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A standards-based grading and reporting system was implemented at BDMS at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. The federal law referred to as No Child Left Behind requires schools and educators across the country to center their teaching on content and learning standards. The BDMS standards-based grading and reporting system will communicate to parents their child's progress toward mastering grade level content standards and professionalism standards.
What are standards?
A standard defines what a student should know and be able to do in each subject area at each grade level. All academic areas have grade level standards including Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Physical Education, Health, Computers, Business Education, Technology Education, Family and Consumer Science, and Foreign Language.
What is standards-based grading?
Standards-based grading is the assessment method used to measure a student’s level of academic proficiency against BDMS grade level content standards.
What is standards-based reporting?
Standards-based reporting is the report card format used to communicate a student’s quarterly proficiency levels in grade level content standards and Professionalism work habits and behavior.
What are standards-based proficiency levels?
Standards-based proficiency levels describe a student’s academic proficiency as measured against the grade level content standards. Proficiency levels are divided into six categories and include:
Advanced, High Proficient, Proficient (At Grade Level), Low Proficient, Basic, and Minimal.
Why standards-based grading and reporting?
Standards-based grading and reporting gives students, parents and teachers information describing how well a student is performing based on what the student is expected to know and be able to do. In a standards-based grading and reporting system, BDMS parents will know how their child is progressing towards mastering grade level standards in each content area in addition to, knowing how their child’s work habits and behaviors (Professionalism) are contributing to his/her learning.
What is Professionalism?
Professionalism is behaviors and skills that can contribute to or hinder the learning process. The BDMS Professionalism work habits and behavior standards include: Prepared for Class, Work Completion, and On-Task Behavior.
In a standards-based grading and reporting system, does homework count and how is homework factored into a proficiency level grade?
Yes, homework counts! Homework assignments are intended to help a student develop content knowledge and skills in preparation for meeting grade level standards assessments. Homework is reported separately on the report card under Professionalism Work Completion, and is not factored into the content area grade level proficiency grade.
Grading
The Beaver Dam Middle School believes that grades students receive should be accurate, fair, consistent, meaningful, and supportive of learning. Priority standards will be identified and rubrics will include clear, specific descriptors for the following proficiency levels: advanced, proficient, basic, and minimal for each skill. Grades will be recorded in Skyward and updated weekly.
Questions or concerns about a student’s performance should first be discussed with the classroom teacher. Any additional support can be received by the school counselor.
Retake Guidelines
As learning is our ultimate goal, retakes on summative assessments are available to students.
- It is up to teacher discretion on how to give the retake and what time frame to give the student to complete it (has to be a different assessment)
- Students below basic are expected to do a retake; if a student at or above a basic score wishes to retake, he/she may do so but must request this from the teacher
- If a student is below a basic performance, but the standard/skill will be addressed again at some point in the year, a retake is not necessary, but the grade should be adjusted accordingly to indicated student’s appropriate performance level
- Parent contact should be made if a student is staying after school for a retake and then parent contact if a student refuses to follow through
- Students have to do some sort of practice/discussion/relearning session before completing a retake or re-submitting an assessment
- Teacher discretion for student refusal to follow through with retake expectation (as long as parent contact has been ongoing throughout the process); if a teacher chooses to write a referral, it is a minor for non-compliance.
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