Mastery Based Grading
An Overview of Outcomes
The Young Women’s Leadership School, Astoria
Instead of receiving only one grade for an entire class, each student is given a rating for each skill in that class. Outcomes are year or semester long- for some electives. Many schools use this as a way to assess students, including the whole state of Maine!
We use Shared Outcomes that integrate “21st century skills”. Every teacher, in every subject uses these outcomes. You will notice jumprope will show the same BIG skills for each class, but the TARGET skills in each class will be different. You can access jumprope online 24 hours a day, there is a link on the school website: tywls-astoria.org. Below you will find helpful links and more specific information about outcomes.
We use Shared Outcomes that integrate “21st century skills”. Every teacher, in every subject uses these outcomes. You will notice jumprope will show the same BIG skills for each class, but the TARGET skills in each class will be different. You can access jumprope online 24 hours a day, there is a link on the school website: tywls-astoria.org. Below you will find helpful links and more specific information about outcomes.
Quick Links Related to Outcomes
Shared Outcomes and Outcome Targets
Shared Outcome: is the category that the skill fits into. These categories are 21st century skills needed to be successful in college and beyond. (Plan, Argue, Discern, Communicate, Conclude, Be Precise, Collaborate, Create, Innovate, Investigate)
Within an outcome, students either Meet Standards (MS), Exceed Standards (ES) or “Not Yet” (NS)
Why Use Outcomes? (some of the reasons…)
Shared Outcomes
*Common Core Aligned
(click here to see common core alignment!)
Discern: View, read, and listen with focused attention to what matters.
Conclude: Infer meanings, analyze information and develop valid ideas based on evidence and analysis.
Communicate: Make ideas and information understood, mindful of audience, purpose, and setting.
Argue:Build a case for and defend conclusions reached, based in sound logic and valid evidence.
Be precise: Accurately represent solutions, ideas, and language.
Collaborate: Work effectively with others to achieve common goals.
Plan: Make deliberate plans, reflect, and persevere in order to achieve goals.
Create:Produce or develop a product for expression.
Innovate: Develop new and helpful ways of looking at opportunities, challenges, and problems.
Investigate: Ask and refine a researchable question, design a valid experiment or inquiry and gather appropriate info to complete the inquiry.
Interested in checking out some of our websites and rubrics? In addition to the units you will find on my website for 11th grade ELA, we are working on these...read: working, so please view with a grain of teacher salt and know we are constantly revising! The websites are the most updated...
Once you visit the website, click around to see numerous examples
Within an outcome, students either Meet Standards (MS), Exceed Standards (ES) or “Not Yet” (NS)
- MS means a student is performing this skill at grade level.
- ES means this student’s work is consistently above and beyond what is required.
- NY means students haven’t shown they can perform this task consistently, YET. They will have opportunities to work on these skills in the future.
- Some possible examples:
- Argue ELA Target: Formulates and defends an argument using a variety of evidence from multiple sources
- Investigate Science Target: Conduct an investigation using the scientific method to explain a concept
Why Use Outcomes? (some of the reasons…)
- The students and parents can see exactly what it is they need to work on.
- Grades are no longer a mystery. We no longer have to ask ourselves "why is it an 'A?' Because she is good at division? Because she turns her work in on time?" We know exactly what skill students are strong at and those they need to work on.
- Students have many opportunities to work on their skills throughout the year on different assignments. This means they are able to TRANSFER the skill from assignment to assignment. Transferring a skill from task to task is the strongest way to show you can really do something.
- By using the same Shared Outcomes in every course, we can see how students are doing in that area from course to course. If a student is exceeding in Communicating in ELA but not in Science, that is good information for both teachers and students to move forward in their work.
- The teacher is responsible for selecting content, materials and projects that will help students both access and be challenged as they strengthen their skills. All of the course work is connected to the state standards in that particular subject and the skills and content that help to prepare students for any state test connected to that course. In fact, teachers spend time analyzing their test and connecting each skill/content to our outcome targets.
Shared Outcomes
*Common Core Aligned
(click here to see common core alignment!)
Discern: View, read, and listen with focused attention to what matters.
Conclude: Infer meanings, analyze information and develop valid ideas based on evidence and analysis.
Communicate: Make ideas and information understood, mindful of audience, purpose, and setting.
Argue:Build a case for and defend conclusions reached, based in sound logic and valid evidence.
Be precise: Accurately represent solutions, ideas, and language.
Collaborate: Work effectively with others to achieve common goals.
Plan: Make deliberate plans, reflect, and persevere in order to achieve goals.
Create:Produce or develop a product for expression.
Innovate: Develop new and helpful ways of looking at opportunities, challenges, and problems.
Investigate: Ask and refine a researchable question, design a valid experiment or inquiry and gather appropriate info to complete the inquiry.
Interested in checking out some of our websites and rubrics? In addition to the units you will find on my website for 11th grade ELA, we are working on these...read: working, so please view with a grain of teacher salt and know we are constantly revising! The websites are the most updated...
Once you visit the website, click around to see numerous examples