RSAC 2024

Do you feel like fun has been removed from writing instruction? Are students groaning when informed they will be completing a writing assignment? Writing memoirs brings excitement back and allows students to explore their identities while improving writing abilities. By engaging in memoir writing, students will learn narrative techniques such as dialogue and figurative language. Writers must discover how to engage readers by addressing plot features and using effective word choice. Sharing memoirs can be cathartic while also building community within the classroom.

This professional development session is designed to enhance your understanding of how to effectively unpack standards and integrate learning intentions into assessments and lesson planning. In this session, participants will delve into strategies for deconstructing standards to identify key concepts, skills, and knowledge. We will explore the importance of collaborating with your team to align learning intentions with standards to create meaningful assessments and lessons that promote growth, achievement, and equitable learning opportunities for all learners. This session will provide practical tools and resources that can be immediately applied in the classroom.

Grading systems in the United States date back to the 17th century, beginning in higher education. Grades have shown student achievement, progress towards grade-level learning standards, and process or conduct and effort. Grading is a small part of a much bigger picture, leading to learning.

Grading focusing on student achievement and specific learning standards within each academic subject has become popular in public education. In education, learning standards represent the educational goals of teaching and learning. Standards-based education has been centered around the idea that learning standards were established on specific knowledge and skills that all students should be able to know and perform as a result of their education. The standards-based grading system is a practice that bases students’ grades on their performance of clearly defined learning objectives rather than completing assignments and tests or accumulating points. A student’s grades should reflect only what a student knows and can do.

Moreover, grades provide feedback, document progress toward grade-level learning standards, and assist teachers in making decisions about students' instructional needs. Research states that grades should reflect students’ performance based on specific learning criteria. Standards-based grading systems should reflect what students know, understand, and can do.

Join us for an enlightening session where we share our journey from traditional to standards-based grading practices. In this session, we'll address the question: How can educators effectively shift their grading practices to align with standards and promote student success?

By implementing standards-based grading, educators can provide more accurate and meaningful feedback to students, fostering a deeper understanding of content and promoting academic growth. In turn this provides student ownership and engagement in learning.

Our session will explore practical strategies for unpacking standards, collecting data, and implementing proficiency-based grading. Drawing from research, theory, and best practices in education, we'll ground our discussion in evidence-based approaches that have shown to increase both educator and student success.

Participants can expect to gain an understanding of standards-based grading principles and leave with actionable steps to implement in their own classrooms. Together, we'll chart a course towards a more equitable, standards-aligned approach to assessment, ultimately enhancing student learning outcomes.

Come learn how to transform your grading practices and unlock new possibilities for student achievement!