There's much more to learning than grades

    As a teacher of a career technology education course, I find grading a daunting task. For the subjects I teach, I'm more concerned that the student learn how to perform an overall task or job, than whether or not they can pass a quiz or test. To me, watching my journalism students in the field videoing and photographing events, interviewing students and teachers, selling a local business an advertisement, or creating social media posts shows me those lessons that I have taught them. 

    However, in education As and Bs are still the standard when it comes to grading. That's why I was glad to read about comparisons in standards-based grading and competency-based education. 

Standards-Based Grading

    Standards-based grading involves measuring students' proficiency on well-defined course objectives (Scriffny, 2008). While many schools adopt both traditional and standards-based grading, there is an argument that standards-based grading can and should replace traditional grades. 

    Seven reasons that standards-based grading should replace point-based grades:

    1. Grades should have meaning - Schools still want letter grades, so grades should have a focused idea of what they mean. An A means students have completed proficient work in all course objectives and advance work in some objectives. An F means students have completed proficient work on fewer than one-half of the course objectives and cannot successfully complete the next course in sequence. B means students have just completed proficient work on all objectives, but haven't gone above that. A C means students have completed proficient work on the most important objectives, but not all, and the student can continue to the next course. 

    2. We need to challenge the status quo - Take homework. Many teachers feel that homework is essential to award grade points. I, personally, do not like homework, but I know at times it has to be given. Instead using systematic and extensive feedback on assignments sends students the message that they can and should do homework as practice. 

    3. We can control grading practices - There are a lot of things as teachers that we can't control, but we can control how we assess students. If a teacher must use a point system to satisfy an administrative mandate or to use a particular grade book, that teacher can still use a standards-based system. The crucial idea is to use a system that is not based on the inappropriate use of averages. The system must not allow students to mask their level of understanding with their attendance, their level of effort, or other peripheral issues.

    4. Standards-based grading reduces meaningless paperwork - It enables teachers to get the most from every piece of paper students turn in. Writing feedback only on selected homework problems saves time, but the teacher still gets a sense of where students are in their learning. Assessments aren't given until the teacher is confident that a reasonable number of students will score proficiently. Students who are still struggling after a significant portion of the class has demonstrated mastery can retest  individually.

    5. It helps teachers adjust instruction - (see table example below) The standards-based grade book gives a wealth of information to help the teacher adjust instruction. Note that two objectives (1 and 3) may require more class instruction. The notations for Objective 2, on the other hand, suggest that the class only needs practice and one student needs some reteaching. Students can also see much more information about their learning. Gifted and talented students can be challenged, while students who struggle can easily retest and use alternate assessments. The grade book simply shows where they are in meeting the standards, without reference to how they are demonstrating their learning or what modifications needed to be made.

    6. It teaches what quality looks like - In the real world, quality matters. The ability to measure the quality of one's own work is a learned skill. One way to teach quality is to create an environment where standards can and must be met and where students are not permitted to submit substandard work without being asked to revise. If we base our grades on standards rather than attendance, behavior, or extra credit (which often has nothing to do with course objectives), we can actually help students grapple with the idea of quality and walk away with a higher degree of self-sufficiency.

    7. It's a launchpad to other reforms - No one can use standards-based grading without clear standards. Standards-based grading leads to improving curriculum, and new ways to use formative assessments and intervention strategies. This also leads to a better relationship with parents by giving them back better information. 

(Scriffiny, 2008)

(YouTube: Competency Based vs Traditional Education from Office of Innovation for Education)

Competency-based education

    Competency-based education has increased in popularity as the downfalls of traditional grading systems have become more apparent, such as an over focus on grades. Competency-based models have attempted to address these concerns and improve the educational experience of students by expanding the focus from grades to student growth and skill obtainment (Boss and McKendree, 2022).

    One area of education that competency-based education has become useful is the increase in Career Technical Education (CTE). Research in broader post-secondary education has also explored other models of competency-based education, such as mastery-oriented assessment. A key foundation of mastery assessment is evaluating students’ learning relative to previously established learning goals, instead of other student performance (Boss and McKendree, 2022). In most CTE classes, students are learning skills that will lead them toward a job or a career in that field. 

    In my journalism classes, students learn photography, videography, Adobe programs, such as Premier Pro and Photoshop, communication skills like interviewing and storytelling, and graphic design, social media and technology skills. I'm teaching these students how to master these skills. When it comes to my grading, my students learn by using these skills over and over in as many real world situations I can place them. In CTE, students use grades as a learning tool, understanding their progress without facing penalties for incorrect answers. The shift is away from traditional grading, with a focus on assessment and feedback as an ongoing conversation for student growth (Jensen, 2024). 

    The students' mission is no longer merely to beat other students in the achievement race. At least part of their goal must be to become competent. Teachers must believe that all students can achieve a certain level of academic success, must bring all of their students to believe this of themselves, must accommodate the fact that students learn at different rates by making use of differentiated instruction, and must guide all students toward the attainment of standards (Stiggins, 2005). 

    Competency-based education, whether in CTE or other content areas, represents a positive shift in education, emphasizing understanding over traditional grading metrics (Jensen, 2024). Recommendations for practice include suggesting CTE teachers and secondary schools that have not yet implemented a competency-based model consider implementing one – but with the understanding there will be challenges. Teachers must adjust to the possibility of struggles initially, but with administrative support and support of other teachers it can be an effective model for student learning and engagement (Boss and McKendree, 2022). 

(YouTube: What Every Teacher Ought to Know About the Teks from Tree Top Secret)

TEKS

    The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) are the state standards for what students should know and be able to do (TEA, 2024). These are the standards that Texas Public School should know and have to adhere to at each grade level or within specific subject areas. 

    Even CTE classes like mine have TEKS. Mine can be found in Chapter 130. Career and Technical Education under Subchapter C Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications. Even using methods such as competency-based grading or standards-based grading, you can, as a teacher, still hit all of the TEKS required for your class. One of my TEKS in Audio/Video Production I is to make sure "students use innovative thinking to develop new ideas and processes for solving real-world issues and conveying those ideas to a global audience through a digital product" (TAC, 2015). How I do this is every two weeks my students produce a news broadcast about school and community issues. What stories used in the broadcast come straight for their brainstorming sessions with my supervision. It's completely student run and then put out on our YouTube channel for anyone to watch. How I grade these students is how well they use all the skills I've taught them to put together the broadcast. I've created a rubric that helps me.     Students are still meeting state standards, but they are learning real world job skills.

 

(Ozona High School Lion Media Students covering the Shattered Dreams event in April 2024)

The Future

    I am entering my sixth year of teaching. All I have taught has been CTE courses. I am glad to see these type of courses coming back into public schools and expanding into numerous areas. It's tricky balancing competency-based education with all the standards that are put into public schools. 

    One of the potential challenges for teachers is the shift in what is expected of them before and during instruction. However, meeting this shift in expectations may result in more effective instructional experiences with students (Boss and McKendree, 2022). 

    One thing I love about CTE teaching is seeing the student, who may not perform the best in those core classes, shine in my classroom when they master a new skill. They may not be the top of their class, but in my classroom they are the stars. 

Future Reference: Building a Strong Relationship Between Competency-Based Pathways and Career Technical Education

References

(n.d.). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Texas Education Agency. Retrieved July 19, 2024, from https://tea.texas.gov/academics/curriculum-standards/teks-review/texas-essential-knowledge-and-skills

(n.d.). TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ARTS, AUDIO/VIDEO TECHNOLOGY, AND COMMUNICATIONS. Texas Administrative Code. Retrieved July 19, 2024, from https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=130&rl=87

Boss, C., & McKendree, R. B. (2022). Career and Technical Education Teachers’ Perspectives of Evidence-Based Grading. Journal of Research in Technical Careers, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.9741/2578-2118.1110

Jensen, K. (2024, February 15). What all content areas can learn from CTE’s Competency-Based Grading. Atlas. Retrieved July 19, 2024, from https://www.onatlas.com/blog/what-core-and-arts-departments-can-learn-from-ctes-competency-based-grading#:~:text=Students%20are%20also%20evaluated%20on,understanding%20over%20traditional%20grading%20metrics. 

Scriffiny, P. L. (2008). Seven Reasons for Standards-Based Grading. Educational Leadership Expecting Excellence, 66(2), 70-74. https://ascd.org/el/articles/seven-reasons-for-standards-based-grading

Stiggins, R. (2005). From Formative Assessment to Assessment for Learning: A Path to Success in Standards-Based Schools. The Phi Delta Kappan, 87(4), 324–328. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20441998

Townsley, M. (2014, November 11). What is the Difference between Standards-Based Grading (or Reporting) and Competency-Based Education? Aurora Institute. Retrieved July 19, 2024, from https://aurora-institute.org/cw_post/what-is-the-difference-between-standards-based-grading/