Using the �Standards-Based Gradebook �to Report Out to �Parents and Students

The

Aspen Training

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Standards Based Grading

Webinar Series

Each slide deck and webinar recording can be found on the Aspen Training page in Pando.

Agenda

Brief Review

Other Considerations

Connecting to Courses

Annual Setup

Gradebook View

Rubric

Overview

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The

Steps

Steps to Building Rubrics . . .

Step 1: Decide on the Standards you want to Report out on.

Choose the Reporting Standards from your State Learning Standards as well as other standards, like Common Core, you’ve looked at. You may decide to use all or just some of them.

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Step 2: Build the Rubric Rating Scale(s)

Create your Rubric Rating Scale(s) based on the selected standards.

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Step 3: Build a Rubric Definition in your Rubric Library

Define the General portion of the rubric definition along with the Criteria portion.

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Step 4: Attach Rubric Definition to Courses

Assign your Rubric Definition to appropriate courses at your different school levels.

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Step 5: Prepare Reporting Standards Rubrics

Run the procedure in the School View > Grades Tab > Grade Input Side-tab

Grade 7 Mathematics

Reporting Standards

Five (5) Parent Level Standards

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Each parent level has at least one (1) child level.

Rubric Definition & Rubric Rating Scale

Rubric

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Definition

Rubric Definition Details—General

Rubric Definition Details—Criteria

1 Level

Rubric Definition Details—Criteria Simple

Rubric Criterion—Complex

2 Levels

Rubric Criterion—Complex

2 Levels

Other

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Considerations

Other Setup Considerations

• Grade Terms
• Grade Scales
• Transcript Definitions
• SBRC Format

If the goal for your school is to print / publish a Standards-Based Report Card for your

staff, students and parents, there are other areas of focus you need to be aware of.

We can work with you to reach this Goal. Contact your CRM for more information.

Preparing For

Standards-Based Grading

Step 1—Attach Rubrics to Courses

In your current School Course catalog, attach the rubrics defined in the Rubric Library to the appropriate courses.

Attach rubric definitions to all courses.

You can do this individually by course or when on

the courses list use the modify list and / or mass update tools.

School View > Schedule Tab > Course Side Tab

Step 1—Attach Rubrics to Courses

This must be done at the beginning of the school year so the Gradebook can be used, and Grade reporting can be done.

School View > Grades Tab > Grade Input Side Tab > Options

Step 2—Preparing Reporting Standards

Using the

Standards-Based

Gradebook

Scenario 1

End of Term Grading Only

Many schools will choose to just report out at the end of the marking terms the rating or grade the student has achieved. This is done through the gradebook with the set up already shown.

Scenario 2

Entering and Aligning Assignments

End of Term Grading

Some schools will take advantage of using the Standards-Based gradebook to enter assignments, attach the assignments to the reporting standards and then report out at the end of the marking terms

Let’s look at both . . .

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Step 1—Prepare Grade Input

Navigation: School View > Grade Tab > Grade Input Side-tab

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Options > Prepare Grade Input . . .

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Grade Input Wizard—Step 1 Select Sections

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Grade Input Wizard—Step 2 Select Columns

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Grade Input Wizard—Step 3 Set Posting Parameters

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Grade Input Wizard—Step 4 Confirmation

Check to make sure the parameters are set correctly.

If they are, click Finish.

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If changes need to be made use the Previous button to make the appropriate changes.

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Grading at the end of the marking term with Level 1 Reporting Standards.

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Grading at the end of the marking term with Level 1 & 2 Reporting Standards.

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Grading at the end of the marking term with Level 1 Reporting Standards.

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Teachers enter ratings for each standard and click the Post Grades . . . Button.

Scenario 1—End of Term Grading Only

Use the Post Grades . . . Button to post your grades for the term.

Making sure the Grade Term is correct, click OK to post the grades to the student’s transcript.

Scenario 2

Using the Standards-Based Gradebook for assignments, aligning them to the reporting standards and using the Power Law (Decaying Average) to determine the student rating at the end of the marking term.

Standards

Based

Grading

Standards-Based Grading

Below, six (6) assessment scores from 1 to 4 have been entered to visualize how various calculation methods weigh scores differently. 

How Is Standards-Based Grading Calculated?

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Mastery can be calculated in several ways in a standards-based approach. The most popular calculation methods include decaying average, most recent score, highest score, mode, and mean. Each method differs in how it weighs recency versus consistency.

Mean

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Calculating a student’s mastery using the mean is relatively straightforward. First, convert each level of your scale to a number. Often it will look something like this:

1 – Not at Mastery�2 – Approaching Mastery�3 – Near Mastery�4 – Mastery

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Next, add all the student’s attempts at the standard and divide by the total number of attempts. Use standard rounding rules to round to the nearest whole, then convert back to the mastery level. Of all the calculation methods presented, using the mean most closely resembles a traditional grading approach. This method evenly weighs the first attempt and the last attempt.

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Here are some examples: (1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 4) / 8 = 2.63 → Approaching Mastery� (2 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 4) / 6 = 3.33 → Near Mastery� (3 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 4) / 5 = 3.6 → Mastery

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Mode

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The mode is the grading scale that looks at the score the student received most frequently. This method, much like mean/average, does not consider the order of the attempts, only the frequency of results.

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Here are some examples:

�(Not at Mastery, Not at Mastery, Near Mastery, Mastery) 🡪 Not at Mastery�(Not at Mastery, Near Mastery, Near Mastery, Mastery) 🡪 Near Mastery�(Not at Mastery, Near Mastery, Approaching Mastery, Mastery, Mastery) 🡪Mastery

Highest

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The “highest” calculation method is exactly what it sounds like. You use the highest level that the student ever achieved to calculate their total score.

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This method can safeguard against a lower recent score that might not accurately communicate the student’s full grasp of the standard.

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However, this can also work in the opposite direction and give a false positive for a student that doesn’t completely understand a standard.

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Here are some examples:�

(Not at Mastery, Approaching Mastery, Near Mastery, Near Mastery) → Near Mastery�(Not at Mastery, Not at Mastery, Near Mastery, Mastery, Near Mastery) → Mastery

Most Recent

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This calculation method takes the student’s most recent score as their level of mastery. This method gives the most up-to-date view of the student’s proficiency but sacrifices the context of other recent scores.

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Here are some examples:

�(Near Mastery, Mastery, Mastery, Approaching Mastery) → Approaching Mastery�(Not at Mastery, Approaching Mastery, Mastery, Near Mastery) → Near Mastery�(Near Mastery, Near Mastery, Mastery) → Mastery

Decaying Average

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This is how the Aspen Standards-Based Gradebook calculates the Trend for the student.

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This formula is calculated based on an average with more weight given to the most recent scores. The higher the decay rate, the more heavily recent assessments are weighed.

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For example, if there are two assessments, the most recent assessment gets 65% weight, and the first gets 35%. For each additional assessment, the sum of the previous score calculations decays by an additional 35%.

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If you have three assessments, the weighting would be 12% for the first assessment, 23% for the second assessment, and 65% for the third assessment.

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The math behind the 65% decaying average works like this:

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Let’s say you have four assessments that receive the following scores:

1, 2, 3, 4 (the last score being the most recent).

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(1 × .35) + (2 × .65) = 1.65 (1.65 × .35) + (3 × .65) = 2.5275 (2.5275 × .35) + (4 × .65) = 3.484625

Decaying Average

Example #1:�A student receives scores 2, 3, and 4 (most recent) on a single standard. Using decaying average, the student receives a 3.5. The formula calculates to a 3.5275 and rounds down.

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Example #2

If a student receives a score of 2, 4, 4 on a single standard. Using the decaying average, the student receives a 3.8. The formula calculates to a 3.755, so it rounds up.

Decaying Average

Standards-Based Grading Conversion Methods

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In some cases, converting a standards-based grade into a traditional letter grade may be necessary. While there is no “correct” method to accomplish this, a few conversion methods include the percentage and the Marzano methods.

Marzano Method

Robert J. Marzano published the Marzano method in the book Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading.

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In this method, Marzano provides a chart with a 1-4 mastery scale. Using the average of a student’s SBG scores, you can quickly convert the standards grade into a traditional letter grade.

Percentage Method

The percentage method is intuitive and flexible for any grading scale. First, add the number of standard points the student earned. Then, divide that sum by the total number of points possible. Once you have that percentage, you can convert it using a traditional grading scale as pictured to the left. This method works for the common 1-4 scale as well as for 1-3 or 1-5 scales.

Standards-Based

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Gradebook

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Setup

Teacher-Created Learning Standards

The rubrics attached to the course section will appear.

Teachers can create their own reporting standards using Options > Add.

These staff created standards are for informational purposes only – scores WILL NOT appear on report cards or transcripts, but CAN be made visible in the portal.

Staff View > Gradebook Tab >

Reporting Standards Side Tab

Creating

Categories

For

Assignments

Gradebook Categories . . .

If your teachers will be using the Standards-Based Gradebook, at least one (1) category needs to be created to hold the assignments you create.

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You can create multiple categories to hold different types of assignments like homework, classwork, and assessments.

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Below is an example of three (3) categories that could be used in a teacher’s gradebook.

Aligning

Rubrics

to

Assignments

Aligning Rubrics to Assignments

From the Assignment Details window

click on Standards mini top-tab

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Aligning Rubrics to Assignments

Click “Multi-Add” button to select the appropriate Reporting Standards

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Aligning Rubrics to Assignments

Select the appropriate Reporting Standards to attach to the assignment and click OK.

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Aligning Rubrics to Assignments

If you need to remove a Reporting Standard from an assignment, check the box(es) and click Delete

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Entering Reporting Standards Scores

When in the Scores side-tab there are three (3) ways to enter scores:

• Single Assignment View
• Single Student View
• Single Standard View

Single

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Assignment

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View

Single Assignment View . . .

To access Single Assignment mode, click the arrow icon in the assignment header.

Single Assignment View . . .

In Single Assignment View, you will have a column for a Traditional score and a column for each Standard score.

The Traditional score is to collect an overall score for the assignment and is optional.

Single Assignment View . . .

The other three columns are Student Submission, Assignment Feedback, and Teacher’s Notes.

Single Assignment View . . .

Student Submission will show a time and date stamp when students turn in the assignment through Online Submission.

Single Assignment Mode . . .

Assignment Feedback shows any feedback the teacher has entered for the assignment for each student. This WILL be seen in the portal.

Single Assignment Mode . . .

Teacher’s Notes shows any notes the teacher has added regarding the student and the score. This WILL NOT appear in the portal.

Single Assignment Mode . . .

To get back to all assignments:

• click the Arrow icon in the header of the assignment or
• use the View all assignments link above the scores grid.

Single

Student

View

Single Student View . . .

To enter Single Student view, click the name of the student you want.

Single Student view is a similar layout to Single Assignment mode with columns for the Traditional score, a column for each Reporting Standard, and the columns for Student Submission, Assignment Feedback, and Teacher’s Notes.

The difference occurs in the Name column, it lists the Assignment Names, Averages and Trends instead of Student Names.

The pink crosshatching in a cell indicates that a particular Reporting Standard is not assessed for that assignment.

Click View all students to return to all students on the roster.

Single

Standard

View

Single Standard Mode . . .

To enter Single Standard view, click Standards and choose the Reporting Standard you want to score from the dropdown.

Single Standard Mode . . .

Each column is an assignment that has the Reporting Standard attached, no matter the Category.

Single Standard Mode . . .

In the Single Standard mode, you will also have two (2) columns that show Trend and Average for the Reporting Standard.

Single Standard Mode . . .

In the Single Standard mode, you can see how these two calculations can be very different for the same scores.

Scenario 2—End of Term Grading

Teachers report out following the same concepts reviewed earlier with one (1) extra step, if using.

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See the Next Slide 🡪

Scenario 2—End of Term Grading

Let’s take a closer look at this . . .

Update Post Columns: Select Columns

Step 1

Update Post Columns: Choose Update Values

Step 2

Update Post Columns: Confirmation

Step 3

Use this to confirm what you selected in steps 1 and 2.

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Click Finish if everything looks good.

Click Previous to back to the previous step.

Student Transcript

Student Transcript Side-tab displays the current posted transcript records posted by the teacher for the transcript definition selected using the Dictionary Menu icon

Clicking on the transcript record will reveal even more about the standards attached to the rating given the student, as seen to the right 🡪

Next Steps . . .

Designing a Standards-Based Report Card to report out the ratings given to students regarding the reporting standards in each subject area.

Where Do I Begin?

• Converse with your PLC’s regarding instituting Standards-Based Grading

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• Decide on Grade Level standards for each subject area

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• Decide on the rating scale or scales you want to use

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• Communicate with your parents about this BIG change in how student will be evaluated in their classes.

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• Contact your CRM to being the process in Aspen

Marzano, Robert J. (2000). Transforming Classroom Grading. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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Marzano, Robert J. (2010). Formative Assessment and Standards-Based Grading. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Resources.

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Stevens, Dannelle D. and Antonia Levi (2005). Introduction to Rubrics : An Assessment Tool to Save Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback, and Promote Student Learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

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Stanny, Claudia J. and Linda B. Nilson. (2014). Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty Time. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

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Sources

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Schools

https://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/

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The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, Brown University

https://www.brown.edu/sheridan/

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Saskatchewan Rivers School Division

https://www.srsd119.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/grade-8.pdf

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Education.com

https://www.education.com/common-core/

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CCSSO—Council of Chief State School Officers

https://learning.ccsso.org/common-core-state-standards-initiative

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Otus

https://otus.com/guides/sbg-grading-scales-calculations-and-conversions/

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Sources

Help

• Online Help
• Weekly Webinar Sessions
• Recorded Webinar Sessions
• User Guide: Standards-Based Grades – Teacher User Guide
• Videos & Training Tools: Teacher Gradebook

Time permitting, I will stay on the line if you have questions.

We hope you will attend future webinars. Check on the Aspen Training page regarding the future webinar topics we will be covering over the next few months.

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Email aspen-training@follettlearning.com with any topics you would like us to consider presenting on a future webinar.