Standards Based Classroom: Make Learning the Goal

If you have not liked/joined the group Standards Based Learning and Grading on Facebook, please do!  Here is a connection from a Facebook post where two educators share their work with secondary teams.

Every standards-based system looks a little different, but they should all have a few things in common. First, there need to be standards that drive curriculum, instruction, assessment, and reporting. There are many different approaches to the types of standards schools choose, the grain-size they use for instructing or reporting, and their philosophy about skills and content, but all agree that the destinations for learning must be clearly articulated. Second, there needs to be an intentional assessment system that determines where students are in relation to the targets at any given time; this system includes both formative and summative assessment practices. Third, all standards-based classes develop instruction in response to assessment data; in other words, we assess to find out what we need to do next to help all of our students progress towards or beyond our standards. This means that differentiated instruction is a necessary component of class. Finally, all standards-based classes should be grading, tracking, and reporting based on their standards–not based on points or percentages or behaviors. 

Examples: Here is a selection of examples of KUDs, Scales, Benchmark Sheets, and other resources. These have been created by teachers and are always in the process of revision based on student work and ongoing calibration.