What is an A?

The debate over Traditional Grading and Standards Based Grading is continuing to heat up across education.  Too many expectations are tied to traditional letter grades - grade point averages, class rank, scholarships, college acceptance, and parental expectations. While the system in place does very little to adequately rely how much knowledge a student has in a given subject, standards based grading can more accurately show and measure what a student does and doesn't know.  However, the transition to standards based grading will not only be a transition to educators, but parents as well.

With the increase in demand for differentiation in the classroom, teachers continue to struggle with marking a grade for students that work hard but fail to meet the grade level expectations.  For example, this year I have 5 math classes with class sizes ranging from 14 - 28 students per class.  In any given class, I have 4 - 7 students that fall below grade level according to NWEA MAP testing data.  Therefore, how can it be a realistic expectation that these students perform anywhere close to average work, or a C grade.

My ability to differentiate each lesson for these students has put immense pressure on myself to carefully select what the students need from each lesson to be successful.  In the meantime, their deficits will only continue to grow as they struggle with remedial math facts and competencies. Yet, parents want to know, "Why is my child failing math?" As I try to explain, they are not able to illustrate through summative assessments (i.e. Unit Tests), that they understand a given skill or task.

A standards based report will clearly tell parents what their child does and doesn't know pertaining to the material that I am teaching.  While it will not give the student a letter grade, it does indicate what strengths and weakness the student has.  Thus, parents and teachers alike might be able to pinpoint the root of a struggle more easily.  Creating grade level standards will help to hold all more accountable for what is to be learned each year.

While this process is not an easy process, I believe it is a necessary process.  Tests need to be recreated, assessments redesigned, and thinking shifted.  Teachers and parents must be willing to work together to understand that letters are nothing more than letters, while standards are a clear indicator of the expectations required!