The Intersection of Standards Based Grading and Universal Design for Learning in a Sixth Grade Language Arts Classroom

Abstract

A sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher at a K–12 developmental research school conducted action research examining the experiences of students in her class related to her application of Standards Based Grading (SBG) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). She conducted anonymous surveys and analyzed how course grades compared with results on the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). The students offered insights into their experiences and suggestions for future curriculum design regarding SBG and UDL strategies. For 80% of the 110 students, class grades aligned with FSA scores. The teacher will continue to employ SBG and UDL in the future.