Grading for Learning (G4L)

Standards-Based Practices and Reporting

What is it?

A standards-based progress report lists the most important skills students should learn in each subject at a particular grade level. Every course will identify overarching power standards (described below) that we want all students to be proficient in at each grade level. Learning/work habits play an important role in a student’s success.

In the AASD we refer to those habits as Career and Life Skills. Career and Life Skills are also an important factor in your student’s preparation for college and careers.

Communicating with you using a separate mark indicating your student’s Career and Life Skills in each course shows the importance of these skills. We will report progress in Career and Life Skills using the following three categories: social and cross-cultural; productivity and accountability; initiative and self-direction. 

Instead of overall letter grades, students receive marks that show how well they have mastered the standard/expectation and the progress they have made in mastering the standard/expectation.

The marks will show whether the student has: 1-minimal progress; 2-progressing toward; 3-meeting; or 4-exceeding for each standard/expectation.

Why are we doing this?

While letter grades seem “understandable” to parents, they give only limited information about what the students have learned or can do, are dependent on teacher and parent interpretation, and can be focused only on surface knowledge rather than deep understanding and application.

Considering an “average” to determine the final marking or grade may not be reflective of the final learning. A standards-based approach allows teachers to use information from a variety of assessments to evaluate student learning.

The information, when shared with the student and parents, gives a more detailed picture of what a child can do and what he/she needs to work on to progress.

This ten minute video articulates the importance of a growth mindset (verses a fixed mindset) which fits our philosophy of developing skills in our students that are outlined in our standards. Students (and adults) are more apt to grow and learn with productive feedback on activities.

Resources

These resources will help you better understand grading for learning at Kaleidoscope Academy.

The video gives details and share a specific example of how grading for learning benefits the students.




Review how our new grading for learning would translate into traditional letter grades. Click here to view.

Here is another document to help you interpret the new Individualized Learning Report.

The Appleton Area School District has a document explaining their beliefs. You can view this here.

Finally we have a glossary of key terms that will help with understand the terminology used on these documents.


Power Standards and Course Guides

Below is a listing of each course and is hyper linked to the course guide.

Each course guide describes the course, lists the power standards, and outlines the course with guiding questions and learning objectives.

It also contains summative projects and/or activities students may be involved in to demonstrate mastery of specific skills and knowledge.

App Creators      8th grade
Art 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Art 2D
   
Art 3D      
Band 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Band Plus 7th grade      
Beginning Acting     8th grade
Choir      
Choir - Raise Your Voice
(7th grade only)
     
Creative Music      
Dance 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Family and Consumer Science
(FCS)
6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Reality Inc.
(FCS, 8th grade only)
     
Graphic Art and Design   7th grade 8th grade
Humanities (ELA/SS) 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Innovation Lab 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Innovators and Makers   7th grade  
Intro to Theatre   7th grade  
Math 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Math, Accelerated 7/8      
Math, Algebra      
Orchestra 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Personal Fitness   7th grade 8th grade
Physical Education 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Science 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
World Language - French   7th grade 8th grade
World Language - Spanish   7th grade 8th grade