SDR educators offer feedback on target-based grading

One semester in, School District of Rhinelander educators recently told the board of education they believe the district is “on the right path” as students, staff and parents adjust to target-based grading.

The board’s Feb. 17 meeting featured an update on district’s move from traditional grading to the new assessment method which involves evaluating student performance based on specific learning targets.

The district adopted the new grading system at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. The school board’s first progress report on the transition was delivered during the group’s November meeting at which time district administration promised another update would be forthcoming after completion of the first semester.

“This is a process that takes time,” district superintendent Eric Burke stressed during the November meeting. “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.”

During the same meeting, Ryan Ourada, the district’s director of instruction, told the board it’s valuable for students to engage in what he called a “productive struggle” where they experience growth over time in their understanding of a particular concept.

“One of the biggest things is that we really want our students to chase their learning 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.”

The discussion during the Feb. 17 meeting included information on the grade point average (GPA) students posted during the first semester under the new system.

According to slides shown to the board, the GPA at Rhinelander High School was 2.75 in the first semester of the 2023-24 school year. In 2025, the number increased to 2.91.

At James Williams Middle School, the results flipped. In 2023-24, middle school students posted a 3.04 grade point average. In 2024-25, the number was 2.90.

In school year 2023-24, RHS had 24 percent of students having one or more F’s at the end of the first semester. The numbers were the same for the first semester of 2024-25 but the reassessment process helped more students become eligible for sports and other activities.

High school officials reported that, typically, 10-15 students are ineligible for sports due to failing grades. In the first semester of 2025, with the reassessment opportunities provided through target-based grading, that number was reduced to 7.

At James Williams Middle School, 19 percent of students had one or more F’s at the end of the first semester of the 23-24 school year. For the first semester of the 24-25 school year, that number increased to 24 percent. Only two middle school students were ineligible for sports due to failing grades, school officials reported.

Math interventionist Mark Jacobson and high school math teacher Taylor Kloehn provided the board with “boots on the ground” observations.

Jacobson said the implementation of targets has helped instructors to more quickly identify concepts students are struggling to master. He also detailed the district’s efforts to help those students who need extra assistance. This is accomplished primarily during flex periods, he said.

“Overall, you know change is not easy,” he said. “I understand. I’ve been in this job a long time and been teaching for 34 years as of this year. And I still really enjoy my job and I enjoy this community a great deal. I’ve seen benefits to this (change to target-based grading) overall. I think we’re on the right path. That’s my perspective as an interventionist.”

Kloehn concurred, calling the transition a “work in progress”. He said the use of targets has forced educators to scrutinize the curriculum.

“It really forced us to dive into our new curriculum, write those assessments, break them down into targets and then backtrack and say, how are we going to teach the kids this material. How are we going to get them ready for the assessment,” he explained, noting that tweaks are taking place as teachers learn that a particular target is too “expansive” and should be broken down into smaller targets.

“The actual targets themselves and what they’re gonna look like need to change and move over the new few years as our kids change, as our curriculum changes...” he said.

Kloehn also said he likes that the new system eliminates the competition of who earned the most points or the highest grades.

“It allows for students to see the little pieces of the bigger picture rather than just unit test scores in a grade book,” he added. “It’s a big change and some people are a little bit easier and quicker to adapt to change than others, so please be patient with teachers and I know that you guys are getting some frustration from parents and students and trust me, we hear those too. But I think the staff’s working toward some really, really good things.”

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.