Is standards-based grading equitable?

Standards-based grading systems that do not simply translate a B into a 3, but accurately capture student learning across concepts and skills, promote equity and fairness in schools. They help students, teachers, and parents focus on growth.

Why is standards-based grading equitable?

Besides excluding homework from the grade book, standards-based grading also prevents factors like attendance and behavior from being factored into a student's grade. This is a grading practice that the science department as a whole has implemented, not just in standards-based classrooms.

What are the criticisms of standards-based grading?

In many standards-based classes, teachers also do not grade or weigh classwork assignments, which many students usually consider a grade bump. This hurts the students that this grading style is intended to help, because classwork is the only time that every student is given a set opportunity to do their work.

What is the equitable grading process?

Equitable grading practices typically focus on students' mastery of content and intrinsic Motivation through the use of formative assessments, rubrics, and protocols for analyzing student work and responding with constructive feedback.

Is standard based grading good?

Research has shown that Standards-Based Grading can have a positive impact on student performance. Studies have indicated that using this approach can lead to improved achievement, increased engagement in learning, and a better classroom climate.

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What are the disadvantages of standard based education?

What does research say about standards based grading?

Studies show standards-based teaching practices correlate to higher academic achievement (Craig, 2011; Schoen, Cebulla, Finn, & Fi, 2003). Therefore, it is critical that teachers also link assessments and reporting to the standards (Guskey, 2001).

What are the three pillars of equitable grading?

Feldman's three elements of equitable grading practices are accuracy, motivation, and bias-resistance. In this post, we'll dig into the first two elements. We'll take an even deeper dive into bias-resistance next week.

What are the four pillars of equitable grading?

Equitable grading has three pillars: accuracy, bias-resistance, and intrinsic motivation. Grades must accurately reflect only a student's academic level of performance, exclude nonacademic criteria (such as behavior), and use mathematically sound calculations and scales, such as the 0–4 instead of the 0–100 scale.

How is equitable grading different from traditional grading?

Equitable grading practices separate the behavior from the assessment of knowledge. These practices emphasize the belief that all students can learn and meet learning targets. According to experts, traditional grading with the well-known bell curve and 100-point scale is inherently inequitable.

What are the problems with equitable grading?

Critics of grading for equity say there is not enough empirical data or experience to suggest that the purported successes of the approach could work at scale. In many districts that have adopted equitable grading, the process is too new—and still too inconsistent—to yield reliable research data.

Is the grading system fair?

Furthermore, although the letter grade is standardized, the grading practices are not. This means that what one teacher would score as an A, another could consider a B, depending on how strict their grading principles are. Limited: The grading system may not accurately reflect what a student is learning.

What is the framework for equitable instruction?

The Framework for Equitable Instruction (FEI) is an instruction-focused resource designed to promote the equitable engagement in disciplinary learning and language development of multilingual learners.

Is extra credit equitable?

Additionally, because equitable grades do not include behaviors and extra credit, grade inflation is also reduced, particularly for more privileged students.

What is the best quote from grading for equity?

“In Grading for Equity, there's a quote by Everett Hale, 'I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.

What are the criteria for an equitable school?

1. An inclusive climate and visual environment; 2. Culturally responsive pedagogy, curricula, and materials; 3. A wide variety of instructional strategies to meet differing learning styles and backgrounds; 4.

How do colleges feel about standards-based grading?

Letter grades and transcripts based on standards are acceptable, if not preferable, by admissions folks, with a few caveats. When universities receive profiles/transcripts from schools with alternative grading/reporting systems, these students receive equal consideration.

Is standards-based grading the same as competency based grading?

Competency-based grading is a type of standards-based grading that incorporates aspects of mastery grading while structuring learning into bundles or tiers that are associated with specific grades (Towsley and Schmid 2020).

How common is standards-based grading?

Standards-based grading is becoming increasingly prevalent in schools in the U.S. as more schools are moving away from the traditional system of aggregating points towards one letter grade per subject and implementing separate grades for student learning and work habits (Bisaha, 2019, as cited in Townsley & Buckmiller, ...

What are the advantages of standards-based education?

First, it promotes high expectations for all students. Second, standards-based curriculum benefits learning through the practice of building on a student's prior knowledge to teach new concepts. The new information becomes more meaningful and easier to understand because of the personal connection to the past.

What are disadvantages of standards?

Disadvantages of standardization include: Lack of adaptation, since markets are different and dynamic, standardization is always challenged to meet these changes.

What does a standards-based classroom look like?

Standards-based classrooms do things a little differently. In this classroom, teachers must first figure out what skills students must master, and design their lessons and assessments to meet those goals. Assessment is ongoing, with teachers providing regular feedback about each student's progress.

How do you ensure an equitable learning environment?

What is an equitable assessment?

“Equitable assessment practice means that learners in courses have an equal and unbiased opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and achievements in every phase of the assessment process.

What is an equity based framework?

The Equity-Based Framework for Achieving Integrated Schooling is designed to assist communities and 21st century schools in creating integrated schools and in identifying areas of need or support to ensure all students acquire the incredible societal and academic benefits of integrated schooling.