TeacherInquiryofStandardsBasedGrading

MelanieL.Burchard
TE808
12/10/2014

ResearchQuestions

Context:
Currently,IworkatCesarChavezMiddleSchoolinSouthwestDetroit,Michigan.TheschoolisaTitle1
charterschoolandallstudentsreceivefreebreakfastandlunch.Thestudentpopulationis93%Hispanic
andthemajorityofthesestudentsareEnglishLanguageLearners(ELLs)ofvaryingproficiencylevels.
Theschoolpracticesmethodsofinclusion,meaningstudentswhorequirespeciallearningservicesare
taughtintheclassroomratherthanbeingpulledouttoreceivetheseservices.Accordingtoourdistrict,
thispastyear,ourschoolmetourgoalforAverageYearlyProgress(AYP)andourMichiganEducational
AssessmentProgram(MEAP)scoresincreasedfrom2012to2013.Yet,ourstudentsareunderachieving
comparedtotheaveragedistrictsinMichigan.

Issue:
AfterattendingaprofessionaldevelopmentsessionthispastsummeronresearchconductedbyKen
O'Conner,Ibegantoreallythinkaboutgradesinmyclassroom.AccordingtoO'Conner,muchof
Americasuffersfrombrokengradingsystemsandtofixthisissue,gradingshouldbestandardsbased.
Afterspeakingwithmyadministrationandwithseveralcolleagues,Irealizedthatsomeofmygrading
practicesmighthavebeenprovidingadisservicetomystudents.Forinstance,sincesuchalarge
emphasisofstudentgradeswasplacedonclasswork,studentswereabletoearnAsorBsinLanguage
Arts,eveniftheyhadn'treallyshownmasteryofastandard.Inturn,Iwasheavilygradingstudentsbased
onpracticewithaconcept,ratherthanonmasterybecauseIwasgradingallformativeassessments.
Furthermore,studentswhoreceivedhighgradesinmyclassdidnotnecessarilyperformwellonthe
MEAP.Ultimately,thisleftadisconnectbetweenstudentknowledgeofthesubjectandtheirgrade.In
otherwords,studentgradeswereessentiallymeaningless,creatingaproblemforallinvolved.

Justification:
O'Connerarguesthatgradesshouldbe:accurate,consistent,meaningful,andsupportiveoflearning.He
suggeststhatonlysummativeassessmentsshouldbeincludedinstudentlettergrades.Infixingthe
gradingsysteminmyclassroom,studentmindsetswillhavetoshiftfromwantingtoreceivegood
gradestowantingtolearnandgrow.Allstakeholderswouldbenefitbecausestandardsbasedgrades
wouldprovidestudents,parents,andIwithamoreclearunderstandingofthelearningthathastaken
place.Studentswouldreceivefeedbackonallformativeassessmentsbasedonaproficiencyscale.This
wouldallowthemtoknowiftheyunderstandaconcept,withoutitaffectingtheirgrades.Formative
assessmentswouldneedtobeusedtoguidemydailylessonsandthedifferentiationofstudentgroups.
Sincemasterywillbethegoal,studentscouldretakesummativeassessmentsiftheycametotutoringfor
extrapracticefirst.

ResearchQuestions:

Howarestudentachievement,engagement,andmotivationareaffectedbystandardsbasedgrading?

Howismotivationaffectedwhenhomeworkandclassworkonlyreceivefeedback?

Whattypesofformativeassessmentsand/orfeedbackbestengagestudentsandshowthattheyareready
forsummativeassessment?

Howcanformativeassessmentsbedifferentiated?

Howdoesconstantfeedbackintheclassroomrelatetosummativeassessmentscores?

LiteratureReview

I.Introduction

Asateacher,Ihavereceivedfeedbackandtrainingonnumeroustopics:studentengagement,
differentiation,strategiesforteachingEnglishLanguageLearners,classroommanagement,etc.however,
Ihaveneverbeenspecificallyinstructedonhowtogrademystudents.Lately,Ihavebeenwonderingif
themethodsIhaveusedinthepastwerereallybestformystudents.Therefore,thisliteraturereview
exploreddifferentperspectivesabouteffectivegradingsystems,includinghowreportcardsshouldbelaid
outandspecificallywhichitemsshouldreceivegrades.Italsoexaminedthewayinwhichteacherscan
useformativeassessmentstoprovidestudentswithfeedback.Myinquiryprojectiscenteredon
standardsbasedgradingandtherelationshipbetweenlearningandgrades.Thus,myresearchincluded
roleofformativeandsummativeassessmentsintheclassroomandinthegradebook.
II.OurCurrentGradingSystem
Asaneducatorinthetwentyfirstcentury,Ibelievethatgradingisoneofthefewareasleftinwhich
teachersfeelthattheyhavefreedom.Individualteachersareallowedtodecidewhichassignmentsto
includeaspartofthegradefortheclass,aswellastheindividualgradingscale.Theyalsohavethe
freedomtochoosehowtodealwithissuessuchasmissingorlatework,studentswhoarecaughtcopying,
andwhethertoofferextracredit.Scherer(2011)explainsthatteachersandparentshavemultipleviews
onwhatgradesshouldentail,whichactuallycancreateanissueinschools.Specifically,sincesomany
viewsexist,studentsareoftentimesleftfeelingconfusedastohowtheyhaveearnedtheirgrades.Ihave
experiencedthisfirsthandinmyownclassroomstudentswilloftenthankmefortheirgrades,oraskme
toexplainwhytheyreceivedaspecificgrade.Ifacommonsystemwereadoptedschoolwide,oreven
eventuallynationwide,itwouldeliminatemuchofthesubjectivitythatgoesalongwithgrading.
BothScherer(20111)andBrookhart(2011)claimthatinordertoreformgradingsystems,thefirstthing
thatmustbedoneisforteachersandadministratorstoagreeupontheextenttowhichtheybelievethat
gradingshouldreflectwhatstudentshavelearned,ratherthanonwhattheyhaveearned.Brookhart
(2011)explainsthatthisprocessalonecancreateanadditionalsetofissuesbecausesometeacherswillbe

resistant,duetolongstandingtraditionalgradingpractices.Iameagertochangesothatthegradesinmy
classroomaremoreaccurate,yetafterreadingaboutsomeoftheissuessurroundingchangesingrading
procedures,ImustadmitthatIhavesomehesitations.
III.EducationalReformsRequireChangesinGrading
Guskey's(2011)articleexplainsthatoverthepastfewyears,manyeducationalreformshavebegunto
focusonholdingstudentsmoreaccountablefortheirlearning,aswellasmeasuringtheirproficiency.He
mentionsthatthoughsuchreformsaretakingplace,wehavenotyetchangedourgradingsystemto
match.Instead,wearestillgradingstudentsinthewaywehaveformanyyears:onegradepersubject
area.Adoptingstandardizedgradingwouldreflectthefocusofstudentproficiencyintheclassroom.In
ordertomovetowardstandardizedgradingsystems,studentswouldneedtoreceivemultiplegrades,
sortedintodifferentcategories.Inotherwords,inonecourse,studentswouldreceiveanacademicgrade
foreachassessmentfocusingonaspecificstandard,andseparategradesforeffortandattendance.Itis
myunderstandingthatacademicreportsinuppergradelevelswouldlooksimilartothewaythey
currentlydoinelementarygrades.Teacherswhohaveadaptedthistypeofsystemhavereportedthatit
actuallymakesgradingeasier,bothsavingtheteachertime,andremovingthesubjectivityoftheprocess
(Guskey,2011).
IV.ReasonsforStandardsBasedGrading

OnereasonthatScriffiny(2008)givesforadoptingstandardsbasedgradingsystemsisthatunder

mostgradingsystemsstudentscouldpotentiallyplayschoolandreceivehighgradeswithoutactually
learningmuchthroughouttheyear.Shealsoclaimsthatstandardsbasedgradingismuchmore
informativeforboththeteacherandthelearner.Forinstance,theteachercanviewobjectivesinthe
gradebookandknowexactlywhichskillsneedtobereaddressedforspecificstudentsandforspecific
classes.Thestudentsbenefitbecausetheycanviewtheirreportcardsandknowwhichstandardsthey
havemastered,andwhichtheyneedmoreopportunitiestopractice.

Initially,Iwasconcernedwithhowstandardsbasedgradingwouldaffectstudentswhoarenot

goodtesttakers.Scriffiny(2008)addressesthisissuebyclaimingthatstudentswhoarenotproficient,
cancontinuetopracticeskillsandretaketestsuntiltheydoshowmastery.Ontheotherhand,students
whohavemasteredaskillset,cancontinuetomovealongBloomstaxonomyandtrulychallenge
themselves.

Finally,standardsbasedgradingfocusesonteachingstudentswhattrue,qualityworklookslike.

AccordingtoScriffiny(2008)teacherscanteachqualitybydemandingit.Inotherwords,studentsshould
notbeallowedtosubmitsubstandardworkwithoutbeingaskedtoreviseit.
V.HowStandardsBasedGradingLooks
Underastandardsbasedgradingsystem,manyofmycurrentgradingpracticeswouldneedtochange.
Forinstance,Brookhart(2011)andO'Connor(2009)bothagreethatwhenattemptingtomakegrades
reflectiveofachievementonly,studentsshouldnotbepenalizedforlateworkbyreceivingpointsoff,or
formissingworkbyreceivingzeros.Reeves(2004)explainsthatmosteducatorscurrentlyusea
100pointscale.Whenzerosaregivenwiththistypeofscale,thereisactuallya60pointdifference
betweenaDandanF.Therefore,workthatisnotturnedinreceivesamuchharsherpunishmentthan
workthatisturnedinandearnsaD.FollowingtheprecedentsetbyteachersIhadinthepast,Ihave
alwaystakenoffgradepointsforlatestudentworkorgivenzerosformissingwork.However,Reeves
(2004)claimsthatinsteadofpunishinglateormissingworkwithlowergrades,teachersshouldrequire
studentstocompletetheassignmentduringlunchorafterschool.Thisthenpromotesproficiencyand
insteadoflosingagrade,studentsaremotivatedbythethoughtoflosingfreetime.
Additionally,accordingtoScriffiny(2008)inmanysystems,studentswhocompleteextracreditmay
receivedecentgradeswhentheyhavenotactuallylearned,whichcreatesaproblemforthesestudentsin
futurecourses.

O'Connor(2009)statesthatteachersshouldnotgradeextracreditrathertheyshouldtry
tofindevidencethatextraworkhasresultedinhigherstudentachievement.Heexplainsthatmany

teachersoftenusegradesasathreattohelpwhenstudentswillnotcomplywithclassroomproceduresor
whentheydon'tcompleteassignments.Inthelongrun,heclaimsthatusinggradestotrytomotivate
studentsdoesnothaveanyeducationalvalue.

Finally,homeworkshouldstillbeassigned,butstudentsshouldnotreceivepointsforcompleting

it(Scriffiny2008).Homeworkshouldbecloselytiedtolearningobjectivesandshouldprovidestudents
withanopportunitytopracticeforassessments.Scriffiny(2008)alsosaysthatshemakesitveryclearto
herstudentshowhomeworkwillconnecttotheirlearningandhowitwillhelptheirproficiencylevels.
ThoughIamskeptical,Scriffinyclaimsthatherstudentsareawarethathomeworkdoesnotreceivea
gradeinthegradebook,yethomeworkcompletionrateshaveremainedsteady[forher]overthepast
threeyears.
VI.TheRoleofFormativeAssessment
OneofO'Connor's(2009)bigideasisthat,gradesarenotactuallynecessaryforteacherstoteachorfor
learnerstolearn.However,checkingstudentworkandprovidingconstructivefeedbackisessential.In
otherwords,formativeassessmentsshouldnotbeincludedingrades,butshouldbethedrivingforceof
thelearningandteachingintheclassroom.Formativeassessmentsincludeobservation,quizzes,
homework,instructionalquestions,anddrafts.Iftheseitemsareassignedgrades,thentheyare
inaccuratelyreflectiveoflearningbecauseduringsuchactivities,thestudentsarestillintheprocessof
practicingaskillset.
Duckor(2014)mentionsthatformativeassessmentscanbeverypowerfulinraisingstudentachievement.
Yet,accordingtoStephenandJanChappuis(2007),manyeducatorsareconfusedaboutthedifferences
betweenformativeandsummativeassessmentbecausetherearevaryingdefinitionsofbothterms.They
explainthattheactualdifferenceishowtheresultsofthetwoassessmentsshouldbeused.Boththe
teacherandthestudentsshoulduseformativeassessmentresultstoguidedaytodayclassroom
interaction.

Formativeassessmentsshowwhatstudentsknow,andalsohighlightareaswherestudentsneedto
continuetopractice(S.&J.Chappuis,2007).Inotherwords,theseassessmentsaregivenpurelyfor
learning.Teachersshouldadjustteachingbasedonformativeassessmentresults.Theyshouldalsoshare
formativeresultswithstudentssothatstudentsareawareoftheirownlevelsofunderstanding(S.&J.
Chappuis,2007).Inthepastinmyownclassroom,Iwouldrequirestudentstocompletedailyexitcards,
butIwouldquicklyglancethemover.IfIsharedtheresultswiththestudents,Iwouldbroadlygeneralize
commonmisconceptionsratherthansharetheresultswitheachindividualstudent.

Inorderforformativeassessmentstobemosteffective,thestudentsshouldactuallybeprovidedwith
constructivefeedback(S.&J.Chappuis,2007).Thisincludesexplainingthestudentsstrengths,aswell
asprovidingsuggestionstowardhowheorshecanimprove.Finally,accordingtoHuebner(2009)
formativeassessmentsshouldbegivenfrequentlysothatallstakeholderscanadjustwhilelearningisstill
takingplace.Ontheotherhand,summativeassessmentsshouldonlybegivenattheendofaunit,
semester,oreventheyear(Huebner,2009).Thisdatacanhelpteacherstoadjusttheentirecurriculumfor
thefuture,butmostlikelywontbeabletohelpstudentscurrentacademicneeds(Huebner,2009).
TomSchimmer(2014)arguesthatformativeassessmentshavetheabilitytoincreasestudentconfidence.
Heexplainsthatwhenformativeassessmentsareleftungraded,studentsunderstandtheirownabilities
andalsoreceivefeedbackabouthowtocorrectanyerrors.Hecomparesformativeassessmentsto
holdingpracticeforsportsplayers.Schimmer(2014)explainsthatparentsactuallycontributetotheissue
ofbrokengradesbecausetheyexpecteverythingtobegraded.Continuingwithhissportsanalogy,he
notesthatparentswouldneverexpectsportspracticestohavescores,theywouldsimplyaskhowpractice
went.Additionally,therearealwaysmorepracticesthantherearegames,sointheclassroom,there
shouldbemuchmoreformativeassessmenttakingplace,thansummative(Schimmer,2014).
VIII.Conclusion

Afterconductingresearch,Ihavedecidedtobegintoimplementmyfindingsintomyclassroom.Ihave
discussedthisideawithmyprincipalindetailandsheisfullysupportiveofthisproject.Inordertobest
examinehowstudentsareaffectedbystandardsbasedgrading,IwillneedtosetasideanyskepticismI
have,andfollowtheideasfoundinmyresearch.Iwillmakechangesinmygradebooksothatonly
summativeassessmentsarecountedtowardgradesandwillbegintoreallyfocusonimplementing
multipleformativeassessmentsintomyday.Beforemovingforward,IneedtodecidehowIwillprovide
studentswithconstructive,yetmotivationalfeedback.IalsoneedtodeterminehowIwilldealwithlate
ormissingwork,aswellaswithstudentswhodonotperformwellonsummativeassessments.

InquiryPlanandTools

I.
Participants

Indetermininghowstandardsbasedgradingaffectsstudentachievementandmotivation,Iwilllookatall
th
7
gradestudentsinthefourLanguageArtsclassesthatIteach.Indoingso,Iwillbeabletoexaminea

fullspectrumoflearners.Thiswillincludeatotalof102students,rangingfromtheagesofelevento
thirteenyearsold.Demographicallyspeaking,themajorityofthesestudentsareHispanic,twoareblack,
andthreearewhite.TwooftheclassesIhaveselectedincludestudentswithspecialneedsandtheother
twoincludeEnglishLanguageLearners(ELLs)whohavelowlevelsofEnglishproficiency.Ichoseto
examinethesefourLanguageArtsclassesbecausetherangeofabilitieswillallowmetoseehow
standardsbasedgradingaffectsdifferentpopulationsoflearners.

II.Setting
ThisstudywillbeconductedinmyLanguageArtsclassroomatXAcademyMiddleSchool.Thisschool
islocatedinSouthwest,Detroit,Michiganandsharesacampuswiththehighschool.Theschoolconsists
ofgrades68andincludesapproximately600students.NinetythreepercentofthestudentsareHispanic.
Duringthe20132014schoolyear,XAcademyMiddleSchoolreceivedaBontheMichiganreport
cardandmanagedtomeetAnnualYearlyProgress.

Inyearspast,allteachersinthebuildingusedthesamegradingscalebuthadthelibertytocreatetheir
ownassignments,determinewhichtypeofassignmentstoincludeinthegradebook,andalsodecidehow
assignmentswereweighted.Intodayseducationalsystem,sinceteachershavetocomplywithsomany
stateandfederallymandatedrules,thisisseeminglyoneoftheonlyfreedomsthatteachersinour
buildinghave.Yet,thistypeofgradingsystemhasflaws.Forinstance,manystudentsareunsureofhow
gradesareearned.Also,studentsmayenduppassingorfailingbasedoneffort,ratherthanonactually
acquiringnecessaryskillstobesuccessfulinfuturegradelevels.Iwantedtochangemyclassroomso
thatgradeswouldbeconsistent,justifiable,andunderstoodbystudents.

III.DataCollection
Forthisstudy,Iamgoingtoconducttwounits:oneonnarrativepointofviewandtheotherontheme.
DuringtheseunitsIwillcollectthefollowingdata:formativeassessments,summativeassessments,
homeworkturninpercentage,andastudysurvey.TheformativeassessmentsIwillcollectwillinclude
dailyclassworkandexitcards.Theseshouldshowstudentgrowththroughoutbothunitsandwillbe
measureddaily.

Iwillgivefeedbackbycreatingathreepointscale.ReceivingaOnewillmeanthatstudentsareatthe
beginninglevelofaskillandneedalargeamountofpractice.ATwowillrepresentstudentswhoare
partiallyproficientandonlyneedsomemorepractice.Finally,aThreewillshowstudentsthattheyare
proficientwithaskillandarereadytoeitherreceiveasummativeassessmentortobechallengedtomove
furtheralongBloom's.Asstudentscompleteclasswork,IwillwalkaroundwithabinderinwhichIcan
recordstudentlevelsofproficiency.Thesescoreswillbesharedwithstudentsandwillalsoinclude
constructivefeedbackastowhattheyaredoingwellandhowtheycanimprove.Witheachopportunity
topractice,studentsshouldmovetowardproficiencyofastandard.


Iwillalsocollectsummativeassessmentdataattheendofbothunits.Thesewilltaketheformofafinal
test,andwilldemonstratewhichstudentshaveshownmastery,andwhichneedtoberetaughtand
allowedtoretest.Iwilltrackthepercentofhomeworkbeingturnedinduringtheunitandcompareitto
thepercentofhomeworkturnedinearlierinthesemester.Thiswillshowwhetherornotstudentsarestill
motivatedtocompletehomeworkwhentheyknowthatitwillprovidethemwithextrapractice,butwill
notbeformallygraded.Finally,Iwillsurveystudentstoseehowtheyviewtheirownmotivationtolearn
haschangedunderastandardsbasedgradingsystemascomparedtomyoldgradingsystem.Specifically,
thissurveywillask:

Doyoucompleteyourhomeworkonaweeklybasis?Whyorwhynot?

Isithelpfultoyouasalearnertoknowthatyourgradewillnotbepenalizedforlate

homework?Explain.
Doyoufindthehomeworkthatisassignedforourclasshashelpedyoutogrowasareaderandawriter?
Explain
Studentswillalreadybeaccustomedtorespondingtoquestionsincompleteandthoughtfulsentences
fromtheexpectationsplacedonthemdailyinmyclassroom.

IV.Timeline
Mydatacollectionwillcontinueforapproximatelyfourweeksandwillincludetwounits.Theformative
assessmentswillbegiventostudentsdaily.Homeworkwillonlybeassignedonceaweekandwillbe
collectedthefollowingday.Itwillbeacceptedlatewithoutpenalty.Iwillconductthesummative
assessmentsattheendofeachunit.Accordingtosummativeassessmentdata,studentswilleitherbe
readytomoveon,orwillneedfurtherpracticebeforeretesting.Finally,thestudentsurveywillbegiven
attheendofthefourweektimeperiod.Thesurveywillbeanonymousandoptional.

10/13
Introtopointof
view

ExitCard:
List
thefivetypesof
POV

10/14

Homework
assigned

Formative:
POVpractice
paragraphs

ExitCard:
nd
identify2

personPOV

10/15

Homework
collected

Formative:
POVpractice
paragraphs

ExitCard:
st
identify1

personPOV

10/16

Formative:
POV
stations

ExitCard:
rd
identify3

person
omniscient

10/17

Formative:
quiz
onPOV

Intrototheme

10/20

Formative:
leveledPOV
practice

Identifytheme
infables

ExitCard:
definetheme

10/21

Homework
Assigned

Formative:
leveledPOV
practice

Identifytheme
infables

ExitCard:
POV
rd
3
limited

10/22

Homework
collected

Formative:
POVleveled
practice

Identifytheme
intelevision
themesongs

ExitCard:
POV
thirdobjective

10/23

Summative:
QuizonPOV

Formative:
Identifythemein
small
paragraphs

10/24
NoSchoolfor
StudentsPD

10/27/14

Formative:
identifythemes
ofpopular
songsin
stations

ExitCard:
identifytheme

10/28

Homework
Assigned

th
7
gradefield
tripto
Greenfield
Villageno

10/29/14

Homework
collected

Formative:
Identifytheme
inAllSummer
inaDay

ExitCard:
identifythe
themeina

10/30/14

10/31
Shortclasses
forschoolwide
Halloween
activities

Formative:
Identifythe
themeofThe
TellTaleHeart

ofsong

classes

paragraph

11/03/14

Intrototheme
inpoetry

Exitcard:
list
strategiesthat
helptoidentify
thethemeof
poems

11/04/14

Homework
assigned

Formative:
Identifythe
themeof
severalshorter
poems

ExitCard:
Identifythe
themeofa
poem

11/05/14

Homework
collected

Formative:
Identifythe
themeofThe
HighwayMan

ExitCard:
Identifythe
themeofa
poem

11/06/14

Themereview

ExitCard:
Rate
youroverall
understanding
oftheme

11/7

Summative:
Testontheme

Distribute
student
homework
survey

V.BalancingTeachingandResearching
Sincemyresearchisprimarilyfocusedonhowstandardsbasedgradingwillaffectthestudents,Iwill
continuetoconductclassinthewaythatInormallydo.TheonlymajorchangeIwillneedtomakewill
betoprovidetheimmediatefeedbackwhilestudentsareworking,ratherthancollectingworktograde
later.Ultimately,thischangeshouldactuallyendupsavingmetime.

AfterspeakingwithadministrationatXAcademyMiddleSchool,Ihavepermissiontoconductmy
researchwithallofmyLanguageArtsclasses.Whileconductingthisresearch,parentswillbesenta

letternotifyingthemofthenewgradingpolicybeingadoptedinmyclassroom.Parentswillbe
encouragedtovoiceanyconcernsandquestionsmyselfortoaschooltranslator.Whilecollecting
formativeassessments,pseudonymswillbeusedforallstudents.Summativeassessmentsandhomework
datawillbepresentedasanoverallpercentagebasedoneachclass,ratherthanindividually.Studentswill
beaskediftheyarewillingtoparticipateinthesurveythroughinformedconsent,thoughitwillbe
anonymous.

DataAnalysis

Iconductedmystudyconcerningstandardsbasedgrading,duringthemonthofOctober.Duringthis
time,mystudentsweregivendailyformativeassessments,fourhomeworkassignments,andtwo
summativeassessments.Theywerealsogivenasurveytoassesstheirviewsregardingcompletionof
homeworkassignments.Inordertoexaminemydata,Iusedquestionsfrommyresearchproposalasa
generalguide,andfoundthreeemergingthemes.ThethemesthatIfoundwerestudentengagementand
motivation,andstudentachievement.

StudentMotivationandEngagement:
I.

FormativeAssessments.
Formativeassessmentsbecameaveryimportantpartofeachdayduringthisstudy.Ihadtochangethe
wayIhadbeengivingformativeassessmentsduringthemonthofSeptember,ensuringthattheywere
bothintentionalandconsistent.Insteadofendingclasswithstudentssharingopinionsthrough
openendedquestions,Ibeganassessingmasterybyaskingdirectquestionsthatwouldhaveacorrector
incorrectresponse.Forinstance,studentswouldberequiredtoidentifythenarrativepointofviewused
inasentence.

Inordertogivestudentsfeedback,Icreatedascaleusingarubriclikeformatthatwouldcommunicate
individualprogresstothestudents.Theywereexplicitlytoldthatexitcardswouldnotbegraded,but

wouldserveasaguideforourlearning.Thescalewaspostedonthewalltoremindstudentswhateach
scorerepresented.Receivingazeromeantthatthestudentwascompletelyofftopic.Aone(1)would
indicatethatthestudentwasontopicbutwasincorrect,needingmuchpractice.Atwo(2)meantthatthe
studentwasmostlycorrect,butneededtocontinuetopractice.Finally,athree(3)indicatedthatthe
studenthadcorrectlyrespondedtotheexitcard.

Thefollowingday,afterwarmup,wewouldrevisitexitcardanddiscusscorrectanswers.Iwouldalso
sharewithstudentstheoverallstrengthsandweaknessesoftheclass.Then,duringstudentpractice,I
circulatedaroundtoallstudents,sharingtheirindividualresultswiththem.Iobservedthatthispractice
didmotivatestudents.Afterthefirstfewdays,studentswouldaskmeifandwhenIwouldbesharingthe
resultswiththem.Manystudentswouldshowexcitementiftheysawthattheyhadearnedathreeorif
theyhadallanswerscorrect.Moststudentsusedtheresultstoguidetheirfocusforthecurrentdays
practice.Onestudentrecognizedthatsheneededhelpbasedonexitcardsandaskedforextrapractice
thatshecouldtakehome.Twostudentsinadifferentclasshadsimilarrealizationsandmadetimeto
cometotutoringbeforetakingalongerformativequiz.

Collectively,theseformativeassessmentshelpedtomotivateeachclassaswell.AsIwouldshare,I
wouldremindstudentsoftheoverallclassbehaviororleveloffocusfromthepreviousdayandstudents
soonbegantonoticeacorrelation.Theywouldshowprideordisappointmentdependingonhowthe
overallclassdid.Forexample,aftersharingwholeclassexitcardresults,astudentsaid,Really?Our
classcandomuchbetterthanthat!

Keepingarecordofdailyformativeassessmentswereusefulinguidingmyteachingbutalso,theyhelped
metokeepabetterrecordofstudentswhoweremissingduetoabsencesorsuspensions.Thisbecame

usefulduringparentcommunication,representingthatmissingpracticeoftenmeantpoorperformanceson
summativeassessmentsandlowgradesonprogressreports.
II.

Differentiation.
Standardsbasedgradingwashelpfulindetermininghowtospecificallyincorporatedifferentiationinto
myclassroom.Forinstance,duringourstudyonidentifyingnarrativepointofview,ourinitial
summativeassessmentresultsweretroublesome,seeninFigure1.Abelow.Iwassurprisedbecause
duringtheweek,theformativeassessmentdataIhadcollectedhadshownthatthestudentswerereadyto
taketheirsummativeassessmentbecause86%ofmystudentscouldcorrectlyidentifyapointofview
usedinaparagraphduringexitcard.Studentseithermusthavebeencorrectlyguessingonthe
formativepieces,ortheyhadnotbeenhonestaboutcompletingtheirownwork.

st
nd
Basedonthesummativeassessment,Iknewthat1
and2
hourneededmuchmorehelpwiththisskill
rd
th
andthat3
hourwasreadytomoveon.Ialsosawthatmoststudentsin5
hourwerereadytomoveon

butthatsomewerestillstruggling.Therefore,duringthefollowingweek,Isharedthedatawiththe
studentsandtoldthemtheywouldberetestedattheendoftheweek.Ithendifferentiatedtheactivities
st
nd
ofeachclass.In1
and2
hour,Igroupedmystudentsintothreesections,basedupontheirinitialtest

scores.SectionOnewascomprisedofstudentswhohadreceivedbelow60%andwouldbebeginning
fromscratch,retakingnoteswithme.SectionTwoconsistedofstudentswhoreceivedbetween80%and
60%andwouldbeworkingtoidentifypointofviewindependently.Thesestudentswouldbecheckedon
frequentlyastheyworked.SectionThreeincludedmystudentswhopassedthetestthefirsttimewith
90%to80%andwererequiredtocreateparagraphsusingthethreetypesofpointofview.Thesestudents
wouldonlybemonitoredeveryonceinawhile.

Eachclassperiodwasdivided:halfofourtimewasspentworkinginthesesectionsandtheotherportion
ofourtimewasfocusedonournewskill:analyzingtheme.Astheweekprogressed,SectionsOneand
Twoweregivenmorechallengingwork,andstudentsinSectionThreewereallowedtochooseto
continuetopracticewithpointofview,ortobeginindependentlyanalyzetheme.Attheendoftheweek,
allofthesestudentswereretestedonthesameskill,usingadifferenttest.Theresultswereclear(see
Figure1.A.)thatthedifferentiatedgroupshadguidedthestudentstosuccess.

rd
In3
hour,studentsdidrevisitpointofvieweachdayduringwarmup.Wespentthemajorpartofthe

weekfocusedonthemeanalysis.Thestudentsinthisclassweregivenanextendedopportunityto
analyzesongs,fables,andeventelevisionepisodes.Theywerenotcollectivelyretestedonpointofview.
Ofthetwostudentswhodidnotinitiallypasstheirpointofviewassessment,oneoptedtocomefor
tutoringtwiceduringlunchthatweek.SheretookhertestonFridayandincreasedheroriginalscoreby
24%.Iaddedhernewscoretoourdatareports.

th
Finally,in5
hour,Igroupedmystudentsintotwosections.SectionOneconsistedofstudentswho

passedwith90%orhigherandSectionTwoconsistedofstudentswhoearned80%orlower.Allstudents
inthishourreceived60%orabovesoIdidnotspendanytimereteachingagroup.Instead,SectionTwo
wasgivenadditionalpracticewithidentificationandSectionOneworkedoncreatingwrittenparagraphs
usingthethreetypesofpointofview.Thisclassspentlesstimeonpointofvieweachdaythanthe
st
nd
st
nd
studentsin1
and2
hour.Thismayaccountforthesmallerjumpinachievementbetweenthe1
and2

assessment.

st
nd
Whenthestudentsretooktheassessment,1
hourincreasedtheirproficiencyby48%,2
hourby35%,
th
and5
hourby9%.Teachingusingstandardsbasedgradingwasextremelyhelpfulindiscoveringhow

todifferentiateeachofmyclasses,aswellashowtoprovidesmallgroupsofstudentswithineachclass
withindividualinstructionthatwouldleadtosuccess.
Figure1.A.Thischartrepresentstwodifferentassessmentsoveridentifyingnarrativepointofview.

III.Homework.
Duringthisstudy,theformatofhomeworkassignmentsremainedthesamebetweenSeptemberand
October.Inbothmonths,studentsweregivenaweeklynonfictionarticletoreadandanalyze
independently.Thearticleswereduethefollowingday.However,duringSeptember,homeworkwasput
intothegradebookandcountedtowardapartofthestudents'finalgrade.InOctober,homeworkbecame
aversionofaformativeassessment.

Studentsreceivedfeedbackontheirhomeworkbutitwasnolongerformallygraded.Homeworkwasalso
acceptedlatewithoutpenalty.ThiscontinuedthroughthemonthofNovember,butstudentsonlyreceived
twohomeworkassignmentsinNovemberduetoElectionDayandThanksgiving.Thegraphsbelow
displaythepercentageofhomeworkturninfromthemonthsofSeptember,October,andNovember
betweeneachclass,andcollectivelybetweenallfourclasses.
Figure2.A.ThisgraphrepresentsthecompletedhomeworkassignmentsgiventoallfourclassesinSeptember.

Figure2.B.ThisgraphrepresentsthecompletedhomeworkassignmentsgiventoallfourclassesinOctober.

Figure2.C.ThisgraphrepresentsthecompletedhomeworkassignmentsgiventoallfourclassesinNovember.

ItisdifficulttoidentifyanyspecificpatternswhenlookingateachclassindividuallyusingFigures2.A.,
rd
th
2.B,and2.C.Consistently,3
hourhasthehighestturninratewhile5
hourgenerallyhasthelowest

turninrate,oftendippingbelow50%.Italsoappearsthatinthebeginningofeachmonth,homework
turninishigher,andfallsasthemonthprogresses.

Figure3.A.Thisgraphrepresentsthecombinedpercentofcompletedhomeworkassignmentsinallfourclasses
duringSeptember,October,andNovember.

WhenusingFigure3.A.toexamineallfourclassescombined,itisclearthathomeworkturninhas
declinedafterinformingstudentsthatitwouldnotbeformallygraded.Fromthehighestturninrate
duringSeptembertothelowestturninrateduringNovember,therewasa29%decrease.Perhaps,
studentsweremoremotivatedinthebeginningoftheyear,notbygrades,butsimplybythestartofanew
year.Itisalsoimportanttonotethatthefirsttwohomeworkassignmentsoftheyear,bothgivenin
Septemberwerereadtogetherasaclass.Additionally,studentsweregivenanopportunitytostartthe
questionsduringclasssothatIcouldchecktobesuretheyunderstoodwhatwasexpectedofthem.This
maybethereasonforsuchahighinitialturnin.Sincethetopicofeachassignmentchangesweekly,
studentsmayhavealsocompletedhomeworkbasedonselfinterest.Yet,Iwassurprisedthatafterbeing
madeawarethathomeworkwouldnotbeformallygraded,overallturninremainedabove50%.I
thoughtthatthenumberofstudentscompletinghomeworkasaformativeassessmentwouldactuallybe
muchlower.

DuringNovember,Igavestudentsananonymous,optionalhomeworksurveysotheycouldreporttheir
ownfeelingstowardourhomework.TheresultsofeachindividualclassaregraphedinFigures4.A,4.B,
4.C,and4.D.Collectively,theresultsarereportedinFigure4.E.Themajorityofallstudentssurveyed,
49%,foundittobeveryhelpfultoknowthattheywouldnotreceivelesscreditforturninginhomework

late.Additionally,47%ofstudentssurveyedclaimthataparentorguardiandoesencouragehomework
completion.Thispercentisactuallylessthanthelowestpercentofstudentswhohavecompletedtheir
homeworkthisyeartherefore,somestudentsmustbeindependentlymotivatedtocompletetheirwork.

Ofthestudentssurveyed,only25%claimedtoalwaysunderstandtheassignment.Themajorityof
students,43%,saidtheyonlysometimesunderstandtheassignmentand5%didadmitthattheynever
understandthehomeworkthatisassigned.Thismaybethereasonwhystudentsdonotcomplete
homeworkhowever,theyareallawarethattheycanalwayscomeatlunchorafterschooltoreceivehelp
onhomework.Perhapsthesestudentsdonotseeapurposeinmakinganextraefforttocomplete
homeworkthatisnotgraded.Themajorityofstudentssurveyed,37%,areonlysomewhatinterestedin
thehomeworkthatisassignedandonly34%thinkthatthehomeworkisvaluablebecauseithelpsthemto
understandworldevents.Only27%ofstudentssurveyedfeltthatthehomeworkwouldbeverybeneficial
todevelopingreadingskills.Inotherwords,studentsmaynotcompletehomeworkbecausetheycannot
seeavaluetothehomework.
st
Figure4.A.Thisgraphrepresentsthehomeworksurveyresultsfrom1
Hour.

nd
Figure4.B.Thisgraphrepresentsthehomeworksurveyresultsfrom2
Hour
rd
Figure4.C.Thisgraphrepresentsthehomeworksurveyresultsfrom3
Hour.
th
Figure4.D.Thisgraphrepresentsthehomeworksurveyresultsfrom5
Hour.
th
Figure4.E.Thisgraphrepresentsthesurveyresultsfromall7
gradeparticipants.

AccordingtoOConnor(2011),Ishouldhavebeenpunishingstudentswhodidnotcompletehomework
bytakingawaytheirtime.Inotherwords,ifIwerecompletelyfollowingOConnor(2011),Ishouldhave
beenassigningthemdetentiontokeephomeworkturninatahigherrate.Ispokewithmyadministration
abouthowIcouldbestgoaboutgivingdetentionfornotcompletinghomework.Shesuggestedthatthe

schoolcouldpotentiallyprovideadetentionforthestudentsifIweretocarryonstandardsbasedgrading
throughouttheyear.Thiswouldallowmetocontinuetotutorotherstudentsduringlunchandafter
school.Inordertoproperlydrawanyformalconclusionsaboutstandardsbasedhomeworkgrading,Ifeel
thatitwouldbenecessarytostudyhomeworkturninoverthecourseoftheentireyear,ratherthanjust
thefirstfewmonths.

IV.Tutoring.

Neverhavingofferedopportunitiesforstudentstocompleteretakesinthepast,Ineededtobasethe
processofretakingassessmentsoffofresearchbasedfindings.OConnor(2011)explainsthat
assessmentscanberetakenifstudentsfirstreceiveextrapracticewiththeskill.ThismeantthatIwould
needtoallowstudentswithopportunitiestocomeandreceiveextrapracticeoutsideofclasshours.I
begantoexplaintostudentsthatiftheywerenotpassingformativeorsummativeassessments,theycould
askforpassestocomeforhelpduringlunchortheycouldstayafterschoolonWednesdayafternoons.

Thepercentofstudentswhotookadvantageoftutoringduringmystudywaslow.Inoticedthatmany
students,whowouldhavebenefitedfromtutoring,werenotmotivatedeventhoughtheyhadfailedatest.
Studentswhodidneedtutoringvocalizedthattheywereresistanttocomebecausetheywouldbegiven
extrawork.Forinstance,astudentwhodidnotpassherunitassessmentonthemeanalysiseagerlyasked
toretakeherassessment.Whenshecameafterschool,notonlywasshesurprisedthatsheneededto
actuallycompleteextrapractice,shetriedtogetoutofit.Sheexplainedtomethatshecould,seeher
mistakesonhertestanddidn'tneedanyextrapractice.AfterreiteratingthatIwouldnotallowherto
retakeuntilextrapracticewascompleted,shedidagreetotheextrapractice.However,shewasagain

surprisedtofindthatIwouldnotgiveherthesame,exactassessmenttotake.Instead,shewasgiven
differentreadingsanddifferentquestionstoshowhermasteryoftheme.Aftertakinghersecond
assessment,herscoreimprovedby24%andshewasveryhappytoseehergradechangedinthe
gradebook.

Whenteachingwriting,14studentscametomyclassduringlunchtofixerrorstheymadeonfinaldrafts.
Theywererequiredtocompletelyrewritetheirsubmissionsinorderfortheirinitialgradestobe
replaced,andfortheirwritingtoearnaspotonthewallsoutside,becomingapartoftheclassroom
display.

StudentAchievementResults:

I.

SummativeAssessments.
Duringthisstudy,forallreadingstandards,Ichosetocreatesummativeassessmentsthatwereformal
tests.ThoughOConnor(2011)statesthatsummativeassessmentscantaketheformofprojects,Iknew
thattestswouldbethemostbeneficialformatformystudentsbecausetheywouldprovidetesting
practice.Furthermore,OConnor(2011)saysthatprojectsmustbecompletedindependentlyinthe
teacherspresence.Ifindithardtoimaginethatmystudentswouldbewillingtosilentlycomplete
projectsinclass,astheycurrentlydowithtests.Schoolwide,ourgoalistohaveatleast75%ofeach
class,passeachassessmentwitha75%orhigher.

Whendealingwiththewritingstandards,Ichosetocountbrainstorming,prewriting,anddraftingas
formativeassessmentsandfinalversionsassummativeassessments.Ifoundthistobeveryhelpfulin
guidingstudentstobesuccessfulontheirfinalsubmissions.Thoughthistooksometimeonmypartto

respondtoallstudentdrafts,theywereabletoseeaclearpurposeforcompletinganeditingprocessand
reworkingtheirwriting.

Figure5.A.Thisgraphrepresentsthesummativeassessmentdataforeachclassindividually.Theelementsofplot
assessmentwasgivenbeforeadoptingstandardsbasedgradingmethods.Boththepointofviewandthemeanalysis
assessmentsweregivenafteradoptingstandardsbasedgrading.

LookingatFigure5.A.therewasanoverallriseinstudentachievementwhenusingstandardsbased
st nd
th
grading.Forinstance,1
,2and5
Hourshavemanagedtoreachourgoalofhavingatleast75%ofthe
st
studentsearninga75%orhigheronassessments.Specifically,1
Hourhasseenthelargestincrease,

30%,inproficiencybetweentheelementsofplotassessmentandthepointofviewassessment.Thisis
especiallysignificantbecausethisclasscontainsthelargestnumberofstudentswhoareintheSpecial
rd
EducationProgram.Though3
Hourdidoriginallyachieveover75%ontheelementsofplot

assessment,theirclasshasmadea15%increaseatbestandhasremainedcloseto90%proficientthrough
standardsbasedgradingpractices.

Again,IwouldliketocompareanentireyearofusingstandardsbasedgradingtoayearofgradinghowI
usedtointhepast.However,eventhiswouldnotbeentirelyaccuratebecauseIwouldhavetocompare
twodifferentgroupsofstudentswhomayhavedifferentstrengthscollectively.

II.

Parent/TeacherConferences.
Whenmeetingwithparentsandguardians,Ifoundthatourdiscussionsweremuchmorefocused.Icould
displaythegradeofthestudent,highlightingexactskillsthatthestudenthadorhadnotmasteredyet.I
feltmoreconfidentinjustifyingwhyastudenthadbeensuccessfulinclass,orwhytheywerenotpassing.

Iwasalsoabletolooktomyrecordofformativeassessmentsandshowwherestudentattendancemay
havebeenaffectingstudentunderstanding.Whenstudentsmissedcrucialdaysofpracticedueto
suspensionorabsences,oftentheyhadnotmasteredaskill.Ialsostressedtoparentshowimportant
homeworkturnincontinuedtobebecauseitprovidedstudentswithadditionalopportunitiesforpractice.

III.

ReportCards.

Inconductingthisstudy,IchangedtheweightofpreviousgradesgiveninSeptember,sothatassessments
weretheonlypieceofagradethatcounted.WhenreportcardsweresentoutinNovember,Ifeltmore
confidentintheaccuracyofstudentgrades.Iknewspecificallyhowandwhyeachstudentreceivedthe
gradethatheorshehadreceived.Inordertoseehowreportcardsaretrulyaffected,Iwouldliketo
conductthisstudyforanentirequarter,notonlyforonemonth.Itwouldalsobenecessarytocompare
thestudentreportcardstotheprogressshownonthestatewidesummativeassessmentgiveninthe
spring.

DataConclusions:
Inusingstandardsbasedgrading,Ifoundthatstudentengagementintheclassroomincreasedoverall.
Unfortunately,studentswerelessmotivatedtocompletehomeworkoutsideofclassduringthisstudy.
Somestudents,whowereinneedofadditionalhelpwithmasteringastandard,werenotalwaysmotivated
tospendthetimeofputforththeefforttoreceiveextrapractice.Finally,studentachievementincreased
overall.

Conclusions
Throughthisstudy,Ihavelearnedagreatdealaboutstudentengagement,motivation,and
achievementthroughstandardsbasedgrading.Iplantocontinuetousestandardsbased
gradingthroughouttherestofthisschoolyearandhopetoimplementitinfutureyearsaswell.
However,inordertodoso,IwouldliketochangesomeofthemethodsIusedwhileconducting
standardsbasedgradingtoseeifstudentmotivationoutsideoftheclassroomwillincrease.

I.ConnectiontotheLiteratureReview
Accordingtomyliteraturereview,standardsbasedgradingfocusesonteachingstudentswhattrue,
qualityworklookslike.Scriffiny(2008)claimsthatteacherscanteachqualitybydemandingit.Inother

words,studentsshouldnotbeallowedtosubmitsubstandardworkwithoutbeingaskedtoreviseit.This
heldtruewhenteachingstandardsbasedwriting.Iaskedseveralstudentstocomeinduringlunchto
rewritetheirfinalpiecesaftertheyhadalreadybeensubmitted.Theyweretoldthattheirworkwouldnot
beputondisplaywitherrors.Allofthestudentsdidshowupandresubmittedtheirworkaftermaking
correctionstoshowmastery.

Additionally,inconductingmyliteraturereview,IfoundthatO'Connor(2011)saysthatcheckingstudent
workandprovidingconstructivefeedbackisessential.Inotherwords,formativeassessmentsshouldnot
beincludedingrades,butshouldbethedrivingforceofthelearningandteachingintheclassroom.
Formativeassessmentsincludeobservation,quizzes,homework,instructionalquestions,anddrafts.
Duringmystudy,IthinkItrulycametounderstandthedifferencebetweenformativeandsummative
assessmentsandhowtheyshouldbeused.InmyliteraturereviewIfoundthatteachersshouldalsoshare
formativeresultswithstudentssothatstudentsareawareoftheirownlevelsofunderstanding(S.&J.
Chappuis,2007).Ihavegotteninthehabitofperformingandrecordingmultipledailycomprehension
checksformystudentsandhavealsousedthemtotailoractivitiesforindividualstudentneeds.Ifound
thatitisbeneficialtosharetheseresultswithmystudentssothattheyareawareoftheirown
understandingandalsoknowwheretheirfocusshouldbeinthedaystocome.Studentsdovaluethis
feedbackandseekitonadailybasisifIdonotgoaroundandgivefeedback,theywillaskmewhenthey
willbereceivingfeedback.

II.ReflectiveStance
AsImentionedinmyliteraturereview,Iwasconcernedwithhowstandardsbasedgradingwouldaffect
studentswhoarenotgoodtesttakers.Scriffiny(2008)addressesthisissuebyclaimingthatstudents
whoarenotproficient,cancontinuetopracticeskillsandretaketestsuntiltheydoshowmastery.I

followedScriffinys(2008)adviceandexplainedtoallstudentsaftereachsummativeassessmentthatif
theydidnotreceivea70%orhigherontheassessment,thattheycouldberetakenafterextrapractice.
Yet,therewerestillagroupofstudentswhofailedeachtestanddidnotcomeforextrahelp.Iamstill
lookingforawaytohelpstudentswhoarenottraditionallygoodtesttakers.

Iwasalsoskeptical,ofScriffinysclaimthatherstudentsareawarethathomeworkdoesnotreceivea
gradeinthegradebook,yethomeworkcompletionrateshaveremainedsteady[forher]overthepast
threeyears.Isawasignificantdropinhomeworkturninafterstudentsweremadeawarethat
homeworkwouldnotcounttowardfinalgrades.Mydataanalysisofhomeworkcompletionleftme
unsureifusinghomeworkasaformativeassessmentisbeneficialformystudents.Inordertotruly
evaluatehomeworkturninratesIwouldneedtorunthisstudylongterm,asScriffinydid.

Ingeneral,Ifoundthatstandardsbasedgradingwasawayforthegradesinmyclassroomtobemore
reflectiveofstudentachievement.Inyearspast,Igavestudentscreditforallcompletedclassworkand
homework.Ialsogavestudentszerosformissingworkandtookcreditoffforlatework.Iamconfident
thatusingstandardsbasedgradingismoreofawaytogagestudentachievementandgrowth,ratherthan
amisrepresentationbasedoneffortorbehaviorinclass.

III.MovingForward
ThoughIplantocontinuetousestandardsbasedgradinginmyclassroom,Idoplanonmaking
somechangestothewayinwhichIimplementthissystem.First,IwouldchangethewaythatI
dealwithstudenthomework.Inhopestokeepstudenthomeworkturninatahigherlevel,I
wouldtakethesuggestionofOConner(2011)andReeves(2004)andpunishstudentsthrough
meansotherthanreducingtheirgradesforincompletehomework.Forinstance,Iplantobegin

assigningstudentswithadetentioniftheydonotcompletehomework.Iwouldalsoliketoallow
studentstohaveachoicewhenitcomestohomeworkIenvisionthisasallowingstudentsto
previewtwodifferentcurrenteventarticlesandthendecidewhichtheywouldliketoreadfor
homework.Myhopewouldbethatinpresentingstudentswithoptions,itwouldraisethelevel
ofstudentswhoareengagedandinterestedincompletingtheirhomework.

Inthefuture,IwouldalsochangethewaythatIruntutoring.Duringthesefewmonths,Ioffered
tutoringasanoptionforstudentswhodisplayedthattheyneededextrahelp.AlthoughIwould
likeforstudentstobeindependentlymotivatedtolearnandshowgrowthandimprovement,I
knowthatsometimesthisisnotrealisticforallstudents.Inthefuture,Iwouldrequirestudents
whodidnotreceiveda70%orhighertocomefortutoringsothatIcanensureevenmore
studentsarereachingmastery.Thiswouldalsohelpmetobemorecommunicativewith
parents,alertingthemwhentheirchildneedstostayforhelptoacquireskills.

Finally,afterseeinghoweffectiveformativeassessmentscanbeinguidingdifferentiation,inthe
future,Iwouldusetheseassessmentstodifferentiatemyclassesonaweeklybasis.Thoughit
iseasierasateachertohaveallstudentsinallclassescompletingthesameassignments,I
knowthatthisisnotnestformystudents.Ibelievethatgroupingmystudentsandtailoring
assignmentstowardtheirindividualneedswouldhelptoensurethatthebottom25%aremoving
towardsmasterymoreoftenandnotbeingbrushedasideastheirclassmatesfulfillthe75%
passingrate.

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