How Does Standards-Based Grading Work When Students Are Far Below Grade Level?
In this video, Dr. Justin Baeder addresses a major challenge with standards-based grading: what happens when students are years behind and can't demonstrate grade-level mastery.
Key Takeaways
- SBG breaks down for students far below level - When students can't demonstrate any grade-level mastery, the system produces all failing grades with no actionable feedback
- Intervention needs are different from grading needs - Students who are years behind need intensive intervention, not just a different grading system
- Effort and completion grades fill the gap - For below-grade-level students, grades that reflect effort and participation provide more useful feedback than mastery scores of zero
Transcript
How does standards-based grading work when students are below grade level?
I got a comment the other day from a teacher who said, I'm an intervention teacher.
I teach a dedicated intervention class, but I was required to use standards-based grading.
And now like, remember for a second, in order to be in the intervention class, you have to be below grade level, right?
Like you're not going to be able to meet grade level standards.
That's the point of the intervention class.
All of the students in that class are below grade level.
So how exactly do you use standards-based grading in that situation?
And in any situation, if you have students who are multiple years below grade level and they're trying, they're learning stuff, you're teaching them valuable things that they need to know, How does standards-based grading account for that if they're still below standard, right?
Like students are making progress.
They're doing what they're supposed to be doing.
You're doing what you're supposed to do to catch them up, but they're still below standard.
So that to me is a big hole in the whole idea of standards-based grading.
Let me know what you think.