Speakers: Michelle Cheng, Li Ye The impact of Standards-Based Grading (SBG) is not just limited to the grading system. It can actually change teachers’ instructional mindset, which in turn can affect everything teachers do in the classrooms. While many have heard about SBG, not many know how it can be implemented and what obstacles they may encounter. In this session, presenters will share firsthand experience in implementing SBG in their Chinese classrooms. From identifying the big ideas (the standards), what and how to measure performance to determining student success criteria, they will explain the steps involved and provide specific examples such as learning targets, unit design and assessments, and additional grading policies.

1. How Does Standards-Based
Grading Work in Our
Chinese Classrooms
Michelle Cheng, Li Ye
Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL
National Chinese Language Conference
April 29, 2016
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

2. Questions?
https://todaysmeet.com/SBGNCLC
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

3. Who we are
u Adlai E. Stevenson High School
u 34.5 miles north of Chicago Loop
u 4000 students
u 41% SBG school wide (2015-16)
u 90% SBG in WL
u Chinese 1 (2), 2x (2), 3x (2), 4x (1), AP (2)
How doesstandards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

4. One of our major roles as teachers is to
ensure the most fair and most accurate
interpretation of student performance.
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

5. Phases
u Phase I: Initial Steps
u Phase II: Assessment
u Phase III: Instruction
u Phase IV: Gradebook
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

6. How did we start?
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

7. How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

8. Phase I – Initial steps
1. What is the big idea?
2. What are we reporting?
3. How well are students performing in each target?
4. What are the tools (supporting content, success
criteria, etc.)?
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm
1. What is the big idea?

9. What should WL students be learning?
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

10. How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

11. What did we decide?
Three Standards
• Presentational Communication
• Interpersonal Communication
• Interpretive Communication
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

12. Phase I – initial steps
1. What is the big idea?
2. What are we reporting?
3. How well are students performing in each target?
4. What are the tools (supporting content, success
criteria, etc.)?
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

13. How should we report learning?
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm
Learning
Targets

14. 1st attempt: learning targets (2014)
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm
8 Learning Targets3 Communicative Modes
2A, 2B, 2C 3A, 3B
1A, 1B, 1C

15. 1st attempt: learning targets (2014)
I can express meaning in speaking (presentational speaking) 1A
I can write in characters to express meaning (presentational writing)
complexity, creativity, elaboration 1B
comprehensibility, accuracy 1C
I can create meaning through conversation (interpersonal speaking)
cohesiveness/elaboration/communication strategies 2A
comprehensibility, accuracy, fluency 2B
I can maintain daily target language use (interpersonal speaking) 2C
I can interpret an audio/visual source (listening) 3A
I can interpret a written passage (reading) 3B
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

16. WL division-­wide learning targets (2015)
I can create an original spoken message (presentational speaking) 1A
I can create an original written message (presentational writing) 1B
I can engage in conversation (interpersonal speaking) 2A
I can speak the target language (interpersonal speaking) 2B
I can interpret an audio/visual source (listening) 3A
I can interpret a written passage (reading) 3B
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

17. Phase I – initial steps
1. What is the big idea?
2. What are we reporting?
3. How well are students performing in each target?
4. What are the tools (supporting content, success
criteria, etc.)?
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

18. Gradation of proficiency
4: Exceeds expectations of mastery of LT
3: Meets expectations (demonstrates mastery of LT)
2: Approaching expectations (mastery of LT is in progress)
1: Does not meet expectations (not yet making progress or
making minimal progress toward mastery of the LT)
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

19. How well are students doing? (2014)
u 1A -­ I can express meaning in speaking
u 4 -­ I can create meaning on familiar topics with minimal hesitations and a
variety of details using a series of sentences.
u 3 -­ I can create basic meaning on familiar topics with minimal
hesitations with a variety of details using simple sentences.
u 2 -­ I can create basic meaning on familiar topics with some hesitations with
redundant details using memorized simple sentences.
u 1 -­ I can create basic meaning on familiar topics with many hesitations with
redundant details using memorized phrases/expressions and disconnected
words.
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

20. How well are students doing? (2015)
u 1A: I can create an original spoken message
u (Presenational Speaking)
u 4 -­ I can independently create a spoken message using above-­level
communication strategies and language control.
u 3 -­ I can independently create a spoken message using level appropriate
communication strategies and language control.
2 -­ I can independently create a spoken message using level and non-­
level appropriate communication strategies and language control.
u 1 -­ I can independently create a spoken message using non-­level
appropriate communication strategies and language control.
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

21. WL Division Rubrics
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

22. How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm
ACTFL IPA
Rubrics

23. Phase I – initial steps
1. What is the big idea?
2. What are we reporting?
3. How well are students performing in each target?
4. What are the tools (supporting content, success
criteria, etc.)?
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

24. Where does the supporting content go?
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

25. Supporting Details
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

26. Success Criteria
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

27. PHASE II: Assessment
u assessment vs. evaluation
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

28. Formative assessments
• warm-ups, exit slips, …
• role play, 1-minute speech, 2-minute speed-
dating, group story-telling, debate, …
• peer-assessment
• learning checks, self-reflection
• co-constructive feedback
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

29. or
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

30. How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

31. PHASE III: Instruction
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

32. How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

33. Chinese 2 Lesson Analysis
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

34. Chinese 2 Lesson Analysis
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

35. PHASE IV Gradebook
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

36. Matrix for Calculating Grade
Example: student’s body of work for the semester within each mode
Presentational Mode: 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 2 => 2-3 => 2
Interpersonal Mode: 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, 3 => 3-2 => 3
Interpretive Mode: 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3 => 3-2 => 3
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

37. Final Letter Grade Calculation
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm
Example: student’s body of work for the semester within each mode
Presentational Mode: 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 2 =>2-3 => 2
Interpersonal Mode: 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, 3 =>3-2 => 3
Interpretive Mode: 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3 =>3-2 => 3

38. Five students' scores from six assessments
of a learning target (www.ascd.org)
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

39. Algorithms yield summary grades different from
grades derived by teachers' professional judgment
(www.ascd.org)
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

40. About grading …
Trust Your Mind, Not Your Machine
Teachers who trust their own minds—knowing that
informed colleagues would likely make the same
judgment—offer grades that communicate
meaningful, reliable information to all.
Thomas R. Guskey and Lee Ann Jung, “Grading: Why You Should Trust Your Judgment“,
Educational Leadership, April 2016
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

41. Things to watch for …
u Weekly grade AG (Adequate Growth) may be misleading
u Parents need to be well informed
u Re-take/re-perform policy only benefits those who are
motivated students
u Reporting “behavior grade” or “social-emotional learning”
is necessary, but still under discussion
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm

42. What are our students saying about SBG?
• “I
can
re-­‐study/re-­‐take”
• “It
gives
us
a
goal”
• “Practice
can
make
a
difference”
• “I
like
that
the
feedback
that
I
receive
impacts
my
next
assessment
in
a
positive
way”
• “It’s
pushing
me
to
go
above
and
beyond”
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm
http://www.myebrexperience.com/

43. Thank You!
谢谢！
Michelle Cheng：mcheng@d125.org
Li Ye: li.ye1@d125.org
How does standards-based grading work in our Chinese classrooms? Friday, April 29 2:30 pm