Priority Purposes

Priority Characteristics to Preserve or Establish

Priority Characteristics to Eliminate or Prevent

PREPARATION

·      Students are prepared for life after high school, whether academic study, vocational learning, business, service, or leadership.

·      Students are prepared with personal character traits like critical thinking and problem solving that will help them contribute successfully to society.

·      Students are prepared with practical life skills for communications, finances, productivity, and organization.

·      Students are prepared to succeed on individual pathways determined by their strengths and preferences.

INDIVIDUALIZED

·      Multiple forms of assessments give opportunities for different kinds of learners to demonstrate their mastery.

·      Teachers use formative assessments to reveal the status of current learning and identify needs for further learning.

·      Assessments and feedback are consistent across teachers through the use of common rubrics and explicit learning goals for comprehension and performance.

·      Feedback is timely and targeted to give students direction about what they need to improve.

UNGRADED HOMEWORK

·      Feedback on homework should include guidance as well as recorded scores that impact each student’s overall grade.

EASY OR FREQUENT RETAKES

·      Retest or retake opportunities must not motivate low effort on the first attempt.

INCONSISTENCY

·      Teachers should apply the same academic and work quality standards to the same kinds of assignments and assessments.

GRADE DEFLATION

·      Grades should reflect increased rigor and improved performance, not confusion or novel reporting systems.

COMMUNICATION

·      Assessment grades and feedback tell parents and students how the student is progressing toward mastery of content and skills.

·      Transcripts and profiles communicate to colleges in language that is clear, familiar, and comparable to other schools.

·      Grades and feedback inform students about their strengths and weaknesses.

·      Assessments measure and report performance quality defined by a rubric or detailed syllabus.

CLEAR ACCOUNTABILITY

·      Accountability expectations are clearly defined for students, parents, and teachers.

SOFT ACCOUNTABILITY

·      Expectations for student completion or performance are unclear or inconsistent.

·      Expectations for teacher feedback and reporting are unknown or unenforced.

FAMILIARITY

·     Report cards use familiar grading language and reflect effort as well as comprehension and skill.

·     Transcripts use language and formatting that matches what college admissions and scholarship committees expect.

OBSCURE LANGUAGE OR PROTOCOLS

·     Phrases like “modified majority” or “mode minus one” create confusion and require frequent redefinition.