Standards-Based Grading- What does a "3" Really Mean?

Hi families,

I have had a few questions about the grading system our school district uses for elementary students.  The grading system is a standards-based grading system, set by the school district, and does not match up with the traditional A/B/C/D/F letter grade system that most people are familiar with.  I use this grading system on class assignments and assessments, as well as on report cards.  Using a standards-based system means that there are learning targets the students in our class are progressing toward throughout the year. When students are able to fairly consistently show mastery of a learning target, we say that they meet standard.  This aligns with a grade of a “3.”  When a student demonstrates expected progress, they earn a “3.”  That is why there will be some assignments that go home graded where your child hasn’t missed one question but they still earn a “3.”  Those are assignments where it was expected that students should miss very few or none to be “at standard.”  The difference between a “2” and a “3” is consistency.  A student who receives a “3” fairly consistently meets standard/expectation.  A student who receives a “2” meets standards sometimes but other times falls short of the standard.  Sometimes they show they understand or have a good grasp of the learning target but other times, they do not.

So what about “4s?”  Many parents dream/expect that their child will have straight “A”s someday so why not straight “4”s you may wonder.  Well, it’s not that simple.  A “4” does not equal an “A.”  A “4” means that your child is exceeding the standard consistently.  That means that every task or nearly every task that your child engages with on that particular learning target, your child demonstrates beyond expectation performance.  This is very difficult to achieve, even for Excel students. I would expect that a student who wants to earn “4”s completes the extension/more challenging assignments or projects when offered.

A “4” can be earned by:

·         Careful attention to directions

·         Accuracy in work

·         Checking for neatness

·         Going beyond minimum set criteria (for example, I ask for 5 sentences and your child writes more than asked for but still maintains high quality)

·         Complete demonstration of thinking

At this point in the year, I tend to “round” down if there is any question to whether or not a student is meeting standard as we just finished the first trimester.  Students still have two trimesters to make progress and grow in their understandings.

I hope this explanation helps to clarify our grading system a bit.  Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns.

Kindly,

Karri Allen