The most recent meeting of the Sedalia 200 Board of Education included a presentation from teachers at Smith-Cotton High School who are utilizing a new system of grading students’ competency and growth.

The presentation on the rollout of Competency-Based Education capped the Mar. 9 board meeting, where board members received an update on the transition from the A-F grading scale to a system where students are scored one through four on how they’ve mastered skills associated with each course. Supt. Dr Todd Fraley says CBE better shows a student’s growth and their capabilities.
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Seven classrooms at the high school have fully implemented the system, with another 33 transitioning to the system. During the presentation, board members asked about how the new system is being explained to parents used to letter grades. Fraley says the system is similar to skills scoring that has long been in place at primary grade levels.

Smith-Cotton High School began utilizing Competency-Based Education scoring two years ago, with teachers receiving training and advice from Marzano Academies. Fraley says as part of the continued rollout, the parents of incoming freshmen will be encouraged to attend a “parents academy” to learn about the grading system.