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Welcome to my Wiki! Thank you for taking a look. Feel free to email me with other SBG resources you have found worthy of reading: Regina.Rys@ThompsonSchools.org


 * I do not give retakes on summative assessments because we practice a lot A LOT (formative assessments, both formal and informal), that prepare students for the summative.**

Background: At Loveland High, we do not (yet) practice SBG. A few years ago I decided to take a risk and try it. I felt alone on an island, but I will never go back to traditional grading because of the advantages I saw and experienced. SBG provides practices and a belief system about LEARNING, and I truly believe it helps prepare students for post high school experiences, whether it be school or work. I did not practice "pure" SBG (no outcomes/objectives recorded), but I used IB MYP and DP criteria and followed SBG philosophy and practices. There is a lot of information about SBG, and rather than inundate you with a long list, I have listed the resources I found most helpful. My thoughts: Adopting SBG in my classroom has definitely been a process. I have had to research, tweak and be open minded. And most importantly, I have had to explain grading to students and parents a million times. Well, maybe not a million, but it is very new to them, too, so it is only fair to be patient and understanding with them (AND with yourself). Good luck with your adventure into new territory. When you find it tough, just remember you are doing students a favor by basing their grade on their learning AND giving them multiple opportunities to learn. In the long run, they will respect you as a teacher because they actually learned from you rather than getting a lot of points in your class. Drop me a line, see me and keep me posted on your progress! Good luck! Genie Rys

Links: [|A's for Good Behavior] New York Times article. Love it. [|No Sleep, More Homework] Comments regarding how too much homework is destructive. __[|Seven Reasons for Standards-Based Grading]__ This is my fave. Short, simple, sweet. [|Think, Thank, Thunk] Blog of a teacher who implements SBG. [|Fair isn't Always Equal website] Rick Wormeli's articles and videos. Free, one-time registration to have site access. Totally worth it! Three of his articles have a direct pdf link below. [|Wormeli comparison chart] Great reference. [|IB MYP school in Georgia and Standards] Basic description of how they are implementing SBG. [|SBG: Mythbusters] Blog of a teacher who implements SBG. [|Making the Case for SBG] Excellent reading! [|Great Schools Partnership info]
 * __Standards-Based Grading Resources__**

Books: //A Repair Kit for Grading// by Ken O'Connor Very basic, straight forward. Great place to start reading about SBG. //Classroom Assessment & Grading that Work// by Robert J. Marzano First few chapters most helpful. Sometimes way too theoretical and not very realistic (my opinion). //Fair Isn't Always Equal// by Rick Wormeli Discusses the reality in the classroom/with students. Very helpful.

Articles by Rick Wormeli:

This is the letter I give to parents.

These are the FAQ's I give parents and review with students. Although I hand this out at the beginning of the semester, I email it to parents when they have questions about grading.

**Some things you can do to start heading in the direction of SBG. Choose a few or many!**
 * 1) Don’t grade hw. Give a key with the hw. Give a formative assessment the following day.
 * 2) Allow retakes on formative and summative assessments and drop first grade.
 * 3) Don’t grade classwork.
 * 4) Don’t give extra credit. I suggest combining this with giving retakes.
 * 5) Don’t average grades.
 * 6) Give open-ended assessments that vary in rigor.
 * 7) Make summative assessments a very large % of grade. I suggest combining this with giving retakes.

Questions/issues I still have: Limit or no summative retakes unless there is an extenuating circumstance? Students take advantage of the retakes, and this is disrespectful of my time. "I had an English paper due, so I didn't study for your test. Can I take a retake?" "I totally forgot about the test, so I didn't study. When can I do a retake?"