Standards-Based Learning Symposium Reflection

On Friday, I attended the Standards-Based Learning Symposium.  When we talk about standards-based education, we are talking about pedagogy that is based on students demonstrating their mastery of the content and skills they are expected to learn at that stage of their schooling.  As a future educator, this seems logical; of course we should be assessing students based on the skills and content they need to move on in their education and to achieve their future aspirations.  However, it isn't so simple; not everyone (teachers, parents, administration) are on board with this new system because many people prefer the traditional way of schooling.  In response, the keynote speakers from the symposium highlighted why it is so important for teachers to take the steps needed to become standards-based.  The first speaker explained that we need to choose standards that get students excited about learning and get students saying, "I want to be able to do that!"  I think that if we make clear to students what these standards are and why it is important that they can show an understanding of the skills and knowledge that is asked of them, students will see why standards-based learning is so beneficial for them.  The underlying concepts of standards-based learning are differentiation and personalized learning.  Each student is an individual with unique interests and needs and it is our responsibility as educators to support these individuals in our classroom.  At the heart of standards-based learning is the student.  This relates to my goal as a teacher to create a student-centered classroom.  I will strive to always put my students first and know each student, so I can differentiate my instruction to ensure that all of my students have the equal opportunity to succeed.  Clearly, I support standards-based learning and hope to implement it in my future classroom!

However, I still had many questions about standards-based learning, so I attended a workshop on standards-based grading.  The session began with using a metaphor to explain the difference between traditional grading and this new system of grading.  The traditional grading system was referred to as "compensation for learning." Student can "earn" grades like they can "earn" money.  Standards-based grading was referred to as "communication of learning."  They compared it to a MapQuest App.  First, we determine our learning targets (our destination).  Second, we must determine where we are starting.  If we have students starting from different locations, it become obvious that we will need to use different routes to get to the destination (differentiation).  Then, the teacher becomes the GPS (instruction). The grade is the blue dot.  It's the exact location of the student in relation to their destination.  I found this metaphor extremely helpful in describing what standards-based learning looks like.  The purpose of a grade in a standards-based system is to clearly communicate a student's current level of achievement.

This all makes sense to me.  Clearly, the grade a student receives should reflect how well they met the standards.  But, what about participation? Behavior? Shouldn't students be held accountable for these aspects of being a student? In standards-based grades, behavior shouldn't be included, unless it was specifically instructed.  Only achievement should be measured.  For example, lateness shouldn't reduce a grade.  There is a difference between habits and achievement.  I like this in the sense that their grade is accurately reflecting their ability currently, but I feel that certain habits (working well with others, handing in work on time, participating frequently, etc.) should impact a student's grade.  In the future, maybe I could develop a dual grading system, one that is for achievement and one that is for behavior.  Additionally, only summative assessments should be part of the grade.  Formative assessments should only drive instruction.  Students should have the chance to learn, practice what they learned, and receive feedback before being assessed.

I related standards-based grading to criterion 2.1 because all students are held to high expectations.  Standards-based learning acknowledges that students are coming from different starting points, but that each student can successfully make it to the end destination, and the grade should reflect this.  I also connected standards-based grading to criterion 6.1 because the end grade can be an accumulation of various summative assessments.  However, various assessments, like formative assessments, can guide students to achievement and receiving a high grade.  If students do the work that teachers assign leading up to the summative assessment, students should receive a high grade.  This is when you know standards-based learning is working.