Defining What it Means to Exceed a Standard in a Mastery-based Grading System
What does it look like when a student moves beyond mastery in a mastery-based grading system? In a recent post, I discussed the imperative to define “exceeds” clearly in a mastery-based grading system.
I suggested that one of the stumbling blocks to doing so is that it’s hard to name and describe what learning beyond the mastery level might look like. I argue that embracing that challenge is as much our duty as defining clear learning targets. How, then, do we do this? How do we clearly delineate “exceeds/distinguished?”
Like any task worth undertaking, this one requires invoking the right tools. Each time I design an assessment, I turn to one of several thinking taxonomies.
My favorites include the following:
Understanding Mastery and Exceeding Targets in Education
These tools help me think through what I want my students to learn and, therefore, demonstrate as evidence of mastery. Once I’m clear on what mastery should look like for a given learning activity, I can consider what moving beyond it will entail and what the corresponding product might look like.
First, I examine the taxonomy I’m working with to locate mastery for the target within it. Let’s start with Bloom using an example raised by some kindergarten teachers in Biddeford, Maine. The question was: If the target is to count to 100, is counting to 102 exceeding the target? My answer was no. See the graphic below for my explanation.
Here’s another example using the Six Facets verbs. In reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, an ELA teacher would like their students to interpret the text. If interpreting the text is the mastery target, they need to look further along in the taxonomy to figure out what exceeding the target could look like.
See the graphic below for how to do this. Note that taking perspective and garnering empathy both rely on mastering interpretation, and they ask students to think even more critically.
Let’s look at one more example that uses Marzano’s taxonomy. In a physical science class, if the students are exploring the relationship between mass and velocity, the target might be to explain or describe how mass affects velocity. We might ask students to move beyond an explanation by making and testing predictions.
Utilizing Thinking Taxonomies to Define and Assess Mastery Levels
I find defining “exceeds” when writing rubrics or scoring criteria for mastery is challenging. Taking on this task in a vacuum sets me up to spin my wheels and end up frustrated.
Invoking a thinking taxonomy takes that pressure off, and it helps me consider and describe mastery and learning beyond mastery in new and interesting ways. Thinking taxonomies provide me with language and ideas I seldom find on my own while also supporting me in designing more creative and interesting assessments.
If you’d like to learn more about how JumpRope can assist you in implementing a mastery-based grading system, reach out today for a discussion.
