Mountain Brook Schools
ACLD Approved PLU
PD Title# PLUACLD297
REGISTER in STI-PD for this PLU
Building A Standards-Based Approach to Assessment and Grading
Abstract
Teachers and administrators in all schools in Mountain Brook Schools have been researching and discussing themerits of standards based grading for the last eight years. All K-3 teachers have developed, piloted, and revisedstandards-based report cards for at least five years. Mountain Brook Schools follows the RPLIM model of designingprofessional learning.
The purpose of this professional study for administrators and teachers with instructional leadership certification inMountain Brook Schools on Building A Standards-Based Approach to Assessment and Grading is to continue to buildreadiness and capacity of administrators and teachers, to create a plan of action, and to learn through reading,implementing, assessing, and adjusting new practices in assessment and grading for grades kindergarten through12th grade.
The participants will attend a session by Rick Wormeli on "Standards-Based Assessment and Grading Practices" to beheld on June 19- 20 (elementary session or secondary session) at Mountain Brook High School, read Thomas Guskeyand Lee Ann Jung's book entitled, Answers to Essential Questions About Standards, Assessments, Grading &Reporting, discuss the learning, develop a plan for extending the learning school-wide and implementing standardsbasedassessments and grading in classrooms, lead the implementation in the school, evaluate the implementation,and adjust the plan of action based on new challenges and opportunities at the end of the school year.
The prerequisite for the professional study will be to attend the Rick Wormeli session since it had to be scheduledprior to the approval of the professional study. Participants who were unable to attend the live session will be ableto view a video recording of the session.
This professional study will provide one (1) PLU and will be available for two years (2014 through 2016).
Participants
TARGETED PARTICIPANTS:
Superintendent
Principals and Assistant Principals
Supervisors and Directors
Teachers and Others with instructionalleadership (administrative) certification
Delivery Methods
Workshop or Videotaped workshop
Book study, Team planning meetings, PLC meetings
Delivery Timeframe
Assessment and Grading, June 19 - 20, 2014
Or view videotaped workshop by August 31, 2014 or August 31, 2015
40 contact hours for total PLU
Pre- and Post-Activities
Post-reflection: All participants will complete Reflection Tool 3 times during the school year; allwill participate in the book study
Post-Plan of Action: Each school will create a plan of next steps to implement the learning oncreating a standards-based approach to assessments and grading
Post-Follow-up sessions/review:All participants will meet in leadership teams, PLCs, and vertical teams to plan,implement, and troubleshoot standards-based approach to assessments andgrading
Other post-activity: Share outcomes with Superintendent and Dir of Instruction in May 2015 or May 2016.
Evaluation Methods
METHODS OF EVALUATION
Post-plan of action
Post-reflection
Post-follow-up sessions
Implementation Log
This professional study will be evaluated using Guskey's five levels of professional development evaluation atcheckpoints throughout the year with reflections at monthly Administrative Team meetings with the Superintendentand the Director of Instruction.
Participants at each school and central office will complete reflection guides, develop and complete an
Implementation Log detailing the professional learning sessions, follow-up discussions, book study discussions,action planning, PLC discussions, and implementation steps pursued by the school faculty as led by the schooladministrators and teachers with instructional leadership certification. The action plan will be included in eachschool's Continuous Improvement Plan.
Teachers with instructional leadership certification will be expected to serve as leaders alongside school and centraloffice administrators in the efforts to plan and begin to implement standards-based assessments and grading in theschool.
Each school's leadership team will share outcomes with the superintendent at the May, 2015, administrative teammeeting.
Activities
#1 Standards-Based Mastery, Assessment, and Grading by Rick Wormeli
This session will provide an overview of the principles involved in teaching to mastery, assessing for mastery, andreporting mastery learning. Participants will discuss what mastery looks like for the College and Career Readystandards for math, English language arts, and all other content areas, and how traditional grading does not reflectwhat students have learned. Participants will discuss how assessments could and should look different based onmastery, and how reporting the learning would look different as well. Participants will discuss homework and its rolein mastery learning.
The session will be videotaped for viewing and discussion for anyone who was not able to attend in June.
#2 Standards-Based Mastery, Assessment, and Grading Reflection and Planning
After the Wormeli session, participants will debrief their learning and develop an action plan and timeline for turningaround this learning to the rest of the school faculty. Teachers with instructional leadership certification will workwith school administrators to lead the school faculty in this work. The action plan and timeline will be expected tobegin in August, 2014, to correspond with the opening of the school year. The action plan steps will be documentedin each school's Continuous Improvement Plan and on the Implementation Log so that administrators may tailor theimplementation to the needs of each school faculty.
School administrators and teachers with instructional leadership certification will collaborate to develop an action planand timeline for building capacity in the entire school faculty to understand standards-based mastery, assessment,and grading, and to begin implementing a standards-based approach in all content areas. Teachers will work in PLCgroups to discuss and plan for beginning to implement standards-based assessment and grading in their classrooms.
Components of the plan will include ways to include students and parents of the shift to a standards-based
approach.
ALIGNMENT OF ACTIVITY TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
#3 Standards-Based Approach Book Study
This activity involves a whole-faculty book study on Answers to Essential Questions on Standards, Assessment,Grading & Reporting by Thomas Guskey and Lee Ann Jung, as a follow-up to the learning from the Wormeli session,reflections, and action planning.
School administrators and teachers with instructional leadership certification will lead the book study in their schoolsand respond to questions to guide their thinking. Central office administrators will read the book and discuss guidingquestions in monthly administrative team meetings. Ideas from the discussions will be used to aid theimplementation of the standards-based approach.
Reflections will be completed in September, December and March. Implementation will be documented on the Implementation Log.
#4 Standards-Based Approach Periodic Reflection and Monitoring
Reflection and monitoring of the implementation will be conducted at monthly administrative team meetings with thesuperintendent and director of instruction. School and central office administrators will be expected to discuss their learning and implementation activities in a collaborative PLC. Successes,challenges, and next steps will be shared, and collaborative solutions will be developed. School and central officeadministrators will utilize coaching techniques to assist each other with implementation.
Teachers with instructional leadership certification will be expected to complete periodic reflections and discuss theirlearning and implementation with school administrators in school leadership team meetings.
Implementation activities will be documented on the Implementation Log.
#5 Year One Assessment and Next Steps Planning
This activity involves each school's leadership team sharing the implementation outcomes with the entireadministrative team of school and central office administrators. Administrators will utilize coaching techniques toassist each other in troubleshooting next steps.
A survey will be administered to faculty and students to determine impact on classroom practices and learning.
Feedback from the surveys will be used to inform the direction and adjustments to the implementation for year 2 aswell as for additional professional learning opportunities.
Implementation of this activity will be documented on the Implementation Log.