Standards Based Grading

Standards based grading is something the Adams-Friendship District adopted during the 2009-2010 school year.  It is a way of assessing and reporting student progress on reporting standards.  How is this different from traditional grading?

• Student scores in a teacher's gradebook reflect understanding of specific topics/reporting standards rather than scores on daily assignments. For example an assessment during a science lab might reflect two different reporting standards (Example: Use of scientific tools & technologies and Understands scientific vocabulary), and would have two separate scores entered in the gradebook - one for each reporting standard.

• Students are not scored academically on practice assignments (homework, class labs, class work time), but do receive a work habits grade and feedback from teachers/peers on these assignments.  This practice is important to complete for overall understanding of the concepts/learning goals presented.

• Achievement on the reporting standards makes up 80% of the student's grade, with the other 20% being given to work habits (responsibility, participation and persistence).  Therefore, the grade is a representation of student understanding of science content, while still encouraging the habits of mind that are necessary to be successful.

• Students will be assessed multiple times on each reporting standard, and may choose to reassess a particular learning goal after showing evidence that they have studied or prepared for areas they didn't understand.  This reduces test anxiety, but the student should be prepared to show evidence that they have studied.

• Students should track their progress on learning goals, and on when they completed practice assignments necessary to achieve proficiency on learning goals.  Research shows that when students do this (practice metacognition - thinking about your thinking) they learn and retain information better.