Students can show mastery in many ways. Grades will be based on summative assessments of skills. These assessments could take the form of a discussion, a writing assignment, a performance and more. Grades will not only be based on traditional tests.

One of the principles of this system is that students have an opportunity to reassess or retake assessments where they haven’t shown proficiency. A teacher may ask them to show evidence of practice before reassessment, but they will have an opportunity to reassess after some relearning.

Daily practice may still be assigned but this will be used to evaluate where the student is in the learning process, diagnose any problems and provide necessary feedback so the student can show progress on skill development. Students may also be asked to show that they’ve completed practice before they attempt a reassessment.

• Formative: To monitor student’s learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by teachers to inform their teaching and by students to improve their learning.
• Summative: To evaluate student’s learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Currently, grading practices vary from teacher to teacher in Rochester Public Schools. Some teachers may allow for re-assessments while in other classes, students have only one chance to show mastery. Some teachers grade homework or daily work, and others do not. Two students with the same academic performance can receive different grades because teachers’ grading policies differ. Additionally, some teachers evaluate students on criteria that are nonacademic and may be susceptible to bias. Implementing grading for learning practices will clearly and more objectively describe what students know and can do.

Implementing these principles serves all of our students well because we are accurately representing what they know and can do. Many times people worry about grades being limited to summative assessments, but these can take many forms. A summative assessment may be a discussion, a project, a test, or a lab report. Students who are not good test takers are also protected; with the grading for learning system, students can reassess on summative assessments. Teachers may ask students to engage in some practice or relearning before they take a reassessment.

Grading practices at college campuses are as variable as our grading practices in the K-12 world. Many college courses only grade summative assessments such as papers and exams while expecting reading and practice assignments to be completed in preparation of class, and are non-graded. 

Our goal is to ensure that students have a strong foundation and have mastered the standards for the courses they have taken so that they can be successful in college or their chosen career. 

Building administrators will provide support for implementation of these principles. District curriculum and instruction staff will also prepare professional development and provide guidance as buildings continue to implement the grading for learning big ideas.