What does a 1, 2, 3, or 4 actually mean?
The problem
This one takes a surprising amount of alignment.
A 3 is mastery. Not almost mastery. Not pretty good. Mastery. You've got it. You don't need to learn more about that particular target.
A 2 means you understand the foundational skills that lead up to the 3.
But there are all these other rubrics floating around where a 2 means emerging, or a 3 means you're almost there. They're close enough to sound right, but they're not the same thing.
And then teachers start using different definitions, and kids hear different things from different teachers.
Getting everyone aligned is a big part of the how.
— from the sideby team's own observations
How educators have handled it
Different schools, different approaches. None of these is the one right answer.
No stories here yet.
Somebody out there has figured this one out — or at least tried something worth hearing about. It could be you.
Have you figured something out?
Have you found a way to make this work? Other educators would love to hear about it.
Share what workedSometimes the best way to solve a problem is to talk to someone who's already worked through it.
Related challenges
Athletic eligibility
“At the beginning of the semester, kids might have all ones. And that's exactly where they're supposed to be! They haven't learned the stuff yet. But it looks bad.”
GPA translation
“At some point, you've got to figure out how your proficiency scores translate into a GPA.”
Parent and student education
“Sometimes parents see something new and think, "new thing, bad," and reject it outright.”