This past school year, standards-based grading and learning was fully implemented at Battle Mountain and Eagle Valley high schools. Over the past several years, Eagle County School District has provided professional learning for teachers and schools to take steps toward standards-based grading and learning. Some of these steps included eliminating zeros and extra credit, creating a culture of revision, and aligning expectations in each department. Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy implemented standards-based grading and learning in the 2021-22 school year.

Student voice is important to our organization, and so we surveyed students at Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley, and Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy about the implementation and execution of standards-based grading and learning. The survey was created by district leaders with input from students through focus groups and individual discussion and the questions were based on the five pillars of standards-based grading and learning: Accuracy, Academic Proficiency, Timely and Transparent Feedback, Culture of Revision, and Essential Skills.

Students shared some of the positive aspects they have encountered, recommendations for improvement, what is still confusing, and teachers they thought were doing an excellent job of implementation. We had 1,125 respondents from across the high school grade levels, which represents 54% of high school students enrolled at the three high schools. Teachers were also asked to take a feedback survey, which mirrored the student survey.

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While survey teams won’t dig into all of the data gathered from these surveys until later this summer, three highlights and three challenges stood out from the responses.

The first high point was that teachers are using rubrics and proficiency scales to assess standards. In the student survey, 72% said their teachers used a rubric and/or proficiency scale to assess standards in all or many of their classes, with roughly 27% of those responses identifying use in all of their classes.

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The second point of celebration is that students feel they’re being graded on a variety of tasks. This is valuable to offer a more holistic assessment approach and taps into diverse learning styles and talents while reducing bias. For 74% of respondents, this occurs in all or most of their classes.

The third initial highlight from the student survey is that students have opportunities to revise their work to show their best understanding of the content. Allowing students to revise and resubmit work is called a “Culture of Revision.” Provided they have taken steps to improve their understanding, students have the chance to revisit assignments, advance their learning, complete revision promptly and seek out feedback and support from their teacher. About 67% of students said they had opportunities to redo work in many or all of their classes, and fewer than 4% said none of their classes had revision opportunities.

As with any new initiative, some challenges must be overcome. The first challenge revealed by the survey data is that students don’t feel they’re receiving timely feedback on their work. Proficiency scales and rubrics provide students with the necessary steps to learn concepts and skills and revise their work effectively. Nearly 53% said the feedback they receive helps them know that they can improve, but just under 50% of students indicated they receive timely feedback on their learning in some or all of their classes.

The second hurdle was identified as sharing standards and learning targets in a way students understand. Sharing the standard(s) and/or learning targets is a valuable teaching strategy that helps students understand where they are to the learning goal and directs the feedback students receive to help them reach proficiency and beyond. In this survey, 51% of students at Battle Mountain and Eagle Valley reported that standards/learning targets were shared in a way they understood at the beginning of the lesson. This percentage was higher at Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy at 65%.

Finally, the data showed that juniors and seniors are struggling more than freshmen and sophomores. Answering in the negative, only 16% of freshmen do not feel that standards-based grading helped them focus on learning compared to 32% of seniors. When asked if the grading system motivates them to strive for academic success, the results were similar, with 16% of freshmen and 30% of seniors disagreeing that it motivates them to strive for academic success.

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The disparity between older and younger students may have to do with how juniors and seniors focus on their grades and the inherent anxiety that comes with changing the grading system. It may also be the result of younger students having had more experience with standards-based grading when they were in middle school.

The results of this survey provide points of pride and areas for improvement. Changing grading systems takes time and practice, for both staff and students. This survey data will help guide professional development in the coming year to improve standards-based grading practices throughout the district. We are grateful for all who contributed to the process and are eager to continue this important work.

Dr. Katie Jarnot is the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Eagle County Schools. Email her at catherine.jarnot@eagleschools.net.