BLOG | Unpacking Standards

MTSS Meets Standards-based Practice

By Sara Needleman

Several of us at JumpRope have engaged in a years-long conversation about the missed opportunities we see as schools adopt and learn to use standards-based practices alongside their existing implementation of Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Supports and Interventions (SWPBIS) and Response to Intervention (RTI), which, in combination, are commonly referred to as Multitiered Systems of Support … MTSS Meets Standards-based Practice

Recommended Summer Reading from JumpRope

By Sara Needleman

Happy summer to our JumpRope community. We thought some of you might welcome a list of summer reading as you begin to step away from your classrooms, schools, and offices or as you find a bit of spare time in the coming months. I compiled the following lists by culling the sources cited from this … Recommended Summer Reading from JumpRope

Proficiency Scales: WHY and HOW to Use them

By Sara Needleman

Learn why proficiency scales enhance clarity, feedback, and student agency in standards-based classrooms, and explore practical ways to use them to support learning.

Case Studies

JumpRope Helps District Move to Competency-Based Grading ― and Still Supports Them 12 Years Later

By The JumpRope Team / January 8, 2026

For 12 years, Governor Wentworth Regional School District has used JumpRope to support competency-based grading and clear family communication. Learn how teachers and administrators use JumpRope to easily share student progress with students and families.

16 Years of Empowering Student-Centered Grading in New York City

By The JumpRope Team / December 2, 2025

Leaders High School uses JumpRope to make student-centered grading a reality, empowering learners and supporting standards-based teaching.

JumpRope Made Grading Transparent in Massachusetts High School and Launched K-12 Within a Year

By The JumpRope Team / October 29, 2025

Massachusetts’ Salem Public Schools ― an urban district with 11 schools ― has been a JumpRope customer since 2024. After Salem High School had a great first year with JumpRope, the district decided to implement JumpRope in all grades K-12.

A Shift from Teaching to Learning

By Emily Rinkema and Stan Williams / February 12, 2014

Since moving to standards-based learning (SBL) in our classroom last year, the biggest difference has been the shift in focus from teaching to learning.