Standards-Based Report Cards

From the Marshall Memo #449

“Standards-based grading,” says Kyle Spencer in this Harvard Education Letter article, “derives from the idea that teachers ought to have clearly defined academic goals for their students, be able to determine if they’ve met them, and then communicate that to students and parents.” Sounds easy, but designing report cards that can do all that is a challenge. Here’s a sample high-school science report card designed by Thomas Guskey and his colleagues, working with principals in Kentucky:

Academic Achievement:  A

Basis of scientific inquiry:  4

Physical, chemical, and cellular basis of life:  3

Continuity of life and the changes of organisms over time:  2

Unity and diversity of life:  3

Ecological relationships among organisms:  4

Process Goals

Participation:  +

Homework:  ++

Cooperation:  +

Punctuality:  –

Notice the overall academic grade (A), the breakdown of five academic strands, and the separation of process grades, which use a different grading scale and are not factored into the academic grade.

The challenge with standards-based report cards is keeping them jargon-free and as simple as possible. In 2005, Montgomery County (MD) rolled out a new report card with 13 math subcategories and dozens of indicators. Parents complained that they were overwhelmed with detail and the district went back to the drawing board. 

At their best, however, the new generation of report cards should help students and parents focus on learning problems and improve performance. Says Douglas Reeves, “Standards-based grading makes people more honest.” 

“Standards-Based Grading: New Report Cards Aim to Make Mastery Clear” by Kyle Spencer in Harvard Education Letter, September/October 2012 (Vol. 28, #5, p. 3-5), www.edletter.org