towards mastery of their IEP goals through IEP progress reports. This is its own process and is separate from reporting students’ grades. “Grading Accommodations” 10/21/2015 21 Consistent • Clear performance standards and processes for grading is evident from classroom to classroom (How good is good enough?) Accurate • Grades clearly reflect achievement on standards instead of blending them with behaviors (i.e., effort, participation, etc.) Meaningful • Communicates useful information to student and others about performance on specified learning goals Support Learning • Grading practices focus on quality of work, rather
- 20. than quantity of points earned, and reflect student learning Effective grades need to meet the 4 keys to success: RUBRICS • A rubric is an authentic assessment tool used to measure students' work. • A rubric is a working guide for students and teachers, usually handed out before the assignment begins in order to get students to think about the criteria on which their work will be judged. • Rubrics can be analytic or holistic, and they can be created for any content area including math, science, history, writing, foreign languages, drama, art, music, etc... (http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/rubrics.htm) 10/21/2015 22 Analytic • Analytic rubrics identify and assess components of a finished product. • More process oriented
- 21. • Breaks down the characteristics of an assignment into parts, allowing the scorer to itemize and define exactly what aspects are strong, and which ones need improvement. Holistic • Holistic rubrics assess student work as a whole. • More product oriented • It lists three to five levels of performance, along with a broad description of the characteristics that define each level. What’s the difference? 10/21/2015 23 Birthday Party Rubric Criteria 1 2 3 4
- 22. Location/ Entertainment Food Gifts 10/21/2015 24 Don’t CRY about creating rubrics… Just remember the CRI method! Rating scale (levels of performance) Criteria to be assessed = Desired student outcome (Dimensions) Indicators = What elements define the dimension Rubric Makers • http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/ • http://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm
- 23. • http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/ • http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/rubric.htm • http://landmark- project.com/classweb/tools/rubric_builder.php3 10/21/2015 25 Resources/References • Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities TEA and AGC Network • Grading Exceptional and Struggling Learners by Lee Ann Jung & Tomas R. Guskey • A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades by Ken O’Connor Template for Analytic Rubric Beginning
- 24. 1 Developing 2 Accomplished 3 Exemplary 4 Score Category #1 Description reflecting beginning level of performance Description reflecting movement toward mastery level of performance Description reflecting achievement of mastery level of performance Description reflecting highest level of performance
- 25. Category #2 Description reflecting beginning level of performance Description reflecting movement toward mastery level of performance Description reflecting achievement of mastery level of performance Description reflecting highest level of performance Category #3 Description reflecting beginning level of performance Description reflecting
- 26. movement toward mastery level of performance Description reflecting achievement of mastery level of performance Description reflecting highest level of performance Category #4 Description reflecting beginning level of performance Description reflecting movement toward mastery level of performance Description reflecting achievement of mastery level of performance Description
- 27. reflecting highest level of performance [Note: The teacher should highlight key phrases in the rubric that describe the student’s performance, then write a final score in the right-hand column. It is typical to have highlights appear in more than one column. The teacher may also choose to “decimalize” scores; for example, giving a 2.5 for one category to indicate that the student is progressing toward a 3.] Template for Holistic Rubric Score Description 4 Demonstrates exceptional understanding of the material. All requirements are met and some are exceeded. 3 Demonstrates consistent understanding of the material. All requirements are met. 2 Demonstrates partial understanding of the material. Some
- 28. requirements are met. 1 Demonstrates minimal understanding of the material. Few requirements are met. 0 No response; Task not attempted. Grading Rubric Example for Student Who Receives Modifications Student: Date: Task: Component 1: Support Level Component 2: Attending to Task Component 3: Mastery of Task (%) Overall/Composite Grade __________% 5 Independent Accommodations/Modifications
- 29. allowed student to be independent to best of their ability. 5 Independent Student was able to attend independently on task. 5 90 – 100% of total number of items per assignment. 5 = 90 – 100% 4 = 85 – 89% 3 = 80 – 84% 2 = 75 – 79% 1 = 70 – 74% 4 Cueing Student required cues only for independence. 4 Cueing Student required cues only to attend work task or return to work task. 4 85 - 89% of total number of items per assignment. 3 Level 1 Prompting
- 30. Student required verbal or written direction for task support. 3 Level 1 Prompting 3 or less prompts to attend to work task. 3 80 – 84% of total number of items per assignment. 2 Level 2 Prompting Student required modeling or errorless learning for task support. 2 Level 2 Prompting Student required more than 3 prompts to attend to work task. 2 75 – 79% of total number of items per assignment. 1 Level 3 Prompting Student required Hand-in- Hand/Hand-over-Hand support for task completion. 1
- 31. Level 3 Prompting Physical Redirection: Student required maximum redirection to attend to work task. 1 70 – 74% of total number of items per assignment. 0 Unable to perform task Despite prior cueing and prompting, student did not complete task. 0 Unable to attend to work task Despite prior cueing and prompting, student did not attend to task. 0 Below 70%. Overall Grade is an average of the 3 components. 1
- 32. Literacy Grading Rubric _________ Daily / Weekly Grade Sheet _________ Summative Evaluation Student Campus Date Presentation Supports and Materials What does the student need to be successful and as independent as possible (e.g., assistive technology, picture support, physical support to access materials). Be specific. Student Response Mode How does the student most consistently respond to demonstrate understanding and for participation (e.g., verbal, eye gaze, activation of voice output device). After instruction takes place in the classroom and the student has an opportunity to experience the activities, present the materials and information for each instructional objective and document the level of support needed by the student. Always begin with the least intrusive supports, giving the student an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge on his or her own.
- 33. Grade – 95 Grade – 85 Grade – 75 Literacy Instructional Objective Trial One – student demonstrates knowledge and/or skill independently Trial Two (if student was not successful on Trial One) – provide verbal and/or physical cues Trial Three (if student was not successful on Trial Two) – provide verbal and/or physical prompts Independent: student performed the skill with all presentation supports and materials, and demonstrating documented response modes Cue: student required a verbal, visual or gestural cue over and above the presentation supports and materials Prompt: student required a verbal, visual or gestural prompt over and above the presentation supports and materials
- 34. Putting It All Together 1. May a report card for a student with a disability simply refer to another document that more fully describes the student’s progress? 2. May a report card for a student with a disability identify special education or other related services or resources being provided for that student or otherwis e indicates that the student has a disability? For instance, may the report card refer to an IEP or a plan for providing services under Section 504? 3. What do children know more about than adults? 4. May a report card for a student with a disability distinguish bet ween special education
- 35. programs and services and general education curriculum classes through specific notations or the use of asterisks or other symbols? 5. Can teachers base grades on a student’s effort, work habits, atte ndance, and/or participation? 6. Would you rather your principal praise you or do something nic e for you? 7. How can teachers use rubrics in the grading process? 8. How can teachers provide accommodations or modifications on assessments in class if the student cannot use those accommodations on state assessments? 9. What’s the funniest story you’ve heard for why someone couldn ’t turn in their homework? 10. If a student is receiving special education services, should a stu dent’s progress or mastery toward his or her IEP goals be the basis for his or her grades? 11. How does mastery of annual goals relate to grading and promoti
- 36. on? 12. If you could visit any place on earth for one week where would you go? 13. Can a school have a modified “grading system” for certain progr ams of students such as low incidence program? 14. How do you grade for a student with severe cognitive disabilitie s who is receiving services in the general education setting? 15. Name one thing you’ve learned from this training. 16. If a student is receiving instruction in a resource setting, do you determine grades based on progress toward their IEP goals or on progress toward mastery o f the curriculum? 17. Should a teacher include a student’s behavior and/or work ethic in his or her grade? 18. Which school subject is the most important for life as an adult? 19. How does the weight of assignments (i.e. large projects, term pa
- 37. pers, final exam vs. classwork, quizzes, and homework) affect an overall grade? 20. Should a teacher give a zero for work that is missing or incompl ete? Grading fullday pptx-Revision 1 pptx-HandoutAttachment 02 - Analytic-Rubric-TemplateAttachment 03 - Holistic-Rubric- TemplateAttachment 04 - Grading Rubric (003)Attachment 05 - Literacy Grading RubricAttachment 06 - Work Sample Analysis StickersAttachment 07=.pdf-Putting it all together Tools for Formative Assessment Techniques to Check for Understanding Index Card Summaries/Questions Periodically, distribute index
- 47. -‐ I was surprised about… -‐ I felt… -‐ I related to… -‐ I empathized with… Observation Walk around the classroom and observe students as they work to check for learning. Strategies include:
- 48. -‐ Anecdotal Records -‐ Conferences -‐ Checklists Self-‐Assessment A process in which students collect information about their own learning, analyze what it reveals about their progress toward the intended learning goals and
- 53. -‐ Multiple Choice -‐ True/False -‐ Short Answer -‐ Paper and Pencil -‐ Matching -‐ Extended Response Journal Entry Students record in a journal their understanding of the topic, concept or lesson
- 65. the characteristics/parts of _________________________________? -‐ In what other ways might we show show/illustrate______________________? -‐ What is the big idea, key concept, moral in ____________________________? -‐ How does ________________ relate to _______________________________? -‐ What ideas/details can you
- 66. add to ___________________________________? -‐ Give an example of _______________________________________________? -‐ What is wrong with _______________________________________________? -‐ What might you infer from _________________________________________? -‐ What conclusions might be drawn from _______________________________? -‐ What question are we trying
- 67. to answer? What problem are we trying to solve? -‐ What are you assuming about ______________________________________? -‐ What might happen if _____________________________________________? -‐ What criteria would you use to judge/evaluate _________________________? -‐ What evidence supports
- 68. ___________________________________________? -‐ How might we prove/confirm _______________________________________? -‐ How might this be viewed from the perspective of _______________________? -‐ What alternatives should be considered _______________________________? -‐ What approach/strategy could you use to ______________________________?