Grading for Learning Using Standards-Based Grading in Grades 6-12: BMS and PHS
(Links to helpful infographics with videos and FAQ document are at the bottom of this page)
The Portage Community School District is dedicated to implementing standards-based grading, ensuring precise, meaningful, and consistent assessment practices that actively promote mastery of essential standards. We prioritize fostering growth and consistently challenging students at appropriate levels of academic rigor throughout their courses. Recognizing that students may enter courses with differing levels of proficiency, our focus lies in nurturing their progress and development over time, valuing recent evidence of learning as the primary factor in grading.
We firmly advocate for the separation of behavior-related aspects such as punctuality, responsibility, and respect from academic standards, acknowledging their significance while assessing them independently. This distinction allows us to engage in insightful discussions about a student's proficiency in both academic and behavioral domains, enabling a comprehensive understanding of their overall progress and achievements.
What is grading for learning?
Grading for learning is a mastery-based system that promotes growth through precise feedback about specific standard-related skills and knowledge. Grading for learning aims to match the natural process of learning while aligning with measurable standards. Our goal is to ensure our practices both increase the accuracy of the grade and promote optimism about future success.
Grading for Learning in Portage means we strive for the following:
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Provide specific information about critical standards students have to know rather than accumulation of points.
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Provide an accurate representation of what a student knows and rewards growth creating student optimism for future success.
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Provide feedback to teachers which is used to adjust instruction and improve student learning.
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Encourage student reflection and responsibility.
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Organize, collect, and report on learning by standards rather than by vague categories such as homework, participation, assessments, or projects.
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Increased reliability between multiple teachers teaching the same content in different rooms.
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Increased accuracy and clarity through proficiency scales that define the depth of knowledge expected at each level of proficiency.
What does Grading for Learning look like across the secondary level?
BMS: BMS is fully standards-based and discusses learning standards only by proficiency level. They do not convert to numbers, percentages, or letter grades. BMS conducted a Standards-Based Grading Pilot in 2022-2023 and shifted to fully Standards-Based in 2023-2024.
PHS: Colleges still require a letter grade and GPA for reporting purposes on high school transcripts. Therefore, Infinite Campus converts the proficiency level to a number value and then to a grade in the background. Our teachers record scores by proficiency level, (NE for No Evidence, BEG for Beginning, DEV for Developing, PRO for Proficient, and EXT for Extending). This is strategic as we have found numbers and letter grades distract from conversations about learning and standard proficiency. PHS is in the second year of its Standards-Based Pilot and will be fully Standards-Based in the 2024-2025 school year.
Link to Standards-Based Grading Overview Infographic and Why Videos
Link to PHS-specific Grade Calculation Infographic and Informational grade calculation videos
Link to BMS-specific Grade Calculation Infographic and Informational grade calculation videos
Link to PHS Standards and Proficiency Scales
Link to BMS Standards and Proficiency Scales
Link to Frequently Asked Questions Document: Click this link to access the FAQ document. Each topic is hyperlinked so you can click on the question you are interested in and go directly to that answer.
For building-specific questions please reach out to the building Principal or feel free to reach out to the Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning for any question grades 6-12.
Matt Paulsen (608) 742-4879 Ext. 4018
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