Standards-Based Teaching and Learning

Standards-Based Teaching and Learning at Castilleja

Life in an independent school is guided by two forces: opportunity and responsibility. On the one hand, we have the opportunity to shape the student experience in the manner that best helps us achieve the mission of our schools. On the other, we have the immense responsibility to make sure that each student learns and progresses in meaningful ways. To balance those drives, classroom practitioners must continuously design student experiences built on intentional, research-based approaches to teaching and learning.

Standards-Based Grading vs.

Traditional Grading for an English Class: The tables below illustrate how a student would be graded in a standards-based and a traditional grading scenario.

STANDARDS-BASED GRADING EXAMPLE

At Castilleja, our transition to standards-based teaching and learning in 9th and 10th grades is grounded in a desire to further evolve our approach in supporting our community of learners in a research-driven, systematic way.

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Standard

s As

Communication

2

What is a Standards-Based Approach to Teaching and Learning?

Connections

A standards-based approach to teaching and learning (often

Persuasion

called ‘competency-based’ or ‘mastery-based’) orients the

Structure

student experience around growth in two ways: via thoughtful course design constructed around learning objectives and via prioritizing individualized student feedback. Unlike a more traditional course design that might take a chronological

Analysis

t1

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ig

s As

3

2 2

3

t4

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ig

s As

3

1 3

1

ig

s As

t3

en

nm

3 2

1

t2

en

nm

i

s As

t5

en

m gn

l

al er

Ov

4

4

4

4

4

4

3 4

3 3

4

Final Grade: A

Standards-based grading provides students with more chances to succeed and master a skill.

approach to content delivery, a course designed for standardsbased teaching and learning makes student learning goals the

TRADITIONAL GRADING EXAMPLE

driver of the classroom experience. More traditional courses determine final grades by calculating a student’s average grade

1st

2nd

3rd

Average

Homework

100

100

100

100%

of the course (or the “standards”). In effect, a standards-based

Tests

50

65

75

63.3%

philosophy guides both how the course flows and how students

Essays

90

80

95

88.3%

Quizzes

85

75

80

80%

on assessments, homework, and participation. A standards-based system benchmarks student progress toward the stated goals

are assessed. This approach to course design culminates in a final grade at the end of the semester that authentically reflects what students have learned.

Final Grade: 82.9% or B-

Traditional grading can often cause stress, and In a standards-based environment teachers define clear

slightly impairs grades, without properly crediting

standards and learning goals, molding their instruction and

any progress made along the way.

pedagogy around the needs of students. This pedagogy honors adolescent development by centering learning instead of behavior, and gives grace to developing brains as they learn to set goals and priorities. The goal is to increase students’ sense of

“I like the standards based approach

self-efficacy as they become

because I have time to figure it out and don’t

increasingly capable of delving deeply, independently, and

have to be perfect.”

confidently into complex academic topics in high school and

beyond.

—10th Grade Student

Progress is Personal

“Some students become hyperconscientious—

Students learn differently and at their own pace. No two

they work harder than necessary for the

students are the same and each student arrives with different priorities, experiences, and goals. A standards-based approach is a systematic way of honoring the different paths that our students may take, and takes a longer view of student progress.

Assessments are no longer high-stakes moments that make

mastery they need or the grade they want.

When this happens, adults can say: ‘You’ve developed an incredible work ethic, and that is

or break a grade, but rather one of multiple opportunities

fantastic. The next step in your evolution as a

for students to show what they know. Each student has a

student is to become strategic about how you

personalized plan built around direct feedback from their teachers as they work to meet the course standards.

Confident Thinkers Learning how to learn is the most crucial element for success beyond Castilleja. Learning is not a simple regurgitation of facts and formulas; it is the operationalizing of a strategic set of cognitive skills that can be deployed in any context to any new situation. Strong learners have the tools to meet any challenge that is put into their paths, and a standards-based learning environment is built upon creating the space and time for students to develop the skills to learn collaboratively and independently. As students progress toward their goals, they gain the confidence as learners to hold uncertainty because they know they have the tools to manage whatever comes their way.

Room to Grow In a standards-based learning environment, the long arc is a guiding metaphor. In a standards-based practice, learners receive multiple opportunities to show what they know, and they meet learning goals over the course of an entire semester.

Multiple chances to achieve competency in a standard means more opportunities to try new approaches to learning and different ways to study. Instead of using a system of averages, a standards-based practice focuses on a student’s best score instead of averaging all attempts to meet a learning target. As students juggle their classes, sports, and their extracurriculars in addition to their family commitments, a standards-based model gives students breathing room to make priorities.

To view this document online, please visit: www.castilleja.org/standards-based-grading

deploy our efforts.’”

—Dr. Lisa Damour

Working Smart A standards-based model of teaching and learning is all about individual needs and progress. Students need to learn to identify their own needs, growth and strengths so that they can better calibrate their effort and strategies towards meeting their learning goals/standards. The transparency of a standards-based practice allows a student to have a clear sense of their progress, and invites them to chart their path forward and the speed at which they want to travel. For some, this means taking more time to try a new strategy or approach and for others this means recognizing that they have achieved the learning goal and that they can focus elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions: Q: Will standards make my student focus more on grades?

Q: Is it true that not demonstrating one standard may prevent

In this new system focusing on a grade requires a student to

my student from an A in the course?

focus on learning. In a standards-based classroom a grade is an

In a standards-based classroom, an A is defined by meeting a

authentic indicator of learning and progress towards transparent

set of standards that the course is designed to support. In some

learning goals.

classes, a topic or skill may be introduced but not fully explored, and the standard around that topic will be defined accordingly.

Q: Does this make each assessment feel more high stakes?

Teachers are thoughtfully designing learning experiences

This approach to teaching and learning is designed to

and assignments around clearly defined standards. In these

make assessments an integral part of the learning process.

classrooms, a pathway to an A is transparent and fully aligned

Assessments are opportunities to check in and see what a

with standards that are shared at the beginning of the semester

student understands and what progress a student has made

and referenced throughout the classroom experience.

towards a well-defined, clear standard. Insight into what a student understands and progress towards a standard allow both

Q: Why is my student’s teacher using a different standards-

the teacher and the student to determine the next steps to insure

based system than another teacher teaching the same class?

learning and growth. In some cases, a student will have met the

Standards-based teaching and learning is grounded in key

standard with an early assessment and in other cases they may

principles of transparency, multiple opportunities to demonstrate

engage in multiple cycles. When both students and teachers shift

learning and clearly defined learning goals. All of our 9th and

from seeing assessments as the end point of the learning process

10th grade teachers have these principles in common. The

then assessments will no longer feel high stakes.

specific system they use is a personal choice, which is the case in non-standards based courses as well.

Resources and Additional Reading Guskey, T. R., & Brookhart, S. M. (2019). What we know about grading: What works, what doesn’t, and what’s next. ASCD. Kohn, A. (1999). From degrading to de-grading. High school magazine, 6(5), 38-43. https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/degrading-degrading/ Great Schools Partnership: “The mental health and wellness of students should be of paramount importance to educators; in fact, there is nothing more important for us than to reduce stress and anxiety that our students feel. Decades of research tells us that the standards-based learning practices help accomplish this. https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/proficiency-based-learning/research-evidence/research-supporting-ten-principlesgrading-reporting/ Muñoz, M. A., & Guskey, T. R. (2015). Standards-based grading and reporting will improve education. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(7), 64-68. https://www.lorainschools.org/Downloads/Munoz__Guskey_2015.pdf Research review in Edutopia March 2023 by Youki Tereda https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-the-100-point-grading-scale-is-a-stacked-deck?utm_content=linkpos1&utm_source=researchnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=website