Grading Adventure

What is a grade? What does it mean about the student? Are they having problems understanding the work? Are they having problems doing the work? Are they having problems communicating? Are they having problems behaving?

I am starting a new adventure moving forward with a modified version of standards based grading.  Along the way, I've read some great books and gotten a variety of ideas.  However, the key questions are still there.  What is a grade?

My personal goals for a grade are that it represents both the student's achievement as well as their growth in content understanding.  While compliance, behavior, and work ethic are important pieces of success, they are not what I want to show at the end of the day.  I want to be able to measure and show growth and achievement.

As a parent and a teacher, these are the questions I will consider when building this new system.
1.  Does it matter how many times a student tries and fails before they try and succeed?
2. How do I mathematically document growth?
3.  How much information is useful for parents?
4.  How much information is useful for students?
5. How should practice factor into the grade?
6. How should behavior and participation factor into the grade?
7. If a student is failing, not because of zeros, but because of understanding, what does that mean instructionally?
8. How can I practically manage standards tracking?
9.  What are the important skills I want to track?
10.  How will this grade shape parent/teacher/student communication?