‘A productive struggle’

Students in the School District of Rhinelander are adjusting to the newly implemented target-based grading system, but it’s going to take time for them to become fully comfortable with an approach that requires them to “chase their learning,” district administrators told the school board during the panel’s Nov. 18 meeting.

As the River News previously reported, the decision to move from traditional to target-based grading was made after school officials spent nearly four years examining the district’s grading practices.

“Through this process, it became increasingly evident that students’ grades should reflect their comprehension of specific targets at a given point in time, rather than being determined by the percentage of work completed or an average of scores over time,” district officials explained in materials distributed to parents ahead of the fall term. “Adopting target-based proficiency grading enables students to gain a deeper understanding of their learning strengths and areas requiring improvement. It also provides them with direct and timely feedback on the specific areas and skills they need to concentrate on, thereby fostering a more effective learning process.”

The foundational beliefs/pillars of target-based grading are as follows:

• Formative practice (homework, quizzes, extra credit, etc.) is not counted within an academic achievement grade 

• Reassessment on all summative assessments without penalty

• Elimination of non-academic factors from the academic grade and report on them separately.

While the assessment process has changed, letter grades, GPA and class rank still exist, school officials have stressed.

The new proficiency criteria are:

3-PROFICIENT

Student has fully demonstrated the content proficiency and skill application for the particular learning target (at this point in the school year).

2-DEVELOPING

Student has partially demonstrated content proficiency for the particular learning target at this point in the school year. Partial proficiency indicates progress with gaps in understanding and/or misconceptions.

1-BEGINNING

Student has minimally demonstrated content proficiency for the particular learning target at this point in the school year. The student has large gaps in understanding and/or application and is able to show success only with significant adult assistance.

The district is also using a criteria it calls the “Hodag Score,”  which represents the personal qualities and traits of citizenship that, while separate from achievement, support academic performance,” according to the information sent to parents. “We believe the Hodag Score reflects the life skills that are critically important to the overall development of students.”

Listed under Hodag Score are qualities such as personal responsibility, work habits and social skills.

On Nov. 18, the administration provided the school board with a status report on the transition.

Prior to the presentation, during public comment, the board members also heard from a high school student who wanted to share a learner’s perspective on the change.

“I think, overall, we’re all feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by this target-based grading,” she told the board. “I understand we get to test again to try and improve our knowledge but if we just can’t understand something we face a lower grade and it feels like a punishment not being able to be as smart as I should be.”

The student went on to explain that teachers sometimes have limited time to help those who might be struggling with a particular concept. 

“We have to sign up for flex, and hope another teacher doesn’t request us that day. And if I manage to get the flex I need, there are up to 15 other students looking for help,” she explained. “I have to hope and pray that the teacher has time for me before flex is over.”

The student also presented the board with 56 signatures from other students who she said share her concerns about the change to target-based grading.

District administrator Eric Burke started the administration’s presentation with President John F. Kennedy’s famous 1962 quote about the quest to reach the moon.

 “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

“The responsibility of grading is on me and the administrative team,” he said, noting that he had a positive experience with target-based grading during his time with the Port Washington School District prior to coming to Rhinelander.

It has been “transformational” for other districts in the state as well, he added.

“This is a process that takes time,” he stressed. “We’re into our 10th week of the school year. Things are hard. We continue to work with our staff, and staff with the students, to make this work. Learning is always the focus.”

Ryan Ourada, the district’s director of director of instruction, said he’s experiencing the transition both as an administrator and as a parent. He said he believes he has a clearer understanding of his child’s learning journey, as a result of the change to target-based grading, and noted it’s valuable for students to engage in a “productive struggle” where they experience growth over time in their understanding of a particular concept.

Throughout the discussion, it was repeatedly stressed that there has to be support in place to help students as they work their way through the “productive struggle.”

To that end, it was noted that a rash of ones on an initial assessment is a sign to the teacher that “intensive reteaching” of a particular concept is necessary. Teachers are also taking advantage of flex periods to provide immediate assistance to those who need it, the administrators added.

Several of the school officials stressed that it has been satisfying to see students “take ownership” of their education by expressing a desire to participate in reassessments so they can improve rather than settle for a lower evaluation.

As the discussion continued, board member Patricia Townsend suggested repeated reassessments might not result in a student becoming more comfortable with a particular concept.

“You can reassess all you want, if a kid doesn’t get it, they don’t get it,” she said.

Others expressed confidence that this system is better than the old way where, as board member Judy Conlin put it, the teacher put a grade in a gradebook and moved on to the next lesson.

“Now they’re saying the learning is more important so we’re going to keep working with you so you do get it,” she said.

There is data indicating students are performing better under this system, Ourada noted.

As of Nov. 18, fewer students are failing courses and “student performance, at this point, is at or above where we have been historically,” he reported.

“One of the biggest things is that we really want our students to chase their learning and, and they can do that by understanding what they’re not learning,” added Richard Gretzinger, the district’s director of learning support. “Students are chasing their learning and I think that’s the big piece to hold onto.”

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].