School Improvement Plan

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Truth In Grading XFAT
Cross Functional Action Team Final Report
Board Presentation February 19, 2009
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XFAT Purpose

• What purpose do grades serve in Fulton County
  Schools?
• What should the connection be between final
  grades and the Georgia Performance Standards
  (GPS)?
• How can we be sure that student grades are
  reflective of their mastery of the GPS?
• What type of grading procedures will best inform
  students and parents of a students mastery of
  the GPS?
• What can be done to ensure that student grades
  are aligned with their actual performance on
  formative and summative (standardized)
  assessments?

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Team Members

• Linda Anderson
• Deputy Supt. for Instruction
• Margaret Brackett
• Program Evaluation Analyst
• Linda Bryant
• Board of Education Member
• Ashley Widener
• Board of Education Member
• Darlene Davis-Conte
• Special Education Teacher, Centennial HS
• Bruce Fraser
• Principal, Northwestern Middle School
• Eldrick Horton
• Principal, Tri-Cities HS
• Anthony Lanier
• Math Coach, Hapeville ES
• Nancy Marsh
• Director, Early Childhood and Special Programs
• Iris Moran

• Debra Mosely
• Assistant Principal, Ridgeview Charter MS
• Cheryl Perkins
• Assistant Principal, McNair MS
• Carrie Pitchford
• Curriculum Support Teacher, High Point ES
• Segena Ponder
• TAG Math Teacher, Sandtown MS
• Katie Reeves
• Board of Education Member
• Mary Reid
• Parent, North Springs Charter HS
• Matt Rogers
• Assistant Principal, Taylor Road MS
• Andrea Rosenberg
• Assistant Principal, Wilson Creek ES
• Ava Sheffield
• Teacher, Creek View ES
• Julie Baldwin

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Research Citations

• Practical Solutions for Serious Problems in
  Standards-Based Grading Thomas R. Guskey
• Making the Grade What Benefits Students
• Thomas R. Guskey
• Transforming Classroom Grading Robert J.
  Marzano
• Fair Isnt Always Equal  Assessing and Grading
  in the Differentiated Classroom Rick Wormeli
• Developing Grading and Reporting Systems For
  Student Learning Thomas R. Guskey, Jane M.
  Bailey
• The Case Against the Zero Douglas Reeves

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Grading as a Communication Tool

• Grading is a form of communication. The problem
  is that its a shorthand form of communication
  used by people who do not agree (or even discuss)
  what the symbols mean.
• Jonathan Dresner
• Pittsburg State University

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Purposes of Grading

• Feedback About Student Achievement Communicate
  the achievement status of students.
• Guidance - Select, identify, or group students
  for certain educational programs.
• Instructional Planning - Used by teachers to make
  decisions about the academic strengths and
  weaknesses of students.
• Motivation - Provide incentives for students to
  learn.
• Program Evaluation - Document students
  performance to evaluate the effectiveness of
  instructional programs.
• Administrative Purposes - District- or
  school-level decisions about students.

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Grading Components

• Product (Summative Evaluation)
• Definition Focuses on what students know and
  are able to do at a particular point in time.
• Examples Reports, projects, or tests i.e. unit,
  chapter, final
• Process (Formative Evaluation)
• Definition Indicates learning along the way.
  Focuses on how the results were obtained.
• Examples Effort, quizzes, homework, class
  participation or attendance
• Progress
• Definition Improvement score or the learning
  gain. Focuses on learning gained or
  educational growth.
• Example Measuring growth from pre-test to
  post-test

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The Use of Standards-Based Grading

• A standards-based reporting system requires
  separate grades for each criteria product,
  progress and process. This type of grading system
  enables teachers to grade students based on their
  growth, their effort, and their complete
  understanding of a standard or element.

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Standards Based Report Card - Example
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The Impact of Zeros

• Awarding zeros can cause a student to fail
  without accurately reflecting what has been
  learned. In lieu of accepting zero as a grade,
  students should be required to show evidence of
  their learning as a measure of accountability.
• Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D.
• Center for Performance Assessment

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Teacher Knowledge Base

• Teachers receive little or no formal training in
  the area of grading. However, important decisions
  are based upon grades. Therefore, invalid grades
  may result in dire consequences for students.
• Teachers need to use fair grading practices that
  take various learning styles into account.
• Practices using grades as punishment/rewards or
  only giving grades at the school wide grading
  period should be eliminated.

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Grading Considerations

• Grading should be fair and equitable as well as
  useful to parents and students.
• When specific learning criteria is used as a part
  of the grading system, teachers, students and
  parents have a clearer picture of what students
  have learned.
• Grading should be used to enhance learning.
• Grading should be done in reference to learning
  criteria, never on the curve.
• Grades with individual comments have the most
  beneficial effect on student learning.

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Districts Reviewed

• Atlanta Public Schools, GA
• Cherokee County, GA
• Cobb County, GA
• DeKalb County, GA
• Gwinnett County, GA
• Montgomery County, MD
• Miami-Dade County, FL

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Current Status

• Fulton County has a process for determining
  grades and communicating with parents and
  students. Site-based management results in varied
  local grading procedures and practices which
  contributes to inconsistencies across the County.
  
• Our current grading policy isnt reflective of
  the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS)
  implementation.
• As our current board policy is written,
  individual student grades may not reflect mastery
  of the GPS.

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Current Status

• Board policy states that grades should not be
  determined by a curve.
• Board policy states that academic grades should
  not be lowered based on unsatisfactory conduct.
• Board policy states that homework is considered
  as a part of the final grade. Homework currently
  does not count more than 10 of the final grade
  at elementary level and 15 at the MS and HS
  levels.

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Current Status

• According to Fulton County Board policy
• No grade (NG) is required if a student is
  enrolled less than 20 days.
• The grading scale for K-1 is S, N, U, NG.
• The grading scale for 2-5 is A, B, C, F.
• The grading scale for 6-12 is A, B, C, F, W, NG,
  INC.
• One grade is not sufficient for failing or
  passing.
• Progress Skills Checklists are completed 3 times
  a year for students in grades K-5 .

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Desired Status

• A consistent standards-based grading process
  that accurately reflects student mastery of the
  Georgia Performance Standards. This grading
  process would be one that is easily understood
  and communicated to all stakeholders.

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Recommendation 1

• Recommendation Design and pilot a
  standards-based report card, which defines letter
  grades and accurately reflects student progress
  on the Georgia Performance Standards. The report
  card would be piloted in second grade and would
  include separate effort and achievement grades.
  The pilot would be representative of the
  different geographical locations of the county at
  designated schools.
• Priority 1 of 4
• Rationale To communicate progress towards
  mastery and provide more detailed and
  prescriptive information about the students
  learning.
• Costs 0
• Potential Funding Source n/a
• Measurement/Evaluation Pre/post survey of
  parents and second grade teachers

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Recommendation 2

• Recommendation Develop consistency in grading
  students within grade levels, across school
  levels and across the system so grades received
  are reflective of the mastery of the GPS and the
  current FCS grading policies.
• Priority 2 of 4
• Rationale We must have coherence among
  stakeholders about what a grade represents. This
  recommendation would enable our school system to
  effectively communicate students learning
  consistently throughout grade levels, schools,
  and County.
• Costs 0
• Potential Funding Source n/a
• Measurement/Evaluation Continue to complete and
  review data analysis to determine the
  relationship between grades and CRCT, EOCT
  scores. Review data analysis to determine the
  relationship between grades and AP test scores.

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Recommendation 3

• Recommendation Provide system wide professional
  development for teachers and administrators
  system wide to address grading consistency and
  procedures for grading.
• Priority 3 of 4
• Rationale Teachers need training on grading
  practices which are based on sound measurement
  principles.
• Costs 2,614.00
• Potential Funding Source Title II-A Funds
• Measurement/Evaluation Professional development
  evaluation. Teachers possessing a greater
  understanding of the purpose of grading in order
  to effectively grade their students

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Recommendation 4

• Recommendation Revise the board policy to
  include numeric and letter grades on the report
  card for grades 2-5 beginning with the 2009-10
  school year.
• Priority 4 of 4
• Rationale To communicate progress towards
  mastery. Letter grades, alone, do not effectively
  communicate a childs understanding of the
  standards. In our grading system, an A can be
  anywhere from 90 100. By adding the numeric
  grade to the report card, teachers would be able
  to better communicate their students progress to
  parents.
• Costs 0
• Potential Funding Source n/a
• Measurement/Evaluation Feedback from Parent
• and Teacher Surveys

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Budget
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Next Steps

• Work with pilot team to develop a standards based
  progress report for the 2009-10 school year.
• Create Truth in Grading professional
  development materials and implementation plan.
• Revise the board policy to include numeric and
  letter grades on the report card for grades 2-5
  beginning with the 2009-10 school year.

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Conclusion

• The primary purpose of grades in FCS is to
  communicate student mastery of the GPS.
• There should be a strong connection between final
  grades and the GPS.
• We can ensure that student grades are reflective
  of their mastery of the GPS standards through
  professional development opportunities for
  teachers and administrators.
• Grading procedures which delineate the difference
  between effort and achievement and provide
  specific feedback on why grades were earned will
  best inform students and parents of a students
  mastery of the GPS standards.
• We can ensure that student grades are aligned
  with their actual performance on formative and
  summative assessments by consistently using
  grading processes that measure progress based on
  what students have learned.