Hutchinson: Standards-Based Grading Became an 'Obstacle'
The North Andover Schools superintendent discusses his decision to return the middle school to traditional grading.
The decision to back away from standards-based grading at North Andover Middle School had much to do with the confusion it caused, according to Superintendent Kevin Hutchinson.
"We went back to the traditionally scaled system simply because it was evident that it was becoming obstacle in the way of our true purpose, providing rigorous currciulum to students and giving them detailed feedback," Hutchinson said.
The School Committee recently held a meeting for public feedback, and the feedback from parents about thre standards-based grading system was that of frustration and chaos.
"All of it was not making sense to everyone," Hutchinson said. "It was making sense to some and not all. That's something we need to work on, to have people better understand standards-based education."
The school will continue with standards-based education, however, even with traditional grading.
"It just changes the reporting side," he said. "We still need to teach to standards and support students to higher levels of acheivement."
The standards-based grading already used this school year will be integrated into the traditional grading system for the rest of the school year. The middle school will send out a letter detailing that in the coming weeks.
Cool Fusion
9:07 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
The certainty of misery is better than the misery of uncertainty. To this day, the very reason for this grading change remains a stealthy dark secret. The "Why" is hanging like a Florida ballot chad? A yarn wig on a potato doesn't pass as cuddle doll nor a rationalization to keep parents uninformed. Perhaps our School Committee should be graded by their own Rubik standard in the March election. Carnac the Magnicent has already divined the answer to this hermeneutically sealed envelope question with a "New Blood" response.
ms
10:01 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
Cool Fusion, I think the reason behind the switch to standards based reporting (grading) was made very clear by the Middle School and the superintendent.
The old grading metric of A-F does little to inform students and parents how they are performing on various standards in a subject area. A student with a C in Math could be great at fractions and terrible at solving equations, or vice versa, The C on the report card does little to identify areas of strength or weakness. In the standards based reporting a student would be given a grade on each standard, therefore knowing that he needs to improve his solving equation skills, and that he is proficient with fractions.
This was made very clear in the presentations at numerous meetings spanning from September to the last school committee meeting, in fact all this information is readily available on the schools website.
No secrets here!!
Bryan McGonigle2
10:22 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
Standard based education vs traditional grading (education).
I'm sure that under both systems students will learn about, say, multiplying fractions. And after learning about and practicing multiplying fractions, the students get some sort of quiz/test where they have to multiply fractions a number of times with varying difficulty. Based upon the number of correct answers, you get a grade [ advanced, proficient, needs improvement, doesn't know how to multiply fractions OR A (excellent?), B (very good), C (good), D (fair), F (poor) ]. Then students go on to other math subjects where they get other grades. You might also have a final exam or retest to check if the knowledge is retained. All these grades are somehow averaged onto a report card since you don't ever see a multiplying fractions grade on a report card.
I don't have a problem having more grades (i.e. providing more information) on a report card. You could have multiple math grades including one for multiplying fractions. But if you did see a multiplying fractions grade on a report card - does it really matter if its a traditional grade or some sort of standards based grade? The only difference I see is that a traditional grade might promote excellence. Somehow a "congratulations Johnny you're now advanced in multiplying fractions" doesn't seem the same. So I'm clearly in the I don't understand group regarding standard based education/grading.
ms
11:29 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
Mike,
My thoughts exactly, which is why I was surprised that a hybrid model wasn't implemented. The standards based reporting could easily be used using the A-F model.
I think its important to realize that for many years a students grade in math might have included class participation, conduct, and other external factors not directly related to the subject content. While these are important, they should not factor into an academic grade. The standards based reporting addresses this issue, and at the end of the day it shouldn't matter if you receive a 1-4 or A - F.
Michael Quinlan
9:34 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
Mike, as I recall it was 'A' = Excellent, 'B' = Good, 'C' = Average, 'D' = Poor, 'F' = Fail. Doesn't seem it would have been overly difficult to also include an overall grade per class in addion to the 'standards'. That would have avoid a lot of grief. People hopefully will dump the leftists on the school committee if they hope to avoid the 'feel good' instruction and the actual failure on the standard-based grading, MCAS. Not a single class in any North Andover school will attain the 100% Proficiency MCAS goal in 2013 or 2014.
Robert Fitzgerald
11:13 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
The "why" was the need to provide parents and students with more information in regard to student performance. The reason this became a distraction is fear of change. The administration showed incredible weakness in bending to the will of a few confused and fearful parents who chose to wave a red flag at something they did not want to understand. "Want" because the truth is its not that difficult to grasp. Sorry Mom and Dad, Johnny can't have an A. He's going to have to deal with the fact that he's not better than the other kids because of a letter on his report card. It's a pity because now it will take years to reimplement the change. Par for the course North Andover. A+
Cool Fusion
12:26 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
The presentations you mentioned appeared more like discount mattress advertisements .. It may not be a top-end Sealy Posturepedic but it's no money down, your first payment is deferred for 3 years, and it's guaranteed for life. What possibly could go wrong? Grade promotions? School transfers, Criteria for Bluebird and Redbird tracking, College accepting unique scoring methods are just a few.
Because this bonus driven State Department of Education initiative was verified by the professor from Gilligan's Island doens't mean it will work on the mainland. Bleeding edge and Leading edge alterations are high-risk propositions with unknown number of unknowns of unintentional consquences.. You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. This is not a school administration, it's a regime.
Bryan McGonigle2
1:07 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
The real issue here is standard based teaching.
If this is all about providing parents with more information on report cards, It would take two seconds to add lines to a spreadsheet/report card. And nothing is stopping the teachers from informing parents on whats going on in class. Or making sure parents see their kids "assessments" and/or "tests".
Changing from A-F grading (with its pluses and minuses - A+ A- ...) to 1-4 grading system (with its decimal places - 3.5, 2.5 ...) doesn't make any sense.
But with standard based teaching, maybe changing the grading makes sense - but the real issue is if standard based teaching makes sense?? I don't hear the school committee discussing standard based teaching - when did the school committee agree to this? The change in grading is the first opportunity for the "customers" to weigh in. Some of the customers don't like it. I don't think I do - its sounds like a much too complicated system to improve student performance - so I don't think it will be very successful.
Cool Fusion
8:27 am on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Mike, Your missing the point of this grading mutation. It's not about numeric grades replacing alphabetic grades as the school committee would have you believe. The thrust of this initiative is to subjectively baseline students against their "Appitude" or "Potential" from a cube of related categories .. and not by the students actual acquired achievement based on empirical results which could lead to a magnum of mischief to which parents would have little defense.
Elisa Reppucci
5:11 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
Exceeds the Essential Standard (Advanced)– The student demonstrates thorough, in depth knowledge of extended concepts and skills. Performance is characterized by going above and beyond what was taught by applying and connecting the extended skills with consistent accuracy, independence and a high quality level.
This is from the North Andover schools site.
When do the students get an opportunity to do this? When do the teachers have time to assess each student that does this? Considering they can't handle more than 15 kids at a time.
And for science - isn't that what laboratory work was for?
Sounds like another money maker for someone?
Is the super out of the leased building yet? How much does it cost for repairs to the treadmills that must be worn out by now?
Cool Fusion
7:54 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
All good inquiries Elisa. You can depend that the hacks at the State Department of Education have incentive bonuses attached all over and thru this attempted abberation. Remember "New Math" from the 80's? As for the supertendents, we are starting to understand the inner mechanical workings of this slice of the education/industry complex where the shelf-life of a supertendent at a location is approximately three (3) years .. and then they move onto the next promising district. They collect their severance stipend, unused sick and vacation days, use up their expense accounts, (and with a wink, Wink, Nod, Nod - mutually agree not to devulge the "not to be mentioned") from the former and then slither to a much higher salary plus hiring bonus at their new position leaving behind their history of failure .. all with the skids greased by their highly networked insider connections. Think "Nationwide Search" which usually results in a candidate a sling-shot away.
Carl Reppucci
11:46 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
Is it Oct. 2011 again in Texas?
Look below, looks like we are repeating history here. Don't you learn things not to waste time and money by not repeating it.
Parents challenge new RRISD grading
First meeting since superintendent scaled it back
Updated: Monday, 17 Oct 2011, 10:44 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 17 Oct 2011, 9:14 PM CDT
Erin Cargile
ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) - A panel of Round Rock school administrators, a teacher and principal from Ridgeview Middle School faced more than one hundred parents Monday night.
Some parents dressed in red to show they would like to put a stop to the new Standards-Based Grading system that was rolled out at four RRISD schools over the last two years -- Round Rock High School, Ridgeview Middle School, Grisham Middle School and Hernandez Middle School.
Carl Reppucci
11:49 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
AP courses - allow the student proficient to "skip a year of college level course work"
What more could you ask for?
Another meals tax, or TRASH TAX?!!! Imagine we survived all this time without that. Lets have an under ride, they have way to much money to spend.
Carl Reppucci
12:21 am on Monday, January 14, 2013
Bottom line, with either system the kids will adapt and people will pass any test, implementers of the system will say it worked. But if people are not interested in what they are learning - they won't use it.
It is like making a kid study music, piano lessons every day, - you have heard the stories - adults that don't play nor do they enjoy or understand any thing of music.
But someone with talent - doesn't need to be told to study - they still may not be the ultimate best - but they will hone that talent and skill. Untouchable by testing.
iPhone, great works of music used in Christmas celebrations, all done by people with talent.
You can get an A or a 4, but ultimately won't matter unless the person wants to do something with it.
Eventually you will get a bell curve. How many redo's of tests will really happen?