EXPERT
& QA
Anthony R. Reibel, author
What inspires or drives your work? We used to think that our purpose was to make a difference in the lives of students. We have now realized that our primary purpose is to help students learn how to make a difference in their own lives. We are elated any time a student displays self-reliant and efficacious traits. This makes us feel assured and confident that they will be able to sustain a healthy and balanced lifestyle as they head to college and beyond.
What specific challenges will ProficiencyBased Grading in the Content Areas help educators solve? Many authors who write about standards-based or competency-based grading address the Why, but rarely explore the How and the What to implementing a comprehensive evidence-based grading and reporting system. In our books, we identify the necessary steps to implementing proficiency-based grading and reporting practices, provide the tools for successful school and classroom implementation, and answer some of the more nuanced questions that arise when we push deeper into the implementation process.
You’ve said this book is a great companion to Pathways to Proficiency. How do they connect? We wrote Pathways to Proficiency for leaders and teachers who are working to implement evidence-based grading
Eric Twadell, author
and reporting practices schoolwide. In Pathways to Proficiency we explore how the essential principles and concepts apply to each of the content areas within a school. Pathways to Proficiency outlines non-negotiables and the essential frameworks for evidence-based grading, while the Proficiency-Based Grading in the Content Areas is focused on how to address the practical and common questions and concerns that arise when implementing evidence-based grading in each of the different content areas.
How is your work unique in the world of standards-based learning? There are three things that we believe set our work apart. First, our primary focus is on building student self-reliance. While many standards-based grading systems focus on achievement of standards, we primarily use standards as a mechanism to promote self-reflective, self-appraisal, and self-regulatory abilities. Second, we focus on relationships. Our evidence-based system invites and expects teachers to co-construct learning with students so that they can gain an accurate perspective of their learning and where they need to grow and develop. Third, and most perhaps most unique, is that our model requires that teachers only use student evidence to determine proficiency scores and grades. In our proficiency-based model, there are no percentage systems, averaging of grades, weighting, or other traditional grading components. The teacher and student collaboratively review evidence and mutually agree on a grade or final proficiency score.
Proficiency-Based Grading in the Content Areas
NEW
Insights and Key Questions for Secondary Schools Edited by Anthony R. Reibel and Eric Twadell By Anthony R. Reibel, Eric Twadell, Wendy Custable, Justin Fisk, Jonathan Grice, Darshan M. Jain, Doug Lillydahl, Eric Ramos, Bradley Smith, and Steven M. Wood
No matter the content area, evidence-based grading puts student growth at the heart of the classroom. Designed for teachers and administrators of grades 6–12, Proficiency-Based Grading in the Content Areas details a five-step approach for implementing evidence-based grading and maintaining its effectiveness over time. This book equips any educator—from technical to fine arts—with the tools and support to make this important shift. 312 pages
• Become familiar with the basic concepts and essential decisions of evidence-based grading that apply to teaching in all content areas. • Learn the five phases of implementing proficiency-based grading—(1) preparation, (2) incubation, (3) insight, (4) evaluation, and (5) elaboration. 98CCA–BKF837 $37.95 USD | $47.50 CAD ISBN 978-1-947604-15-5
See opposite page for companion resources
Free reproducibles available at SolutionTree.com/FreeResources
The Solution Tree Assessment Center
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