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Standards-Based Learning Parent Resource

Our grading practices with standards-based learning are designed to support a culture of learning across classrooms. This means grades focus on students’ progress towards mastery of course standards and academic skills and exclude other factors like behavior.

This focus on academic outcomes provides students and families much more accurate and meaningful information about students’ strengths and areas for growth to help improve learning for all students.

You can support this focus on learning when talking with your child. We’re providing guidance on ways you can talk to your child about their grades and learning experiences.

Talking about Standards-Based Learning with your Child

Questions parents often ask students in a traditional grading system Questions to ask to support learning and growth in a standards-based learning system
What can you do to raise your grade? What core skills or standards do you think you still need to improve at?
When is the next test? When is your next assessment? What skills will be included and what are you doing to practice these skills in preparation for the assessment?
Did you get your homework done? What is the skill you are focusing on right now? What is your current proficiency level for that skill?
When are you turning in your missing work? What practice have you completed on that skill in preparing for the new assessment or reassessment opportunity?
Parents of Black Excellence

Additional talking points to use with your child

Formative assessments are practice and an opportunity to show evidence of learning and receive feedback to support continued growth. 

Practice is a chance for you to make mistakes and ask questions to learn, as well as, knowing what you still need to improve on.

When you don’t supply evidence of your learning you don’t know what you need to improve or ask questions about and your teacher won’t have clear information on how to help you.  Also, with limited evidence, your grade isn’t likely to be very accurate.

Use the feedback from this piece of evidence to improve your learning of this skill.  You’ll have another opportunity to show your learning.