Standards-Based Learning and

Grading
Frequently Asked Questions

Champlain Valley Union High School

What is standards-based learning?
One way to think about SBL is through the metaphor of a Global Positioning System (GPS). Our goal
as educators is to help students reach their destinations—the standards. In a standards-based
system, education focuses on three areas:

1. ​Articulate:​ Educators design Learning Targets for their classes aligned with national, state, and
local standards. These targets clearly articulate what students should know, understand, and be able
to do for each unit of study. The targets are like the “destinations” in a GPS. We decide where we
want to go, and we enter the location—we need to be specific about our destinations in order to get
the best directions. Teachers, students, and parents are aware of the destinations, so there is no
mystery about where we are headed.

2. ​Differentiate:​ Educators examine the strengths and needs of each student and determine
strategies to help all students meet or exceed the articulated standards. Think of this as the actual
map to the destination. Not all students are starting from the same location, so the routes they take
may differ. It is the teacher’s job to know the map (and students) well enough to anticipate
roadblocks, determine alternate routes, or to suggest scenic opportunities. In most cases, the
students have the same destinations, but how and when they get there may vary.

3. ​Communicate:​ Educators report student progress and achievement at the end of each unit of
study. These reports are aligned with the articulated Learning Targets. Think of these reports as the
“blue dot” on a GPS. At any given time, we know our exact location towards the destination. The blue
dot tells us where we are and how far we are from where we want to be. This is what the standards
reports do as well: they let teachers, students, and parents know where the learners are in relation to
specific destinations.

Why standards-based learning?

Though this all may seem new, we have been moving towards SBL at CVU for over 20 years,
beginning with the creation of our school Expectations for Student Learning. We have always been a
community that prides itself on doing what’s best for all students and staying at the forefront of
educational and brain research. With the state requirements to shift to proficiency-based graduation,
our work with SBL positions us to improve upon an already exceptional educational experience for
all CVU students.

In addition to being based on what we know about learning and the brain, using standards to
determine student progress is now mandatory. A recent Vermont law (Act 77) requires that all
schools shift to proficiency (standards)-based graduation requirements. According to the Vermont
Agency of Education, “This establishes the expectation that the transition to a proficiency-based
system for determining progress and graduation will begin with the incoming 7th grade students of
2014 and be phased in over the following years.” Because of our work over the past few years, CVU is
well positioned to meet this requirement and continue to develop and implement SBL strategies that
improve learning for all students.
What is standards-based grading?

Standards-based grading is a necessary component of standards-based learning. When we instruct

and assess based on standards, our grades need to communicate student achievement of these
standards.

At the beginning of each unit, teachers will clearly articulate the required standards (or targets) for
that unit. At any time, students and parents may contact the teachers to request these targets.
Throughout the unit, students are assessed in a variety of ways (everything from homework to
class-work to quizzes to discussions to projects to essays…all of the ways teachers have always
assessed understanding) to see where they are in relation to the targets. Students receive feedback
on these assessments, and the teacher uses the data to design learning experiences and differentiate
instruction as necessary.

At the end of the unit, the teacher determines where the student is in relation to the target using
evidence of learning gathered throughout the unit. The teacher’s goal is to provide as accurate a
picture as possible of the student’s learning on each target. Students and parents will receive reports
at the end of the unit that break down achievement of each target; this level of detail helps encourage
conversations about learning and helps all parties understand areas of success and challenge.

Because we still need to provide a single letter grade at the end of each unit, final scores from each
target are combined into a composite score, which is then converted into a letter grade using the
following conversion chart:

Letter Grade Score

A+ 3.9 - 4.0
A 3.7 - 3.8
A- 3.5 - 3.6
B+ 3.3 - 3.4
B 3.0 - 3.2
B- 2.7 - 2.9
C+ 2.4 - 2.6
C 2.0 - 2.3
C- 1.8 - 1.9
D+ 1.5 - 1.7
D 1.3 - 1.4
D- 1.0 - 1.2
F 0 - 0.9

How is standards-based grading different than traditional grading?

In the traditional 100-point grading system, students’ grades were often an average of all of the work
the student did throughout the quarter (including class work, homework, projects, quizzes, and
tests). This means that early learning experiences were often counted as much as later learning
experiences, which contradicts what we know about the learning process.
Traditionally at CVU, we have had few common grading policies or expectations. Teachers have had
the autonomy to grade as they wished as long as there was a final grade at the end of the quarter.
Some teachers graded based on standards, but most did not; most included non-academic factors
such as participation, effort, or attitude; some allowed extra credit, some didn’t; some took points off
for late work, some didn’t; some graded on a curve; and some graded based on other individually
determined categories.

SBG ensures a much more consistent and accurate approach to grading.

What is the 1-4 scale and how does it work?

The smaller the scale, the greater the accuracy and consistency among teachers. As with most
schools in the nation that have moved to SBL, we have chosen a 4 point scale for its ease of
conversion to the traditional college GPA scale and for its clarity.

The key to high quality, reliable scales are clear, well-defined descriptors of each of the 4 levels.
Teachers have been working on writing quality targets and will continue to do so, and teachers who
have been standards-based for at least a year are beginning to calibrate their targets with teachers of
like courses. While each unit target has language specific to the targeted skill or understanding, here
is a general description of the 4 levels:

● 4.0: Student work shows excellence in the target skill.

● 3.0: Student work shows achievement of the target skill.
● 2.0: Student work shows approaching achievement of the target skill.
● 1.0: Student work shows little evidence of achievement of the target skill.
● N: Student work shows no evidence of achievement of the target skill.
● I: Work is missing or too incomplete to determine an accurate score.

The intermediate scores of 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 are used to show that a student has shown partial
mastery of the next level of learning. Teachers will not assign scores in smaller increments (i.e., 3.2,
2.7, etc.) for individual targets; when scores with smaller increments appear on a standards-report, it
is due to the need to combine multiple summary scores from different targets into a single composite
score.

Can my student still get an A?

Absolutely. What it takes to excel should be clearly articulated, so students may find it easier to
achieve at the highest levels. In order to receive an A for a course, a student will need to perform at
the 4 level in the majority of the targets by the time of reporting. Teachers will provide instruction
and practice at all levels, as well as examples and benchmarks, and students should feel comfortable
asking teachers to see these. Students new to SBL should find that they need to work just as hard as
they did in the past to excel, but now that work will be much more targeted.
How are the needs of all students met in a standards-based class?

Standards-based learning makes differentiated instruction (DI) necessary. Our goal as teachers in a
standards-based class is to help each student maximize his/her learning, so a student who meets or
exceeds the target early in a unit should not have to wait while others catch up. Conversely, students
who are struggling to meet a target should not fall further and further behind. Differentiating
instruction is one of the hardest skills for teachers to learn and master, and the larger the class, the
more difficult the challenge. But our teachers have been working on DI for years (long before we
began working on SBL), and the result is that more and more students are feeling appropriately
challenged and learning to their full potentials. Clear targets help us differentiate because we know
the needs of our students more precisely and have instructional goals to help design multiple
learning experiences as necessary.

Can my student redo, retake, or revise assessments?

One of the foundations of standards-based learning is the ability to re-assess. With SBL, learning is
the constant and time is the variable. Unfortunately, the school calendar often conspires against this
foundation, and there are times when we need to end the learning experience and report current
achievement.

Standards-based teachers allow redos and revisions when it is good for learning. If a student did not
perform as he/she had been performing on practice assessments, or if the teacher feels that the
student was not able to achieve as expected for any reason, the teacher may require a revision. At
times, revision may not be necessary, particularly if the assessment was formative (practice along
the way) and the same targets will be re-assessed in the near future.

All teachers have articulated revision policies, so feel free to ask if you have questions.

Are non-academic factors like effort, participation, and perseverance

included in the grade?
While Habits of Learning are essential to the learning process, these habits do not provide evidence
of what a student knows, understands, or can do with reference to the learning targets in a class. In a
standards-based system, Habits of Learning are reported separately from academic grades, and
students receive feedback on these habits throughout the year.
How can I know how my student is doing?

At all times, students should know their progress towards or beyond the targets for each class, so the
first way to find out is to ask your child. We know, however, that this often is not possible with
adolescents!

Formally, teachers will communicate grades and achievement of standards every nine weeks, or at
the end of each unit through a standards-based JumpRope report (see section below). In addition to
individual unit reports that some teachers choose to email home, parents and students will be
encouraged to view grade snapshots in the JumpRope portal in place of traditional quarter grades.
The “snapshot” is a grade that reflects a student’s current progress on targets in completed units of
study. Snapshots are not averaged to determine a final grade.

Informally, we encourage parents to email teachers if they have any questions about their student’s
learning or progress, and teachers will continue to reach out to families if they are concerned.

What is JumpRope and how does it work?

JumpRope is an online grading tool that all teachers in the CSSU district are now using to track and
report learning. JumpRope allows teachers to track growth towards an articulated learning goal and
also is the vehicle through which we can generate student progress and grade reports. There is also
a family portal which allows parents and students to see progress within classes. Additionally,
JumpRope allows us to track graduation standards throughout a student’s time at CVU, opening up
multiple pathways to demonstrate proficiency.

How will SBG affect my student’s transcript and ability to get into
college?

It will not. ​The CVU transcript will continue to display letter grades for each completed course and a
cumulative GPA. Every CVU transcript is accompanied by CVU's School Profile, which provides a
summ​ary of information about our school's student body, curricular offerings, and grading system.

Students used to be able to have a GPA over 4.0. Is this still possible?

Yes. This has not changed. In order to calculate your student’s GPA, the Direction Center translates
the end of course letter grades into a number. An A+ in a class still translates to a 4.33 on the
transcript.

Thank you.
If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Katherine Riley
at kriley@cssu.org.