Meets V. Exceeds

Some of my best ideas for blogs come from my discussions in the car with my carpool partner on the way to school.  This morning we discussed the difference between what Exceeds means to us and what Meets means to us when assessing projects and assignments.  We agreed completely on many thoughts.  The first one is that with standards based assessments students are allowed to re-do assessments until they have met the standard.  Our question was, can they re-do the assessment if they have already met the standard and are asking to receive an "Exceeds" instead?  My carpool partner had the experience that really spoke to this question.  Students had created posters, had been assessed on them, and they were displayed on the walls outside the classroom.  Someone asked, how did that person get an exceeds?  And when the ideas were shown that were the reason for the exceeds, the student wanted to add those same things to their poster.  Is that fair?  Is that right?  Is that really an exceeds?  It got to the point that we had to DEFINE EXCEEDS!!

Exceeds is going to look different depending on the project or assignment you are working on.  Each teacher has created, (as I have) scoring guides which explain what a meets looks like and what an exceeds looks like for each project or test or assessment.  If a student has already passed an assignment in,  and has already been assessed on this assignment, there are certain specific times when continuing to go deeper into a subject or project might result in a higher grade, or an "exceeds". An example from music might be if a student wrote a song for his/her opera and decided to continue writing more songs and even learned how to write connecting music between songs, or "recitative" which is sung dialogue that is more like speech.  If a student just added to their original song, that would not be an "exceeds".  You have to go way beyond, not just a little bit beyond, but way beyond.

The idea of "exceeds" means that you are thinking at a higher, more sophisticated level than what is expected of that grade or age group.  If a student put more work into it and it resulted in a more sophisticated and complex product than what was considered meeting the standard, then that would be an exceeds.  The point of this blog is clear and obvious.  The target is there, the standard is there. If someone is creating a solution or a product that goes WAY beyond the standard and the target, then it should or can be considered an exceeds.  Most students will receive a "meets" for most assignments.  Exceeds should be considered a rare distinction.

Finally, as I have said before, these distinctions cannot be compared with the old system of A's, B's, C's and so forth.  An exceeds is not an A.  A Meets is not a B.  An Exceeds is an assignment or project that went way beyond the original learning target and standard.  Meets means what it says, you met the standard and you hit the target, you can move on.  Progressing means just that, you are in the direction of the target and standard, keep at it, and you will make it!

                                                Olive all prepared for her first day of school
                                                        and meeting all the learning targets!