SBG Guide: Setting Up Class & Grading Methods

Standards-Based Grading (SBG) Guide

This guide covers how to set up a standards-based grading (SBG) class and how to add evidence (assessments) for each of the three SBG grading modes: Goals Progress, Group, and Topic.

Note: Custom topic sets are covered in a separate guide.

1. Creating an SBG Class

SBG classes are created from the Scheduling screen. When setting up the class, you'll choose:

•      Subject

•      Grade

•      Grading Mode (see below)

The Three Grading Modes

2. Navigating to Your SBG Class

To view or add evidence for an SBG class, always go to the Classes screen and open the class directly — not the traditional “Add Assignment” flow, which is for non-SBG classes.

Inside a class, you'll see four tabs:

•      Overview — Blank until evidence is added; fills in as you grade.

•      Mastery — Functions like your gradebook. Shows measurement topics, learning goals, and lets you create assessments.

•      Evidence — Where your assessments live. Select an assessment to edit it or enter/update grades.

3. Goals Progress Mode

This is the most detailed grading mode.

Creating an Assessment

•      Select the measurement topic.

•      Choose which 2.0-level goals the assessment targets.

•      Name the assessment.

•      Choose the assessment type: Formative (practice only, does not count toward the overall grade) or Summative (counts toward the overall grade calculation).

•      Save (you can save with or without scores, add a description, or change the date).

Grading Scale

•      No Engagement

•      Beginning

•      Developing

•      Proficient — the only rating that counts as mastery and earns the student a score.

How Scores Build

•      A student must be Proficient in all the 2.0 goals within a measurement topic to earn a full 2.0.

•      If a measurement topic has multiple content groups, each group counts as a percentage of the topic (e.g., two groups = 50% each). A student only earns the full 2.0 once they've mastered all groups.

•      If you only want to evaluate one content group within a topic, uncheck the others in the assessment setup — only the checked group(s) will count toward the calculation.

•      Once a student has mastered all 2.0s, you can evaluate them on the 3.0 goals the same way. They only receive a 3.0 once they are Proficient in the 2.0s and Proficient in the 3.0 assessment.

•      The same process applies if you choose to evaluate a 4.0.

•      All evaluated levels (2.0, 3.0, 4.0) roll up into the student's total score.

Hiding Goals You Won't Grade This Term

•      Click the gear icon on the Mastery screen.

•      Click the eye icon next to any goal to hide it, then Save.

•      To unhide, click the eye icon again and Save.

4. Group Mode

Group mode organizes learning goals into 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 groupings.

Creating an Assessment

•      Select the content group for the measurement topic.

•      Name the assessment.

•      Choose Formative (practice) or Summative (counts toward the grade) — same rules as Goals Progress.

How Grading Works

•      Grading a student with a 2.0 automatically checks off all 2.0 goals in that group.

•      Grading a student with a 3.0 automatically checks off the 3.0 and all associated 2.0 goals, since a 3.0 assumes mastery of the underlying 2.0 content.

•      Like Goals Progress, if a measurement topic has multiple content groups, each contributes a proportional share to the total (e.g., three groups = one-third each).

•      You can uncheck goals you don't want included in a given assessment's calculation — only checked goals count.

Key Difference from Goals Progress

In Group mode, you are not required to submit separate 2.0 evidence before assigning a 3.0. You can grade a student directly with a 3.0, and it will count as mastery of both the 3.0 and the underlying 2.0s — no prior 2.0 evidence is required.

5. Topic Mode

Topic mode is the simplest grading option — there are no individual learning goals,, and no evidence breakdown by sub-skill.

How It Works

•      You select the topic itself (not individual sub-goals).

•      You grade on a single scale from 0.0 to 4.0 — unlike Group mode, the 4.0 is not separated out.

•      There's no calculation behind the score — it's simply the raw value you assign.

•      Formative vs. Summative still applies the same way (practice vs. counts toward the grade).

Hiding Topics

You can still hide topics you won't be grading this term using the same gear/eye-icon process described in Goals Progress.

6. Summary: Choosing a Grading Mode

Video Guide

LEARN MORE

SGB Custom Groups

SBG Entering Evidence

SBG Student & Parent Portal

SGB Term Grades and Report Cards