The Ottumwa Community School District (OCSD) is excited to share insights from a recent panel discussion centered on the district’s implementation of Standards-Based Learning (SBL), a transformative approach to teaching, assessing, and reporting student achievement aimed at increasing student proficiency and learning, while closing achievement gaps.
Standards-Based Learning is a research-aligned educational feedback system that shifts the focus of grading from traditional point accumulation to clear, consistent communication of what students know and can do toward essential standards. Under this model, student progress is measured by academic proficiency on clearly defined essential standards rather than by homework completion, point accumulation, or other subjective factors blended into one letter grade.
Phased Implementation Across Grades
OCSD is rolling out Standards-Based Grading strategically across grade levels:
- 2022-23: Gateway High School implemented standards-based learning and grading.
- 2023-24: OCSD District Leadership Team developed and provided the district-wide vision and pathway for standards-based learning.
- 2024–25: Grades K-6 fully utilized standards-based grading.
- 2025–26: 7th grade joined the transition to standards-based grading.
- 2026–27: Grades 8–12 will implement standards-based grading while continuing to convert to letter grades at the end of the semester.
Why Standards-Based Learning Matters
Traditional grading systems often obscure specific strengths and areas for improvement by reducing learning to a single letter grade. Standards-Based Learning provides:
- Greater Consistency and Transparency — Grades reflect actual learning outcomes, minimizing subjectivity.
- Focused Feedback for Growth — Detailed feedback helps students understand next steps toward mastery and a deeper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
- Multiple Opportunities to Demonstrate Mastery — Students can show what they know in a variety of ways and revisit learning targets after intervention and/or additional practice.
During the panel discussion, education professionals from across the state and nation emphasized that this approach to grading and feedback benefits students by clarifying expectations and encouraging deeper engagement with learning and academic proficiency, rather than prioritizing task compliance or point chasing and point accumulation.
Core Features of OCSD’s SBL Approach
- A consistent 4-point grade scale anchored in mastery levels and proficiency scales.
- Academic achievement is reported separately from behavior, with a focus on essential academic learning standards.
- Grades are based on ongoing evidence of student learning, with growth over time emphasized in final grades and evaluations.
Extra credit is not factored into the final grade unless it contributes directly toward mastery of an academic standard.
