The purpose of communicating student achievement and habits of learning is to allow students to (1) identify where they are in relation to a learning target and (2) to think about what changes they need to make in order to move along the scale and get closer to the target. I included the image at the top of the page very intentionally because I believe that the real beauty of standards-based learning is that it's a cycle. Students practice, receive feedback, reflect, adjust, and give it another go. Communicating to students where they are in relation to a target is an essential part of this process.
One of the benefits of standards-based grading is that teachers can communicate achievement of specific skills and separate academic achievement from habits of learning. Rather than getting a “B” on a paper and wondering what factors led to that grade, students at CVU receive feedback on very specific learning targets that relate to an assignment.
This year Snelling has been using the Habits of Learning scale developed by the Nichols Core. Both the scale and the “what this looks like” section have been particularly useful as we help students learn what it means to develop effective habits of learning. So far we have used the targets and scales somewhat informally, asking students to reflect on the targets in their blogs and referring to them in very specific instances. Our hope is to use them more formally and more regularly, perhaps adopting a Nichols-type daily self-assessment.
Included below are links to my Jumprope grade book (which separates habits and academic achievement), Habits scales (thanks, Nichols), and a unit grade report from last year. I included last year’s unit report because it is a more accurate example of what I believe they should look like than I have yet.
One of the benefits of standards-based grading is that teachers can communicate achievement of specific skills and separate academic achievement from habits of learning. Rather than getting a “B” on a paper and wondering what factors led to that grade, students at CVU receive feedback on very specific learning targets that relate to an assignment.
This year Snelling has been using the Habits of Learning scale developed by the Nichols Core. Both the scale and the “what this looks like” section have been particularly useful as we help students learn what it means to develop effective habits of learning. So far we have used the targets and scales somewhat informally, asking students to reflect on the targets in their blogs and referring to them in very specific instances. Our hope is to use them more formally and more regularly, perhaps adopting a Nichols-type daily self-assessment.
Included below are links to my Jumprope grade book (which separates habits and academic achievement), Habits scales (thanks, Nichols), and a unit grade report from last year. I included last year’s unit report because it is a more accurate example of what I believe they should look like than I have yet.
REPORTING TARGET
Unit Report
Unit Report