Developing Standards-Based Report Cards

Thomas R. Guskey, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Chicago's renowned Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistical Analysis (MESA) program, he began his career in education as a middle school teacher, served as an administrator in the Chicago Public Schools, and was the first Director of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning, a national educational research center. He is the author/editor of twenty-seven books and over three hundred articles published in prominent research journals as well as Educational Leadership, Kappan, and The School Administrator. Dr. Guskey served on the Policy Research Team of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, and on the task force to develop the National Standards for Professional Development. He was named a Fellow in the American Educational Research Association and was awarded the Association's prestigious Relating Research to Practice Award. He was also awarded Learning Forward's Outstanding Contribution to the Field Award and Phi Delta Kappan's Distinguished Educator Award. Perhaps most unique, in the 158-year history of his undergraduate institution, Thiel College, he is one of only three graduates to receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award and be inducted into the Thiel College Athletic Hall of Fame. His most recent books include Implementing Mastery Learning (2023), Instructional Feedback: The Power, the Promise, the Practice (with Smith & Lipnevich, 2023); Get Set, Go! Creating Successful Grading and Reporting Systems (2020), What We Know About Grading (with Brookhart, 2019), and On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting (2015). He may be contacted by email at guskey@uky.edu, Twitter at @tguskey, or at www.tguskey.com. Jane Bailey grew up in Chelsea, Michigan, earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Michigan State University, and embarked on her career in public education teaching English and reading at Petoskey High School in Petoskey, Michigan. She went on to serve as high school principal in Alanson and Harbor Springs, Michigan; as staff development coordinator at the Char-Em Intermediate School District in Charlevoix, Michigan; and as director for curriculum and staff development for the Petoskey Public Schools, from which she retired in 2008. She was a nationally known education consultant, a gifted presenter, and co-author of three books on education. Bailey was admired by many as a role model and served as a mentor to numerous young educators. She was a dedicated wife, a proud mother, and the very best of friends. Her kindness, charm, keen sense of humor, and irrepressible spirit inspired everyone who knew her. She left the world a better place because of her passion for life, her dedication to public education, and her commitment to excellence in teaching.

About the Authors 1. Getting Started The Difficulty of Change The Need for Change Why Standards Instead of Letter Grades? Guiding Premises Our Purpose Our Organizational Scheme Our Hope 2. The Importance of Standards Defining "Standards" Five Essential Understandings Standards-Based Report Card Development Levels Summary 3. Defining the Purpose Purpose Questions Leading Discussions About Purpose Key Questions in Defining the Purpose Making the Purpose Clear Method Follows Purpose Purpose Determines the Development Process Multiple Purposes Means Multiple Reporting Elements Focus on a "Reporting System" Summary 4. Developing Reporting Standards Reporting Standards The Development Process Three Types of Learning Goals Conflicts in Reporting on Different Learning Goals Meaning Solutions to the Conflicts Summary 5. Essential Steps in Development: Part I Crucial Questions in the Development Process Summary 6. Essential Steps in Development: Part II Additional Crucial Questions in the Development Process Summary 7. Developing Reporting Forms Defining the Purpose Selecting the Method Based on the Purpose Effective Reporting Forms Combining Methods of Reporting Format and Graphic Layouts Design Processes Additional Sample Reporting Forms 8. Piloting and Revising Broad-Based Involvement Focus Groups Parent, Teacher, and Student Surveys Test-Driven Reporting Back to the Drawing Board Informing the Community Professional Development Parent Education Programs 9. Beyond the Report Card: Developing a Reporting System The Importance of Purpose The Challenge of Communications Tools for a Comprehensive Reporting System Guidelines for Better Practice Summary References Index

"This is a must-read for devoted Guskey-Bailey disciples! This latest addition to their collective wisdom provides clear measures for addressing the unique grading challenges of children with special education needs and children considered gifted or talented in the regular education classroom. Teachers who collaborate on students' grades will find the recommended practices to be fair, logical, and an excellent way to communicate student learning." -- Melanie Goffen Horowitz, Principal "Guskey and Bailey clearly articulate the need for reform on one of today's most pressing issues in education: grading and reporting. Throughout the book, they offer realistic solutions to improve how educators communicate a student's academic progress to all stakeholders. Their work provides the practitioner with the research, step-by-step guidelines, and reporting templates so a faculty is ready to begin the dialogue to develop a standards-based report card. The research has helped us answer the two main questions: 'What goes into a grade?' and 'How do we report it out?' This work, without a doubt, is a model for schools that want to improve their system of grading and reporting. It certainly has transformed ours!" -- Jeffrey Erickson, Assistant Principal