Standards Based Grading

At South Lake Middle School, we are committed to effective communication and a partnership between home and school.  Part of this communication is informing you of your child’s progress toward learning grade level standards.  Below is a summary of the guiding principles for our assessment and grading practices. This is a change from traditional grading using percentages to a more accurate representation of your child’s proficiency toward meeting standards. South Lake teams have been piloting this shift to standards based grading for the past 18 months.

Student Proficiency on Grade Level Standards is Communicated

Standards and Learning Targets:  Whenever possible, your child’s teacher will clearly communicate the grade level standards using student friendly language (learning targets).  Your child’s teacher will help them answer these questions throughout the learning process, “Where am I going?”  “Where am I now?” and, “How can I improve?” It is helpful to think of the scale in narrative form, which is a change from thinking in percentages.

Communicating Progress with Proficiency:  Whenever possible, your child’s teacher will communicate student progress using the below proficiency scale in combination with specific feedback.  The goal is for all students to reach proficiency (3) or higher on grade level standards by the end of the school year. The following scale is a general overview of the scale all teachers will be using. Each of your child’s teachers will go into more detail about the scale within their class, please refer to their course syllabus and rubrics for details about skills associated with each proficiency level. .

• Excelling (4): Demonstrates a deep understanding and application of the standard
• Proficient (3): Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding and application of the standard
• Developing (2): Demonstrates a basic understanding and application of the standard
• Beginning (1): Demonstrates a limited understanding and application of the standard

Grades Accurately and Consistently Communicate Student Progress

Gradebook Communication: All teachers use an electronic gradebook to communicate your child’s academic progress. Our teachers use Aeries to communicate overall progress. Many of our teachers use Canvas which will inform you of your child’s progress on assignments.  Information entered in the Aeries gradebook will provide an indication of your child’s proficiency throughout the learning process.  

Report Card Communication:  When it is time for your child’s teacher to communicate grades on a report card, they will look at the more recent or frequent evidence of performance to communicate where your child is at the time of reporting in relation to the end of year standards. 

• Your child’s teacher will assign a letter grade A-F that represents where your child is performing overall in a subject area based on the proficiency towards meeting standard. The general guidelines for each letter grade are as follows:

A:  Demonstrating excelling or proficient understanding and application of all standards

B:  Demonstrating a proficient understanding and application of most standards

C:  Demonstrating a developing understanding and application of essential standards

D:  Demonstrating a developing and beginning understanding and application of essential standards

F:  Demonstrating insufficient and/or beginning evidence of understanding essential standards to accurately report

Assessment and Grading Practices Build Hope and Efficacy in Learning

Safe Practice:  Your child will engage in many learning activities that are not formally graded, or that are recorded in the gradebook for communication but don’t factor into the final letter grade.  This provides students a safe place to practice new skills, and provides teachers with valuable information about where a student needs to improve. Students will be assessed and scored for Work Habits and Citizenship. Please see the table below for South Lake expectations in both these areas.

Opportunities for Growth: Your child’s teacher will have opportunities for students to reflect, relearn and reassess until they achieve proficiency on the essential standards.  This system of reassessment promotes a growth mindset and encourages continuous learning. Each of your child’s teachers will have a process for this and we encourage your student to use these opportunities to improve their learning.

Coursework Completion and Practice

At South Lake Middle School, learning does not stop when the bell rings. We expect students to complete all coursework not finished in the allotted time provided in class, to continue practicing skills, and/or studying and preparing for assessment. South Lake students should typically dedicate at least 30 minutes to one hour nightly at home to completing coursework, practicing skills, and/or reading as needed. This work serves several important purposes:

• Deepening Understanding: It provides an opportunity to further explore concepts introduced in class and helps strengthen understanding of the material.
• Skill Reinforcement: Regular practice helps solidify new skills and ensures application of learned content.
• Preparation: Completing this work helps students prepare for upcoming lessons and assessments as building blocks for learning.
• Assessing Progress: Teachers may use coursework completed outside of class for assessment purposes. This allows teachers to gauge work ethic and, more importantly, the independent level of understanding of the content. While daily practice may not always be graded for completion, major projects and long-term assignments will be graded to evaluate student proficiency.

We appreciate your partnership as we accurately communicate and support your child’s learning journey!