Standards-Based Learning
Dr. Tammy Heflebower and Dr. Beverly Clemens, Marzano Research Educational Consultants, led Greensburg Salem's standards-based learning teams in the implementation of aligned instructional practices.
The Greensburg Salem elementary schools have updated the standards-based report card.
For the first three quarters of the school year, each child will receive a standards-based learning progress report. The standards-based learning progress report will reflect the growth your child is demonstrating to meet the grade-level standards by the end of the school year.
Standards-based learning is a process of identifying the most important knowledge and skills in each grade level and content area. It requires a collection of a child’s work to determine the progress for proficiency. By implementing standards-based learning, consistent grading practices are established across the district based on the achievement of what students should know and are able to do at each grade level.

Every child learns at a different pace. Standards-based learning allows each child to focus on his or her growth towards proficiency on the end-of-the-year standard.
Resources and Articles
Would you like more information on Standards-Based Grading? We have listed some resources for you below.
Books (links to Amazon)
- A Handbook for Developing & Using Proficiency Scales in the Classroom by J.K. Hoegh, T. Heflebower, & P. B. Warrick, 2020
- A School Leader's Guide to Standards-Based Grading, by T. Heflebower, J.K. Hoegh, and P.B. Warrick, 2014
- A Teacher's Guide to Standards-Based Learning by T. Heflebower, J.K. Hoegh, P.B. Warrick, and J. Flygare, 2019
- Answers to Essential Questions About Standards, Assessments, Grading, & Reporting by T.R. Guskey & L.A. Jung, 2013
- Developing Standards-Based Report Cards by T.R, Guskey & J.M. Bailey, 2009
- Elements of Grading: A Guide to Effective Practice by D.B. Reeves, 2011
- Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated Classroom by R. Wormeli, 2006
- Formative Assessment and Standards-Based Grading by R.J. Marzano, 2010
- Grading Exceptional and Struggling Learners by L.A. Jung & T.R. Guskey, 2011
- How to Grade for Learning K-12, by K. O'Connor, 2009
- Leaders of Learning: How District, School, and Classroom Leaders Improve Student Achievement by R. DuFour & R.J. Marzano, 2011
- Leading Standards-Based Learning by T. Heflebower, J. K. Hoegh, & P. B. Warrick, 2021
- Planning and Teaching in the Standards-Based Classroom by J. Flygare, J.K. Hoegh, & T. Heflebower, 2022
- Practical Solutions for Serious Problems in Standards-Based Grading by T.R. Guskey, 2008
- A Repair Kit for Grading: Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades by K. O'Connor, 2010
- The School Leader's Guide to Grading: Essentials for Principals Series by K. O'Connor, 2012
- Transforming Classroom Grading by R. J. Marzano, 2000
Articles
- "Making the Grade: When Do Kids Deserve A's?", P. Tyre, Family Circle, Feb. 2012
- "Perspectives/What We Learn From Grades", M. Sherer, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "Five Obstacles to Grading Reform", T.R. Guskey, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "Starting the Conversation About Grading", S. Brookhart, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "Redos and Retakes Done Right", R. Wormeli, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "The Case Against Grades", A. Kohn, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "Grades That Show What Students Know", R.J. Marzano & T. Heflebower, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "Reporting Student Learning", K. O'Connor & R. Wormeli, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "No Penalties for Practice", D. Fisher, N. Frey, & I. Pumpian, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "How Grading Reform Changed Our School", J.A. Erickson, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "Seven Practices for Effective Learning", J. McTighe & K. O'Connor, Educational Leadership, 69(3), Nov. 2011
- "Making the Case for Standards-Based Grading", B. Oliver, Just Ask Publications, Jan. 2011
- "Grading Exceptional Learners", L.A. Jung & T.R. Guskey, Educational Leadership, 67(5), Feb. 2010
- "Reforming Grading Practices in Secondary Schools", O'Connor, K., Principal's Research Review, 4(1), Jan. 2009
- "Seven Reasons for Standards-Based Grading", P. Scriffiny, Educational Leadership, 66(2), Oct. 2008
- "Leading to Change/Effective Grading Practices", D.B. Reeves, Educational Leadership, 65(5), Feb. 2008
- "Standards-Based Grading and Reporting: A Model for Special Education", L.A. Jung & T.R. Guskey, Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(2), Nov. 2007
- "The Challenges of Standards-Based Grading", T.R. Guskey & L.A. Jung, Leadership Compass, 4(2), Winter 2006
- "Accountability: Teaching Through Assessment and Feedback, not Grading", R. Wormeli, American Secondary Education, 34(3), Summer, 2006
- "Making High School Grades Meaningful", T.R. Guskey, The Phi Delta Kappan, 87(9), May 2006
- "Grading to Communicate", T. Winger, Educational Leadership, 63(3), Nov. 2005
- "The Case Against the Zero", D.B. Reeves, Phi Delta Kappan, 86(4), Dec. 2004
- "Grading Policies That Work Against Standards...and How to Fix Them", T.R. Guskey, NASSP Bulletin, 84(620), Dec. 2000
- Impacts of Standards-Based Grading on Students’ Mindset and Test Anxiety, D. Lewis, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 22(2), June 2022
- Using Standards-Based Grading to Reduce Mathematics Anxiety, P. Dempsey & T. Huber, Texas A&M University College of Education, May 2020
- Losing As and Fs: What Works for Schools Implementing Standards-Based Grading? Townsley & T. Buckmiller, Educational Considerations, 46(1), 2020
Websites
- Marzano Resources Reports and Tools. https://www.marzanoresources.com/free-resources/reports
- An Action Research Study on Standards-Based Grading in a Fifth Grade Reading Classroom in North Carolina. 2011. J.S. Rosser. University of North Carolina Wilmington.
- Using Standards-Based Grading to Address Students’ Strengths and Weaknesses. 2012. S. Knaack, A. Kruez, & E. Zawlocki. Saint Xavier University.
- The Effects of Standards-Based Grading on Stakeholders' Understanding of Student Mastery in Middle School Math. 2019. L. Cadd. St. Catherine University.
- Formative Assessment and Elementary School Student Academic Achievement: A Review of Evidence. 2017. M. Klute, H. Apthorp, J. Harlacher, & M. Reale.
- An Analysis of the Relationship Between English Language Arts and Mathematics Achievement and Essential Learning Mastery in Grades 3 and 4. 2016. M.W. Haystead.