Implementing standards-based grading at Islamic Academy of Delaware
Date
2021
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This Educational Leadership Portfolio (ELP) addresses efforts and activities aimed at implementing standards-based grading (SBG) at the Islamic Academy of Delaware (IAD), a private co-ed elementary and middle school serving a diverse population of approximately 160 students. In the year 2018-2019, the school began efforts to transition to standards-based learning (SBL) through changes of curricula, delivering SBL professional development, introducing technology tools to support SBL, and communicating the change to stakeholders to secure their support. To continue with the transition, IAD began implementing SBG in grades 1-5 in 2019-2020. ☐ In this ELP, I addressed the essential activities I headed as a school leader to implement SBG in three domains: professional development, technology use, and parent buy-in. I addressed the school's professional development activities' scope to build teacher capacity to implement SBG. Through a standards-focused professional development plan that combined the benefit of using outside experts, follow-up classroom activities, and teacher collaboration through our professional learning community, we improved teacher capacity to facilitate SBG implementation. I also addressed the strategies implemented to communicate the change to parents and stakeholders to elicit community buy-in through various information and interaction tools such as open houses, parent-teacher conferences, social media, the grade book, and the report card. Furthermore, I identified the technology systems and tools employed to create a technology environment supportive of student learning, assessment, and grading coupled with training and ongoing technology support that enhanced teachers’ leverage to SBG. As part of my ELP, I have developed 12 evidence-based artifacts to inform me as a school leader, support implementation in the three domains mentioned above, and evaluate progress in the first year of implementation. ☐ SBL and SBG implementation is an ongoing process that will span the future life of IAD, and the activities addressed in my ELP constitute the beginning of that process. This ELP recommends planning for professional development, parent-buy in, and technology support as essential for implementing SBG. An integrated effort to encompass those three components will ensure the transition is seamless and student learning is uninterrupted. Building teacher capacity to implement SBG is essential. The change must be evidence-based using experts' help to establish schoolwide practices and dispel unfounded traditional practices and beliefs. Sustained efforts to keep parents informed and involved must be consistent, meaningful, and use various venues and school structures. The use of technology should be at the core of SBG. A student management system housing standards-based assessment, a grade book, and a report card is imperative. Sustained technology support and training on the use of technology is critical to seamless implementation.
Description
Keywords
Common Core State Standards, Competency Based Learning, Mastery Learning, Standards-Based Grading, Standards-Based Learning, Standards-Based Technology, Delaware