[BigDaddyTX]

This year is the first year 6th graders have been moved up to "Middle School" to be with 7th and 8th graders. Prior to this year they were at Elem. schools receiving both traditional letter grades and Standards-Based Grading (M,E,S...) There are many issues at hand here, lack of community involvement in the decision by the board to introduce SBG into Middle School, lack of training for the teachers to be able to effectively use SBG, lack of continuity/consistency in the use of SBG.

Round Rock, TX was in a very similar situation this year and very recently put an end to the implementation of SBG in both middle school and high school. http://roundrockisd.org/index.aspx?recordid=2606&page=3400

I’ve been trying to learn about SBG recently and have researched information on two of the main experts I’ve seen referenced, Robert J. Marzano and Ken O’Connor.

SBG specifically separates behavior from teaching/learning of standards in order to better determine the students’ actual knowledge of the standards. The argument is that a student who received an F in Chemistry could actually know the subject but has been penalized for behavior issues that resulted in the lower grade. Likewise a student could have an A in that class and not know the subject but received enough “extra credit” (their favorite example is extra credit for bringing tissue boxes) to bring their grade up to an A.

I found this web seminar by O’Connor that describes “15 Fixes for Broken Grades” http://www.assessmentinst.com/15-fixes-for-broken-grades/ items 1-6 are as follows:

1) Don't include student behaviors (effort, participation, adherence to class rules, etc) in grades; include only achievement.

2) Don't reduce marks on "work" submitted late; provide support for the learner.

3) Don't give points for extra credit or use bonus points; seek only evidence that more work has resulted in a higher level of achievement.

4) Don't punish academic dishonesty with reduced grades; apply other consequences and reassess to determine actual level of achievement.

5) Don't consider attendance in grade determination; report absences separately.

6) Don't include group scores in grades; use only individual achievement evidence.

[goodwithagun]

In response to number 4: If the work is copied or plagiarized, how does one reassess the work to determine actual level of achievement? The achievement is not the students. The achievement belongs to someone else, does it not?

[GeronL]

#4 is a bad idea. real bad.

[RetiredTexasVet]

It’s got to be pure accident that any kid graduates from public school that is not functionally ignorant.

[Secret Agent Man]

The thing fundamentally wrong about this is that it gives the kid all the power and forces the teacher to work around misbehaving and deliberately abusing-the-system students.

Part of the grade is getting assignments done when they are due. Learning certain things in a certain amount of time. Because these are skills that you need to do work and get tasks done in certain periods of time. Showing up to class or work on time when expected. Doing work or studying during designated times.

It’s putting the insane in charge of the asylum. Kids needs an external authority that gives structure. Not this crap.