Volume 2 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 59

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 57 grading, the academic performance of a student is measured against established criteria with tiered levels of quality and not the performance of other students (Guskey, 2001). Students are introduced to the performance standards or criteria at the be- ginning of the lesson along with the standards for achievement (Stiggins, 2005). Stiggins (2005) refered to this as assessment for learning. The primary objective of standards-based grading is for students to become proficient on all standards within the curric - ulum. Therefore, every student must be assessed using similar criteria, consistently applied at all levels (O‘Connor, 2009, p. 3). The increased focus on standards has caused many to ana- lyze grading and reporting practices carefully that best reflect stu - dents’ mastery of standards (Hooper & Cowell, 2014). Changes at the state and federal level have emphasized the importance of standards; however, there are no federal policies regarding stan- dards-based grading. In order to implement standards-based grad - ing effectively, teachers must know the standards on which their students will be assessed. Common factors of standards-based grading include measuring student learning against an established standard, improving grading consistency, and improving commu- nication with parents (Paeplow, 2011). Many leaders of educational institutions are adopting standards-based grading systems in place of traditional grading systems. Standards-based grading helps ensure grading is directly correlated to the mastery of defined learning targets. The cor - relation of grades to the mastery of learning targets gives grades meaning for all stakeholders and projects a student’s progress towards mastery. Quality information provided through student progress measures allows teachers to adjust instruction and differ - entiate based on specific student need (Scriffiny, 2008). The Study The District in the current study implemented a standards-based grading system in 2009 in first grade. The District has always used a criterion-referenced method of grading for Kindergarten to best communicate a student’s mastery of the Kindergarten content. The standards-based report cards were introduced as an answer to noticeable discrepancies in grading within the Dis- trict. For example, the majority of a student’s grade in English Language Arts was solely comprised of grades on spelling tests. District leaders did not think the grades students received reflect - ed the students’ mastery of the TEKS. In 2011-2012, the District re-worked the standards-based report cards for Kindergarten and first grade. Standards-based report cards were implemented in second grade in 2012-2013 and have rolled up with that particular cohort of students to each subsequent grade level. All 24 elemen - tary campuses in the District, including the two early childhood centers, utilize the standards-based grading system dictated by the District. The District believes when teachers clearly define the learn - ing targets for their students, teachers are able to assess students to obtain a clear picture of their growth toward the mastery of the standards. Learning targets are derived from unpacking the standards. Standards-based report cards were developed based on the learning targets to provide insight into the student’s perfor- mance along the continuum of mastery. Standards-based report cards are revised on a yearly basis taking into consideration any change in the TEKS and feedback from teachers in the District. Yearly professional development occurs to focus on utilizing standards-based grading to drive student learning and growth. The outcomes of this study suggest standards-based grading may have value beyond traditional grading practices. This sup - ports previous research by English (1992) who noted the benefits of standards-based grading include providing a tool that assists teachers in achieving the goal of aligning the written curriculum, taught curriculum, and assessed curriculum (English, 1992). Many studies show that standards-based grading aids teachers in developing and delivering instruction and provides evidence that a student is mastering grade-level content along a continuum of mastery (Guskey, 2014; Guskey et al., 2011; Muñoz & Guskey, 2015; O’Connor & Wormeli, 2011; Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006). The relationship between the standards-based report cards and reading achievement scores on STAAR for students with lim - ited English proficient status was strong, r (39) = .631, p < .001, based on Cohen’s (1988) guidelines, and the relationship between the standards-based report cards and reading achievement scores on STAAR for students with non-limited English proficient status was strong, r (179) = .588, p < .001, based on Cohen’s (1988) guidelines. Based on the analyses presented, a benefit of stan - dards-based grading may include the equity potential for students with limited English proficient status. The current study shows results that agree with Paeplow (2011), that standards-based grading could be deemed as a more equitable grading system due to the amplified focus on student mastery of standards and the decrease of teacher subjectivity which may bias a student’s grade (Paeplow, 2011).