Grading for Learning

Target-Based Information

The Dodgeland School District utilizes Target-Based Grading and Learning practices. Student progress is measured by both academic and behavior skills learning targets.

Why?

Dodgeland School District believes the purpose of grading is to provide students and parents with a snapshot view of a student’s proficiency on academic and behavioral skills at a particular time. The foundational beliefs of this system include:

• Academic grades are dependent upon student proficiency against identified learning targets and are not influenced by non-academic factors.
   
• Academic grades will reflect the student’s level of proficiency attained on identified learning targets, as measured by specific assessments aligned to the learning targets.
   
• Behavioral skills will also be assessed and reported using defined rubrics:

• Students will receive a separate grade for current academic scores and behavioral skills scores.
   
• To ensure accuracy in reporting what students know and can do against identified learning targets, extra credit will not be offered as a way to increase a student’s academic grade.
   
• Homework is a tool that helps learning, but will not be used to determine a student’s summative (final) score for academics.

You may read the Elementary Proficiency Grading Letter that gives a brief overview of proficieny grading for grades K-5.

Definitions

Academic standards: Broad statements of what students should know and be able to do in each content area taught in our schools. 

Targets: Clearly stated goals that students should become proficient in, based on larger academic standard.

Proficiency Scales: Proficiency scales are a set of criteria used to determine the current level of progress toward meeting a specific learning target. Proficiency scales indicate student achievement as it relates to a given learning target and utilizes a three-point scale at the elementary and middle school and a four-point scale at the high school as shown below:

Elementary and Middle School:

High School:

Target-based grading and reporting: A process that indicates how well the student is progressing on each of the targets. The descriptors used to describe student progress as Needs Support (NSP), Developing (DEV), Proficient (PRO), and Advanced (ADV- at high school only). 

Homework: The Dodgeland School District defines “homework” as practice in the learning progression toward proficiency on identified learning targets. Homework should be looked at as a “tool” in the learning process and not an instrument to measure and report a student’s understanding of academic learning targets. When viewed as a tool to help with learning, homework is then not an assessment of the student’s understanding of learning targets/content, but rather a step toward learning it. We often find that students who do not utilize homework and practice opportunities miss out on the learning growth that comes from it and ultimately score poorly on summative assessments as a result.

Reassessment: The Dodgeland School District’s purpose of ensuring ALL students learn at high levels is not predicated upon the notion that all students learn at high levels at the same time. Therefore, we must offer students multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency of identified content at various times in a school year. We commit to the following in regards to reassessment:

• Reassessments are allowed on all summative assessments that are reflected in what is reporting out to parents on our report cards. 
• In order for a student to qualify for a reassessment, he/she must demonstrate new evidence of learning since taking the initial assessment.
• Depending on the number of students reassessing, this may occur during a regular class period or need to take place at an alternative time during the day. 
• Reassessing can occur in multiple forms, such as another assessment similar to the first, oral discussion with the teacher, or another method that is mutually agreeable between the teacher and student. 
• Students do not necessarily need to retake an entire assessment. If he/she struggled on a particular concept or skill, he/she is allowed to reassess in solely that area to replace the score assigned to the particular standard.

Formative vs. Summative Assessment

Formative Assessments are designed to help the teacher and student understand how a student is progressing toward proficiency on the identified learning targets. Formative assessment is a part of the learning process, so teachers and students can make adjustments along the way to better understanding the desired outcome for the targets and to help reach proficiency.

Summative Assessments are designed to help teachers reach a conclusion on a student’s proficiency against the target.

Formative assessment is For Learning and Summative Assessment is Of Learning.

*Please note that an assessment that is designed to be formative can become summative if the teacher feels that the student has adequately displayed he or she is proficient against the target within that assessment. In those cases, the assessment has now become summative as the teacher will use that as a final mark for reaching a summative score for the student.