Preparing Standards and Learning Targets for Standards-Based Grading in HS ELA

From Workshop to Standards-Based Scoring

After establishing a workshop model last year in my 9^th and 10^th grade English classes, I want to move closer to standards-based grading this year. For me, establishing an instructional model that more closely works with standards-based learning was an important first step. Please refer to this post for a summary. Now, I can continue my exploration.

In this blog post, I will walk through the steps I took to establish the eight standards I will assess my students on in Academic English 9:

Standard 1: Analyzing Literary Elements & Devices

Standard 2: Analyzing Nonfiction Elements & Concepts

Standard 3: Evaluating Text Genre, Form, and Structure

Standard 4: Utilizing Evidence & Research

Standard 5: Crafting Focus, Organization, and Style

Standard 6: Composing Narratives

Standard 7: Expanding Vocabulary

Standard 8: Developing Speaking Skills

Step 1: Prioritizing Standards

Last year, I reviewed our recently rewritten ninth-grade curriculum (which I led). We realigned our curriculum, instruction, and assessment to the Pennsylvania Core Academic Standards to prepare our students for the state-mandated tenth grade end-of-course Literature exam. This process led us to focus on critical thinking and analysis rather than specific texts. You can view our Unit 1 curriculum map here.

After reviewing the curriculum last year, I prioritized standards (see the work of Larry Ainsworth @AinsworthLarry on Power Standards) and developed Learning Targets (see the work of Connie Moss and Susan Brookhart @SusanBrookhart). I used these to develop assessments of the prioritized standards.

In preparation for this school year, I listed out our PA Core (State) Standards in a chart, then listed the learning target stems along with the “performance of understanding.” I went through my whole course from last year to map these out. You can see my first draft of this process here.

I knew I wanted to reduce the number of learning target stems and connect those with my own Power Standards (collections of actual standards but distilled to a few big ideas). From these, I would develop the Assignment Categories for my gradebook to guide standards-based learning and grading. The list from above began to show me some overlap of learning targets from the four major units of study:

1.      Introduction to Fiction and Nonfiction Analysis

2.      Mythology and Speaking Skills

3.      Evidence-Based Writing

4.      Drama and Shakespeare

Once this first step was completed, I was ready to reduce the number of learning targets my students and I were going to work with.

Step 2: Generating Learning Targets

With the learning target stems collected and organized by groups of standards, I was ready to combine the learning target stems. I have not blogged for quite a few months; the end of the year always gets crazy, but I also began part-time work on a Doctorate of Philosophy in Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning from the University at Buffalo (@UBGSE @UBuffalo). This summer, I took the introduction to Qualitative Analysis Techniques for Education course with Dr. Erin Kearney (@erinkearney78) where I learned to code, categorize, and theme data. I definitely felt like I was applying these skills as I worked to reduce my learning target stems to fewer categories and then reduce dozens of standards to eight strands (themeing!).

The end of my second iteration of work can be found here.

You will see I added a column for my class standards and reduced the number of learning target stems. Here is the complete list of learning target stems for my entire English 9 course:

·         I know I can analyze literary elements and devices when...

·         I know I can engage in the writing process and use examples from the text to analyze fiction and nonfiction when...

·         I know I can analyze the content of nonfiction writing when...

·         I know I can acquire new vocabulary when...

·         I know I can evaluate and analyze text structures in various genres when...

·         I know I can establish a clear thesis statement and organize my writing to maintain a focus when...

·         I know I can engage with the writing process and compose a narrative when...

·         I know I can effectively utilize physical and verbal aspects of presentations when...

Step 3: Categorizing Learning Targets

Each “step” that I'm noting here involved multiple revisions and reworkings, but I ended up with the eight class standards I opened this post with, and then unit-specific performances of understanding for each unit’s relevant learning targets. I rephrased my class standards using active verbs and then numbered them. Then, I divided the table I had been working with into each of the four major units of study. The (current) “final” draft can be viewed here.

Step 4: Implementing Standards-Based Learning

With this now in place, I’m ready to begin assessing my students a step closer to a standards-based learning/grading approach.

Each written assignment may cover a handful of standards, and they will be added to the gradebook (we use Infinite Campus) by Standard. So, this week, once my students begin analyzing methods of characterization in their independent reading novel (in a paragraph response), the following learning targets will be assessed:

I know I can analyze literary elements and devices when

I can identify specific methods of direct and/or indirect characterization from the story to determine a character’s personality. [Standard 1: Analyzing Literary Elements & Devices]

I know I can engage with the writing process and use examples from the text to analyze fiction and nonfiction when

I can paraphrase, summarize, or use word-for-word examples from a text to support my claim. [Standard 4: Utilizing Evidence & Research]

I know I can establish a clear thesis statement and organize my writing to maintain a focus when

I can write a claim, use transitions to guide my reader from one idea to the next, and craft a conclusion sentence that extends my claim. [Standard 5: Crafting Focus, Organization, and Style]

Our grading system (Infinite Campus) allows us to create assignment categories. The eight categories are each labeled after a standard (for example, one is “Standard 1: Analyzing Literary Elements & Devices). I am still debating how to assign points (since points are always arbitrary). I am not ready to go gradeless yet (follow @TG2Chat for more resources!), but I will be mindful and adjust from there.

Next post, I plan to introduce my revised scoring rubrics and approach to recording student progress in my gradebook. It’s an overwhelming but invigorating journey—we’ll be “strong in will / to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”