Dousing the Flames of Grading Reform

Key Themes in Helping Parents Understand Grading Reforms

By Chad Lang

Since embarking on our grading reform journey in 2013, Glenwood Community School District in southwest Iowa has faced trials and triumphs, as well as experienced success in helping parents understand and appreciate standards-referenced grading for their students.

Our commitment to refining and improving the grading system continues, ensuring we adapt to the evolving needs of our students and parents. This dedication has contributed to Glenwood schools consistently achieving top-tier rankings in statewide assessments and being recognized as a National Model PLC District in 2024. Navigating obstacles is an ongoing process, but we view it as an opportunity for continuous growth.

Our district underwent a transformative shift to standards-referenced grading in the early 2010s, which impacted students, teachers and parents alike. The fact our journey is ongoing underscores our dedication to using an effective grading system that measures student performance.

Over the past decade, three key themes related to grading reform and parental involvement have emerged.

Parents need time to understand grading reform changes and constants.

Effective communication in grading reform must emphasize continuity alongside change. Many school grading reforms falter by implementing sweeping changes all at once. At Glenwood Community School District, we made several changes at once, too, starting with a school board policy that redefined homework to focus solely on feedback (not grades), eliminated zeros from the gradebook, phased out the traditional 100-point scale and implemented a reassessment policy across grades 6-12 within the first two years.

Throughout these transformations, the district committed to retaining some grading practices such as using report cards, high school transcripts, grade point averages and grades for extracurricular eligibility. Looking back, we recognize the importance of first communicating the rationale behind these changes and gradually phasing out traditional grading practices to give parents more time to adjust.

When introducing new grading procedures and policies, our goal was to modernize grading practices to better reflect student learning and growth. We wanted to honor but update grading traditions. For example, at the high school level, we shifted from honoring a valedictorian to recognizing all graduates with GPAs of 3.50 and above, and during the graduation ceremony, students stand alongside their parents.

Parent learning and communication must be ongoing.

Effective parent learning and ongoing communication are essential for sustained school reform efforts. Often, schools initially engage in intense activities such as board work sessions, parent forums and consultant engagements. However, over time, this enthusiasm for learning can dwindle, posing challenges as new cohorts of parents show up at our schoolhouse doors.

We recognized the ongoing need to provide consistent programmatic support to parents as they navigate standards-referenced grading. Each year, we organize Parent University sessions aligned with parent-teacher conferences, which are recorded and made available online. We also distribute one-page summaries in digital and print formats through district newsletters, highlighting the benefits of our grading practices.

But we know the difference between notification and communication, so we include parents as standing members in monthly school improvement committee meetings to ensure alignment between our intentions and perceptions. Our next step involves establishing parent and student advisory committees in each school building to enable feedback in a more timely manner.

Meet the predictable obstacles with preparation and understanding.

We understand that grading is deeply rooted in educational traditions and provides parents with a sense of familiarity based on their own experiences. In our district, we approach parent communication by drawing parallels to workplace and societal expectations, emphasizing competency over mere compliance and completion.

For instance, we illustrate how traditional grading metrics like averaging, completion-based computation and the use of zeros could compromise the validity of assessments in professions such as auto mechanics, aviation and health care. Addressing common parental misconceptions and concerns, including fears about lowered academic standards and college admissions impact, means we proactively present data and evidence of the success of our students. While not implying causation, our students have improved in academic performance and college placements, especially post-pandemic, contrasting with many national and state trends.

Chad Lang is assistant superintendent of school improvement and human resources with Glenwood Community School District in Glenwood, Iowa.