At Bend-La Pine Schools, we believe that grades should reflect what students know and can do. Standards-Based Grading (SBG) is designed to provide clear, consistent, and meaningful feedback aligned to academic standards. This approach supports growth by focusing on learning outcomes rather than behaviors, effort, or extra credit.

Instead of averaging scores over time, SBG evaluates the most recent and consistent demonstration of learning. Each assignment or assessment is tied to a specific learning target, and students receive feedback that helps them understand their progress and next steps.

Standards-based grading provides a clearer and more accurate picture of each student’s strengths and areas for growth by focusing on demonstrated mastery of specific skills and knowledge. Unlike traditional grading, which often blends behavior, effort, and extra credit into a single score, this approach ensures that grades reflect what students have actually learned. It also promotes consistency across classrooms—so an “A” in one class means the same as an “A” in another—by aligning assessments to shared standards. Most importantly, standards-based grading shifts the emphasis away from points and toward meaningful learning, helping students and families focus on progress and proficiency rather than percentages.

SBG empowers students to take ownership of their learning. It encourages a growth mindset, reduces grade anxiety, and promotes equity by focusing on mastery rather than compliance.

We use a 4-point proficiency scale:

4 – Advanced: Demonstrates deep understanding and application beyond the standard.

3 – Proficient: Demonstrates consistent understanding of the standard.

2 – Developing: Demonstrates partial understanding; needs more practice.

1 – Beginning: Beginning to develop understanding; significant support needed.

0 – No Evidence: No attempt or insufficient evidence to assess.

A score of 4 – Advanced does not mean a student was perfect or made no mistakes. It means the student demonstrated advanced knowledge or understanding of the standard—often applying concepts in novel ways, showing depth of reasoning, or extending learning beyond grade-level expectations. This score reflects excellence, not perfection.

Students will still receive traditional letter grades and GPAs. Behind the scenes, teachers use standards-based evidence to determine final grades. This ensures that transcripts remain compatible with college admissions and scholarship requirements.

Each assessment in this course is aligned to one or more specific learning standards. As students complete assignments, projects, and assessments, they receive individual scores for each standard based on their demonstrated level of understanding. Over time, these scores are used to determine an overall score for each standard. At the end of the grading period, the overall standard scores are averaged to calculate a single numerical value, which is then converted into a traditional letter grade (conversion scale below). This ensures that final grades reflect a student’s mastery of the content, while still aligning with GPA and transcript requirements.

In our classes, we use something called a decaying average to figure out an overall score for each learning standard. That might sound complicated, but here’s what it really means:

We know that learning takes time—and that students might not get everything right the first time. So instead of treating all scores the same, we give more weight to most recent work. That way, if a student struggled early on but improved later, the grade reflects what they know now.

Here’s how it works:

• Most recent score counts for 65% of the overall score for that standard (not the overall grade).
• Earlier scores make up the other 35%.
• This helps the grade show growth and current understanding, not just the first try.