de-myth-tifying grading in special education services/resources/grading in... · literature or in...

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De-Myth-tifying Grading in Special Education

1980 2015

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Primary Purpose • “the primary purpose of…grades…

(is) to communicate student achievement to students, parents, school administrators, post-secondary institutions and employers.” and

• To provide teachers with information for instructional planning.

Taken from “Reporting Achievement at the Secondary School Level: What and How?”, in Communicating Student Learning: ASCD Yearbook 1996, p. 120.

What makes grading so hard?• Teacher preparation programs seldom include course work or

even discussions of recommended practices for grading students in general, much less for students who may be struggling learners. As a result, teachers at all grade levels grapple with issues of fairness in grading.

• Despite the magnitude of this problem, few recommendations for grading struggling learners can be found in the research literature or in education policy.

• Urban Grading Legends

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Urban Legends:

Bigfoot/Sasquatch

Urban Legends

• I can’t fail a special education student.

• I give all my Life Skills students an 85.

• The report card grade does not really mean anything.

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Urban Legends

• The grade on the report card can’t be less than the IEP mastery level (default 70%)

• I teach a lot in my classroom, but I can only grade the things that are on the IEP.

• I don’t do the grades for my special education students in my classroom, the special education teacher does that for me.

What’s the problem??• Some students are not getting REAL

grades.

• Multiple court cases regarding failing students who are not receiving appropriate specially designed instruction or students only get “A’s” and it doesn’t truly reflect how he/she really performs in relation to the curriculum

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What does the law really say?• Neither the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA) nor any other federal education laws contain requirements for grading. Therefore, each state has discretion on the issue.

• The TEC is the set of state laws our state legislators have passed that relate to education. ARD committees do not have the authority to override state laws. The Texas Administrative Code (TAC) is the set of rules that the State Legislature has authorized Texas Education Agency (TEA) or the State Board to write. ARD committees must also follow these rules.

• The state statutes apply to all public school students in Texas regardless of special education eligibility.

Local Grading PoliciesTEC §28.0216

(1) “must require a classroom teacher to assign a grade that reflects the students’ relative mastery of an assignment; [and]

(2)may not require a classroom teacher to assign a minimum grade for an assignment without regard to the student’s quality of work.”

(3)may allow a student a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade.

• These rules apply to classroom assignments, examinations, and overall grades for each grading period.

• Because of this, teachers may not assign a grade based on effort, and cannot pass a student who has not mastered the curriculum.

See page 7 of Grading and Progress Monitoring

for Students with Disabilities.

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Finality of Grade

TEC §28.0214

(a) An examination or course grade issued by a classroom teacher is final and may not be changed unless the grade is arbitrary, erroneous, or not consistent with the school district grading policy applicable to the grade, as determined by the board of trustees of the school district in which the teacher is employed.

(b) A determination by a school district board of trustees under Subsection (a) is not subject to appeal. This subsection does not prohibit an appeal related to a student's eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities under Section 33.081.



Award of CreditTAC§74.26

(a) The award of credit for a course by a school district affirms that a student has satisfactorily met all state and local requirements.

(b) Districts may offer courses designated for Grades 9-12 (refer to §74.11 of this title (relating to High School Graduation Requirements)) in earlier grade levels. A course must be considered completed and credit must be awarded if the student has demonstrated achievement by meeting the standard requirements of the course, including demonstrated proficiency in the subject matter, regardless of the time the student has received instruction in the course or the grade level at which proficiency was attained. The academic achievement record (transcript) shall reflect that students have satisfactorily completed courses at earlier grade levels than Grades 9-12 and have been awarded state graduation credits.

(c) Credit for courses for high school graduation may be earned only if the student received a grade which is the equivalent of 70 on a scale of 100, based upon the essential knowledge and skills for each course.

(d) In accordance with local district policy, students who are able to successfully complete only one semester of a two-semester course can be awarded credit proportionately.

See page 8 of Grading

and Progress

Monitoring

for Students with

Disabilities.

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Notice to Parent of Unsatisfactory PerformanceSec. 28.022

(a) The board of trustees of each school district shall adopt a policy that:

(1) provides for a conference between parents and teachers;

(2) requires the district, at least once every 12 weeks, to give written notice to a parent of a student's performance in each class or subject; and

(3) requires the district, at least once every three weeks, or during the fourth week of each nine-week grading period, to give written notice to a parent or legal guardian of a student's performance in a subject included in the foundation curriculum under Section 28.002(a)(1) if the student's performance in the subject is consistently unsatisfactory, as determined by the district.



Student Advancement

TEC §28.021(a)

• Promotion from one grade-level to the next can be determined “only on the basis of academic achievement or demonstrated proficiency of the subject matter of the course or grade-level.”

• The ARD committee makes the promotion/retention decision based on the student’s mastery of the curriculum; decision may or may not include mastery of specific IEP goal(s) related to the required curriculum

• Decision must follow local policies.



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District Grading Policy

Do you know your district’s grading policy?

If you don’t know, go to your school homepage and find the school board resources and click on grading policy.

Guiding Questions

1. What are the major reasons we use report cards and assign grades to student’s work?

2. Do our grades for students reflect the degree to which they have met the standards for a course?

3. Ideally, what purpose should report cards or grades serve?

4. What elements should teachers use in determining student’s grades?

(For example: major assessments, compositions, homework, attendance, class participation, etc.)

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Purpose and Audience of Grades: A student’s grades communicate his/her relative mastery of content.

Formative Assessment• to make instructional decisions;

• to gauge the efficacy of teaching practices and the student’s acquisition of knowledge and skills;

• to identify and remediate individual and group deficiencies;

• to allow students to reflect on their progress prior to the determination of a final grade; and

• to guide future instructional decisions and learning experiences.

Summative Assessment• convey information regarding

achievement to parents and students;

• call attention to the needs of struggling learners;

• determine students’ grade-level promotion and retention; and

• determine awards, accolades, and entry into clubs/activities.

BEWARE OF THE CARDIAC SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

“Oh my heart thinks he’s getting an 85 right now.”

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Decision Making Responsibilities Related to Grading

Quick Review: Special Education Basics

AccommodationA change that is necessary and does not fundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectations. An accommodation levels the playing field.

ModificationA change that is necessary and doesfundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectations. Instead of leveling the playing field, it changes the game. A modification measures the child’s performance on different standards (fundamentally altered).

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What Accommodation does this puppy have?

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http://bit.ly/TEKScurriculumframework http://bit.ly/TEKSverticalalignment

TEKS Curriculum Framework: TEKS Vertical Alignment:

Reduced or Simplified Vocabulary

Accessing Prerequisite Skills

Reduce Learning Expectations

Dep

th o

f C

urr

icu

lum

Complex

SimpleAwareness

Acknowledge Explore RespondExperience Anticipate

Participate

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We give students what they need to be successful.

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The challenge…

Is 95% REALLY 95%?

• Grade level curriculum

• Modified curriculum

• Alternate curriculum

What are your thoughts about this?

What does this mean when we look at grading and

report cards?

Grades reported for students accessing grade level expectations with accommodations need no additional information.

• If I use glasses or need extra time to complete work, this does not require additional reporting because they do not fundamentally change the test or standard.

Modifications DO change the game.• If I do less work or use less challenging material, that

does change the standard and my report card should reflect that. See page 10 of Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities.

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THE INCLUSIVE GRADING MODEL

Determining grades for struggling learners that are fair, accurate, and meaningful.

Step 1: Determine if Adaptations are Needed for Each Grade-Level Standard



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Step 2: For Each Adaptation, Determine if an Accommodation or a Modification is Needed

Sorting ThingsOut

Step 3: Establish the Appropriate Expectation for Each Area Requiring Modification

Don’t “water down” the curriculum…

Instead, directly link the modification to the grade-level standards.

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CASE EXAMPLE: CARLOS

Carlos may not be ready to work on 8th grade science standards in mineral identification. The 8th grade science standards can be modified to the skill of sorting and classifying that are fundamentally related giving appropriate access to the 8th grade TEK.



High Expectations

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Step 4: Apply Appropriate and Equitable Grading Practices to the Appropriate Standards

• Appropriately modifying the standards for a student answers the question, “What to measure or grade?” Teachers can now assign report card grades based on the modified expectation.

• In subject areas where only accommodations are needed, learners’ grades should be based on the same criteria used to evaluate the performance of other students in the class with no penalty for accommodation.

Step 5: Clearly Communicate the Meaning of the Grades

• Teachers must provide additional information for the grades that are based on modified standards so that everyone is aware of exactly what was measured.

• It’s crucial that everyone understands what standard was measured and how the student performed relative to what was measured.

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Who is responsible for what??

General Educator Special Educator Paraprofessional

IEP Goals and IEP Progress Reporting• All students receiving special education services must have

measurable annual IEP goals.

• IEP goals are not a substitute for the grading assignments linked to the general curriculum.

• Rather than substituting for or supplanting the general curriculum, IEP goals help a student access and progress in the general curriculum.

• Schools are also required to report on the student’s progress toward mastery of IEP goals; however, this is a separate and distinct requirement from assigning course grades, as IEP goals are not the same as course content.

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If a student is receiving special education services, should a student’s progress or mastery toward his or her IEP goals be the basis for his or her grades?

A student’s progress or mastery toward his or her IEP goals is never the basis for his or her grade. It is important to point out that, even if written in measurable terms, a goal such as “70% mastery of grade-level TEKS” does not meet IDEA requirements of a measurable goal detailed in 34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)(ii). Such a goal is simply a restatement of the expectations for all students in general education. Student’s IEPs should not contain a restatement of the state standards, but must include measurable annual goals. Those goals designate the necessary learning for the student to have access to and progress in the general curriculum as well as resulting in the student’s attainment of standards set out as critical in his or her PLAAFP. LEAs report students’ progress towards mastery of their IEP goals through IEP progress reports. This is its own process and is separate from reporting students’ grades.

“Grading Accommodations”

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Consistent• Clear performance standards and processes for

grading is evident from classroom to classroom (How good is good enough?)

Accurate• Grades clearly reflect achievement on standards

instead of blending them with behaviors (i.e., effort, participation, etc.)

Meaningful• Communicates useful information to student and

others about performance on specified learning goals

Support Learning• Grading practices focus on quality of work, rather

than quantity of points earned, and reflect student learning

Effective grades need to meet the 4 keys to success:

RUBRICS • A rubric is an authentic assessment tool

used to measure students' work. • A rubric is a working guide for students

and teachers, usually handed out beforethe assignment begins in order to get students to think about the criteria on which their work will be judged.

• Rubrics can be analytic or holistic, and they can be created for any content area including math, science, history, writing, foreign languages, drama, art, music, etc... (http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/rubrics.htm)

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Analytic

• Analytic rubrics identify and assess components of a finished product.

• More process oriented

• Breaks down the characteristics of an assignment into parts, allowing the scorer to itemize and define exactly what aspects are strong, and which ones need improvement.

Holistic

• Holistic rubrics assess student work as a whole.

• More product oriented

• It lists three to five levels of performance, along with a broad description of the characteristics that define each level.

What’s the difference?

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Birthday Party Rubric

Criteria 1 2 3 4

Location/ Entertainment

Food

Gifts

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Don’t CRY about creating rubrics…Just remember the CRI method!

Rating scale (levels of performance)

Criteria to be assessed = Desired student outcome (Dimensions)

Indicators = What elements define the dimension

Rubric Makers • http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/

• http://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm

• http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/

• http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/rubric.htm

• http://landmark-project.com/classweb/tools/rubric_builder.php3

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Resources/References

• Grading and Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities TEA and AGC Network

• Grading Exceptional and Struggling Learners by Lee Ann Jung & Tomas R. Guskey

• A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades by Ken O’Connor

Template for Analytic Rubric

Beginning

1 Developing

2 Accomplished

3 Exemplary

4 Score

Category #1

Description reflecting beginning level of performance

Description reflecting movement toward mastery level of performance

Description reflecting achievement of mastery level of performance

Description reflecting highest level of performance

Category #2





Category #3





Category #4





[Note: The teacher should highlight key phrases in the rubric that describe the student’s performance, then write a final score in the right-hand column. It is typical to have highlights appear in more than one column. The teacher may also choose to “decimalize” scores; for example, giving a 2.5 for one category to indicate that the student is progressing toward a 3.]

Template for Holistic Rubric

Score Description

4 Demonstrates exceptional understanding of the material. All requirements are met and some are exceeded.

3 Demonstrates consistent understanding of the material. All requirements are met.

2 Demonstrates partial understanding of the material. Some requirements are met.

1 Demonstrates minimal understanding of the material. Few requirements are met.

0 No response; Task not attempted.

Grading Rubric Example for Student Who Receives Modifications

Student: Date: Task:

Daily Quiz/Test

Component 1: Support Level

Component 2: Attending to Task

Component 3: Mastery of Task (%)

Overall/Composite Grade

__________%

5 Independent Accommodations/Modifications allowed student to be independent to best of their ability.

5 Independent Student was able to attend independently on task.

5 90 – 100% of total number of items per assignment.

5 = 90 – 100% 4 = 85 – 89% 3 = 80 – 84% 2 = 75 – 79% 1 = 70 – 74%

4 Cueing Student required cues only for independence.

4 Cueing Student required cues only to attend work task or return to work task.

4 85 - 89% of total number of items per assignment.

3 Level 1 Prompting Student required verbal or written direction for task support.

3 Level 1 Prompting 3 or less prompts to attend to work task.


2 Level 2 Prompting Student required modeling or errorless learning for task support.

2 Level 2 Prompting Student required more than 3 prompts to attend to work task.


1 Level 3 Prompting Student required Hand-in-Hand/Hand-over-Hand support for task completion.

1 Level 3 Prompting Physical Redirection: Student required maximum redirection to attend to work task.


0 Unable to perform task Despite prior cueing and prompting, student did not complete task.

0 Unable to attend to work task Despite prior cueing and prompting, student did not attend to task.

0 Below 70%.

Overall Grade is an average of the 3 components.

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Literacy Grading Rubric

_________ Daily / Weekly Grade Sheet _________ Summative Evaluation

Student Campus Date

Presentation Supports and Materials What does the student need to be successful and as

independent as possible (e.g., assistive technology, picture support, physical support to access materials). Be specific.

Student Response Mode How does the student most consistently respond to

demonstrate understanding and for participation (e.g., verbal, eye gaze, activation of voice output device).

After instruction takes place in the classroom and the student has an opportunity to experience the activities, present the materials and information for each instructional objective and document the level of support needed by the student. Always begin with the least intrusive supports, giving the student an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge on his or her own.

Grade – 95 Grade – 85 Grade – 75

Literacy Instructional Objective

Trial One – student demonstrates knowledge and/or skill independently

Trial Two (if student was not successful on Trial One) – provide verbal and/or physical cues

Trial Three (if student was not successful on Trial Two) – provide verbal and/or physical prompts

Independent: student performed the skill with all presentation supports and materials, and demonstrating documented response modes Cue: student required a verbal, visual or gestural cue over and above the presentation supports and materials Prompt: student required a verbal, visual or gestural prompt over and above the presentation supports and materials

Putting It All Together 1. May a report card for a student with a disability simply refer to another document that

more fully describes the student’s progress?

2. May a report card for a student with a disability identify special education or other related

services or resources being provided for that student or otherwise indicates that the

student has a disability? For instance, may the report card refer to an IEP or a plan for

providing services under Section 504?

3. What do children know more about than adults?

4. May a report card for a student with a disability distinguish between special education

programs and services and general education curriculum classes through specific notations

or the use of asterisks or other symbols?

5. Can teachers base grades on a student’s effort, work habits, attendance, and/or

participation?

6. Would you rather your principal praise you or do something nice for you?

7. How can teachers use rubrics in the grading process?

8. How can teachers provide accommodations or modifications on assessments in class if the

student cannot use those accommodations on state assessments?

9. What’s the funniest story you’ve heard for why someone couldn’t turn in their homework?

10. If a student is receiving special education services, should a student’s progress or mastery

toward his or her IEP goals be the basis for his or her grades?

11. How does mastery of annual goals relate to grading and promotion?

12. If you could visit any place on earth for one week where would you go?

13. Can a school have a modified “grading system” for certain programs of students such as

low incidence program?

14. How do you grade for a student with severe cognitive disabilities who is receiving services

in the general education setting?

15. Name one thing you’ve learned from this training.

16. If a student is receiving instruction in a resource setting, do you determine grades based on

progress toward their IEP goals or on progress toward mastery of the curriculum?

17. Should a teacher include a student’s behavior and/or work ethic in his or her grade?

18. Which school subject is the most important for life as an adult?

19. How does the weight of assignments (i.e. large projects, term papers, final exam vs.

classwork, quizzes, and homework) affect an overall grade?

20. Should a teacher give a zero for work that is missing or incomplete?

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