Hillside Universal Assessment Practices

In conjunction with our foundational work with Grading from the Inside Out, the subsequent HMS Statement of Belief, the NPS Universal Grading Practices, and the presentation we gave to the Board, this document should offer some clarity and consistency around grading practices currently in place at Hillside Middle School.  Some of them are currently specific to Hillside while others replicate or extend the NPS Universal Grading Practices.

True North:  Hillside assessment practices will be driven by a twofold charge:  All practices will either increase the accuracy of the reported grade or will build student confidence in the likelihood of success.

Hillside Practice #1 - IB Rubric Scoring

What It Is:  All student assessments are scored on the 8-level scale.  Whenever possible, the assessment is aligned to one or more of the IB Rubrics for a given subject.  We no longer use the 100pt scale and only give A - E letter grades at quarterly report card time.

Why It Matters:  As an IB school, we should endeavor as much as possible to use the IB rubrics with fidelity.  This supports consistency and clear criteria for success while encouraging skill development and criterion-aligned feedback on student work.  IB Rubric scoring eliminates the mathematical problems (e.g. the crushing power of the zero) inherent to the 100pt scale.  

Hillside Practice #2 - Assessment v. Practice

What It Is:  Teachers will differentiate between practice and assessment, with only these two categories in each teacher’s gradebook.  Practice may earn teacher feedback and be recorded in the gradebook for student/parent information, but it will not count toward a student’s final performance level.  Assessment may come in many forms and will count toward the student’s final performance level.  Teachers should only place a task in the assessment category after providing instruction, giving students an opportunity to practice new skills, and giving them feedback on that practice.

Why It Matters:  When practice activities are not graded, students may feel more willing to take risks and make mistakes, both of which are essential for learning and growth.  It avoids penalizing students for not learning early, quickly, or without adult support at home.  It reduces the incentive for copying and other forms of academic dishonesty; if practice is graded, students might focus more on simply completing the work rather than truly understanding the concepts.  Finally, ungraded practice diminishes the impact of mean averaging and allows students to balance their workload in 7-9 daily classes.

Hillside Practice #3 - Re-Assessment

What It Is:  Students who have fully participated in the learning and practice process will earn the opportunity to reassess if they, or their teacher, believe that another assessment would demonstrate additional learning.  The opportunity to reassess has to be earned and student-initiated.  Teachers should have a process for students to follow between assessment and reassessment.  

Why It Matters:  Supporting student-initiated reassessment promotes a growth mindset and may offer a more accurate portrayal of student understanding. It teaches students that learning is a process and that improvement is always possible with effort and perseverance.  

Hillside Practice #4 - Students Earn Full Credit for What They Know

What It Is: Similar to the NPS Universal Grading Practice #1 and #3, students should not have academic scores raised/reduced due to behaviors (late submission, late arrival to class, academic dishonesty, etc.); a student who demonstrates learning at Level 6 earns a Level 6.  Behavior concerns should be addressed through the PBIS/MTSS process.   As long as teachers adhere to the minimum standard outlined in NPS Universal Grading Practice #2, they may communicate reasonable firm deadlines after which students may no longer earn credit.   

Why It Matters:  Grades should accurately represent a student’s mastery of the standards.  Lowering that representation for behaviors compromises accuracy.  

Hillside Practice #5 - Academic Honesty

What It Is:  Assessments are important measures of student understanding and should represent a student’s own intellectual effort.  When a student engages in academic dishonesty, that measure of student learning is now invalid.  However, its inclusion in a student’s overall grade remains important and giving a student a zero may not represent what they know.  The academic consequences for academic dishonesty include having to complete an alternative assessment as well as forfeiting the opportunity to reassess on that alternative assessment; additional behavioral consequences may apply pursuant to the NPS Code of Conduct.

Why It Matters:  Each assessment should communicate what a student knows and what they can do with what they know.  In order to present the most accurate overall grade, including valid scores for all assessments is paramount.  

Hillside Practice #6 - Final Exams

What It Is:  We do not give comprehensive final exams that require a student to re-demonstrate content knowledge they have previously demonstrated.

Why It Matters:  If a course is designed and taught in a way in which content is intentionally revisited throughout the year, then a teacher may give a cumulative assessment at the end of the course.  However, we do not give one assessment at the end of a course that disproportionately outweighs the value of all other assessments given during the year.