Dear Parents and Guardians and Students:
Before we begin the 2022-23 school year, we told you that a plan regarding standard-based learning and grading (SBL&G) would be shared prior to the start of the school year. As promised at the end of the last school year, our school teams reviewed and reflected on the grading and reporting practices at both of our secondary schools over the summer. This letter includes the plan for standard-based learning and grading (SBL&G) that will be in place for the 2022-2023 school year. As a PreK-12 International Baccalaureate (IB) school division, the principles and philosophies of the IB program underscore the implementation of instructional practices. We have obtained feedback from stakeholders (students, teachers, and parents) on grading and reporting practices and it has been helpful in the development of our next steps and we appreciate the engagement and feedback we have received.
As good IB practitioners, we have been reflecting upon the implementation and impact of our reporting system, specifically at the secondary level.
For the 2022-23 school year, the following grading and reporting practices will be in place.
Henderson: For the 2022-23 school year, reporting practices will remain the same at Henderson Middle School. Students receive feedback about their proficiency on a set of defined Middle Years Programme (MYP) subject-specific criteria. Students will receive standards based learning and grading scores based on summative assessment scores on criteria A, B, C, and D and converted to a traditional letter grade (A-F) only at the end of a course.
Meridian: For the 2022-23 school year, the reporting practices will include two shifts which reflect the needs of all stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, support services). These stakeholders shared a desire for greater clarity, consistency, and simplicity in the reporting of student grades.
For quarterly progress reports, student grades will be shared using a traditional A-F score for all Meridian classes.
Final grades for every class will be calculated using an 80% / 20% summative-formative split. Formatives will count for 20% of a final grade and summatives will count for 80%. This practice is already in place for non-SBL&G courses.
While this is a shift away from the practice of the past three years, it does not represent a shift away from the core beliefs in implementing IB instructional and assessment best practices. Students in grades 6-10 will continue to be assessed on the four IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) criteria of each discipline. Students in IB Diploma Programme (DP) courses in grades 11-12 will continue to be assessed on the criteria of each discipline.
By making this transition in reporting at the high school, our goal is to shift the conversation from how to make SBL&G work (reporting) to how we use its philosophy consistently in our practice (grading and assessment practices). We remain committed to providing IB infused teaching and learning for all secondary students.
Enjoy the remainder of your summer. We are looking forward to seeing our Huskies and Mustangs on campus later this month!
Respectfully,
Valerie K. Hardy
Head of Secondary Schools