The answer to that question is that I have no idea.
My teaching life has taken over almost every other aspect of my life. This shouldn't be a complete shock. I've been teaching for 37 years.
I was trying to figure out why blogging has been on the back burner
for the past few years, and it finally dawned on me that the blogging is
directly proportional to the change in job assignments.
1. For the past six years I have been directing at least one show a year. (That knocks out three months a year for each show.)
2. Two years ago, I changed rooms and teaching assignments so that meant new preps.
Actually, my job seems to be constantly changing, so I am having a new class to prepare for almost every year.
Five years ago, I was teaching five hours of Sophomore English and a class called Exploring Teaching As A Career.
Three years ago, I was teaching five hours of Sophomore English and an intervention class called Reading Strategies.
That was the year, I made the switch to Standards Based Grading. (More on that later.)
Two years ago, I started teaching three hours of Sophomore English, and
one hour each of Speech, Drama, and Forensics. Three new preps and I
was still directing. For Forensics, I was also attending weekend
tournaments from February through April, meaning life got quite a bit
crazier.
This past year, I taught three hours of
Sophomore English, Speech/Reading Strategies, Drama, and Forensics.
Speech is a semester class so I picked up a Reading Strategies class
second semester.
Next year, I am teaching three
hours of Sophomore English, Stagecraft/Speech, Drama and Forensics. AND, my brother and I are directing the fall musical instead of the
spring play. So the changes continue.
Confused yet? I am!
3. Standards Based Grading took a considerable bite out of my time. I like it and believe in it, but WOW!
Essentially, each standard is evaluated and re-taught if
needed. There are two practice evaluations and then a final evaluation.
If students are struggling, we put them into tutoring hub, where they can be re-taught and/or re-tested.
If they just aren't doing the work, we put them into
academic lunch. (A forced lunch with an administrator where they
complete missing work.)
There are 9 literature
standards, 10 informational text standards, 10 writing standards, 6
speaking/listening standards, and 5 language standards. (Each of them to
be evaluated at least 3 times.)
Now, there
is no way that I evaluate all of those standards in one year. Our State
and our English department have designated that some that need more emphasis
than others, so those are the ones that receive the bulk of my class
time. Since State Testing is sophomore year, I spend quite a bit of time
on the State emphasized standards. (Looking back, I evaluated around 20 standards--and some of them were evaluated both first and second
semesters.)
For finals, students choose
between 2-5 standards that they want to re-evaluate. (Kind of a
cafeteria plan where they pick and choose.) We have written an
evaluation for each standard covered in the semester. They complete the
evaluation to see if they have mastered the standard yet, and their
performance can change their grade for that standard, which in turn
changes their grade for the semester.
And then vacation comes and I collapse in a big heap...!
One of these days I'll figure out how to teach and have a life outside of school. I'll let you know when that happens.
Right now, I'm just happy that I am on summer break. Hopefully, that means I'll have time to catch up on this teaching blog. I have a list of things I want to share.
On the other hand, I don't want to spend too much of my summer thinking about school. I need the brain break.
I sound like a student, don't I? They've taught me well.
Showing posts with label Core Standards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Core Standards. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Monday, November 30, 2015
Interventions: A Necessity for Standards Based Grading
First of all, Tiny Town High is not a Block Schedule School. We have never been on Block Schedule.
Every day, we have seven 47 minute class periods and a 40 minute eighth "advisory" period. This advisory period means that most teachers have somewhere between 13 and 16 students, freshman through senior, for the last period of the day. Block schedule schools might call this their seminar period.
One day a week, advisory is used for club and activity meetings. For the other four days of the week, advisory consists of 20 minutes of silent sustained reading and 20 minutes of study time if needed. (Otherwise, they read for 40 minutes.) Because students are from different grades, the older students will sometimes help the younger students in classes they are struggling with. Truthfully, most of my students read the entire 40 minutes each day. I'd like to think it is because the book they are reading is so exciting that they can't put it down. Chances are pretty good that they are just avoiding homework.
And that brings us to the CHS interventions for struggling students.
If students are compliant (trying) and struggling:
1. A teacher can contact an advisory teacher and ask them to remind the students to use study time to finish an assignment or see if a classmate can help them.
2. The teacher can assign the student to our HUB tutoring room. Students would then report to the tutoring room for the entire 40 minutes of advisory on the day assigned. They would receive help from a teacher, para, or NHS student who is assigned to work in HUB. These three teachers (Math, English, Science) do not have an advisory and run the tutoring room four days a week. All Tiny Town High teachers share a google document where we assign students and then check on their progress. (Students receive a Hub pass/reminder in their 7th hour class, delivered by an aide.)
3. Contacting the parent is always encouraged to let them know that their student is struggling so that they are informed and can help, too.
If a students is noncompliant (not trying):
1. Teachers are to contact the parent. Again, everyone is working together to help the student achieve.
2. The teacher can again contact the advisory teacher and have them require the student to work on assignments during the last 20 minutes of advisory.Nagging An additional reminder sometimes works.
3. Finally, the teacher can assign the student to an academic lunch. Students take their lunch tray to the office where they eat lunch while an administrator oversees the completion of the work. (Fun for all involved!)
Our tutoring center is a great place for a student in need of re-teaching and re-testing on formatives; however, when the majority of the class needs further work, I do the re-teaching in my room during regular class time.
These interventions are incredibly important. I remember the days of Mastery Learning. We created Form A and Form B tests. If students didn't master on Form A, we re-taught those students and then gave them a Form B. If the students mastered on the Form A, the teacher had to create "enrichment" work for them to complete while their classmates were still working. It was a great idea in theory; however, I never felt confident in my "enrichment" assignments. Frequently, I felt there was quite a bit of wasted time.
Tiny Town High's interventions allow students to receive extra help without disrupting the flow of the rest of the class. Some students ask to be put in the tutoring center, knowing they need more time.
I'm not sure Standards Based Grading would be happening at Tiny Town High without these interventions in place.
One last benefit for teachers: our PLC's now meet one day every week during advisory time. We have a Buddy Teacher who takes our advisory students on our meeting day, and we take their advisory students on their meeting day. Those 40 minutes are a valuable part of our curriculum planning and department work.
I feel fortunate to teach in a school that has made it possible for teachers and students to succeed. Tiny Town High has gone above and beyond to insure success for each of us.
Every day, we have seven 47 minute class periods and a 40 minute eighth "advisory" period. This advisory period means that most teachers have somewhere between 13 and 16 students, freshman through senior, for the last period of the day. Block schedule schools might call this their seminar period.
One day a week, advisory is used for club and activity meetings. For the other four days of the week, advisory consists of 20 minutes of silent sustained reading and 20 minutes of study time if needed. (Otherwise, they read for 40 minutes.) Because students are from different grades, the older students will sometimes help the younger students in classes they are struggling with. Truthfully, most of my students read the entire 40 minutes each day. I'd like to think it is because the book they are reading is so exciting that they can't put it down. Chances are pretty good that they are just avoiding homework.
And that brings us to the CHS interventions for struggling students.
If students are compliant (trying) and struggling:
1. A teacher can contact an advisory teacher and ask them to remind the students to use study time to finish an assignment or see if a classmate can help them.
2. The teacher can assign the student to our HUB tutoring room. Students would then report to the tutoring room for the entire 40 minutes of advisory on the day assigned. They would receive help from a teacher, para, or NHS student who is assigned to work in HUB. These three teachers (Math, English, Science) do not have an advisory and run the tutoring room four days a week. All Tiny Town High teachers share a google document where we assign students and then check on their progress. (Students receive a Hub pass/reminder in their 7th hour class, delivered by an aide.)
3. Contacting the parent is always encouraged to let them know that their student is struggling so that they are informed and can help, too.
If a students is noncompliant (not trying):
1. Teachers are to contact the parent. Again, everyone is working together to help the student achieve.
2. The teacher can again contact the advisory teacher and have them require the student to work on assignments during the last 20 minutes of advisory.
3. Finally, the teacher can assign the student to an academic lunch. Students take their lunch tray to the office where they eat lunch while an administrator oversees the completion of the work. (Fun for all involved!)
Our tutoring center is a great place for a student in need of re-teaching and re-testing on formatives; however, when the majority of the class needs further work, I do the re-teaching in my room during regular class time.
These interventions are incredibly important. I remember the days of Mastery Learning. We created Form A and Form B tests. If students didn't master on Form A, we re-taught those students and then gave them a Form B. If the students mastered on the Form A, the teacher had to create "enrichment" work for them to complete while their classmates were still working. It was a great idea in theory; however, I never felt confident in my "enrichment" assignments. Frequently, I felt there was quite a bit of wasted time.
Tiny Town High's interventions allow students to receive extra help without disrupting the flow of the rest of the class. Some students ask to be put in the tutoring center, knowing they need more time.
I'm not sure Standards Based Grading would be happening at Tiny Town High without these interventions in place.
One last benefit for teachers: our PLC's now meet one day every week during advisory time. We have a Buddy Teacher who takes our advisory students on our meeting day, and we take their advisory students on their meeting day. Those 40 minutes are a valuable part of our curriculum planning and department work.
I feel fortunate to teach in a school that has made it possible for teachers and students to succeed. Tiny Town High has gone above and beyond to insure success for each of us.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
The First Four Concerns About Standards Based Grading
These are the concerns I hear from teachers looking into making the switch to Standards Based Grading:
Standards Based Grading waters down the grades.
Tell that to my students. Standards Based Grading means fewer students are failing (most can show limited knowledge of a standard), but fewer students are making A's. A student has to work to master almost every single standard. There is no extra credit to cover for when they have done "B" work. An "A" student is truly an "A" student. There is no grade inflation.
Students should be graded on formatives or practice.
Some departments do give grades on formatives. (Our math department does.) In English, we don't give grades for formatives. Formatives are just practice. If a student doesn't do well, they can be re-taught and then try again. Re-teaching can be done on an individual basis or for a whole class if they need it. Our school has a tutoring center that students can be assigned to during the school day. (By the way, interventions for re-teaching are absolutely crucial for Standards Based Grading to work.)
Students won't try on formatives if the formatives don't affect their grades.
I have had no problem with students not trying. Sometimes they will ask me if the quiz or assignment is a formative or a summative. Usually, when I tell them it is a formative, relief is evident on many faces. They jump in and give it a try. They aren't afraid to take a chance and see how they do. Even my students who are going for top grades are relieved because they know that if they don't do as well as they would like, the practice or formative won't hurt their grades.
The material being covered is different from what we used to teach.
I teach the same material that I have taught for the 37 years before Standards Based Grading. I still teach every unit that I love. We have always taught the standards; we just weren't as focused on each individual standard like we are today.
I used to teach a unit (covering many standards) and if a student scored poorly on a unit test, I just went on and hoped that they would catch on by the time we finished the next unit. (I would not have been able to tell you what standard the student was having trouble mastering. I would just have a whole unit test score.)
Now, my units might cover 4-8 standards. If a student scores poorly on a standard, I re-teach or send them to our tutoring center. They have a chance to practice on formatives without fear that practicing will affect their grade. Two formatives for every standard means that by the time they take the summative test, there is a better chance that they can master the standard. (The two formatives and one summative for each standard are usually evaluated during one unit.) Because each standard goes into the grade book individually, parents, students and I all know which standard is mastered and which needs more work.
These are the first four concerns that we usually hear when teachers are thinking of switching to Standards Based Grading.
In the next post, I will share the interventions that our school has in place for re-teaching.
Standards Based Grading waters down the grades.
Tell that to my students. Standards Based Grading means fewer students are failing (most can show limited knowledge of a standard), but fewer students are making A's. A student has to work to master almost every single standard. There is no extra credit to cover for when they have done "B" work. An "A" student is truly an "A" student. There is no grade inflation.
Students should be graded on formatives or practice.
Some departments do give grades on formatives. (Our math department does.) In English, we don't give grades for formatives. Formatives are just practice. If a student doesn't do well, they can be re-taught and then try again. Re-teaching can be done on an individual basis or for a whole class if they need it. Our school has a tutoring center that students can be assigned to during the school day. (By the way, interventions for re-teaching are absolutely crucial for Standards Based Grading to work.)
Students won't try on formatives if the formatives don't affect their grades.
I have had no problem with students not trying. Sometimes they will ask me if the quiz or assignment is a formative or a summative. Usually, when I tell them it is a formative, relief is evident on many faces. They jump in and give it a try. They aren't afraid to take a chance and see how they do. Even my students who are going for top grades are relieved because they know that if they don't do as well as they would like, the practice or formative won't hurt their grades.
The material being covered is different from what we used to teach.
I teach the same material that I have taught for the 37 years before Standards Based Grading. I still teach every unit that I love. We have always taught the standards; we just weren't as focused on each individual standard like we are today.
I used to teach a unit (covering many standards) and if a student scored poorly on a unit test, I just went on and hoped that they would catch on by the time we finished the next unit. (I would not have been able to tell you what standard the student was having trouble mastering. I would just have a whole unit test score.)
Now, my units might cover 4-8 standards. If a student scores poorly on a standard, I re-teach or send them to our tutoring center. They have a chance to practice on formatives without fear that practicing will affect their grade. Two formatives for every standard means that by the time they take the summative test, there is a better chance that they can master the standard. (The two formatives and one summative for each standard are usually evaluated during one unit.) Because each standard goes into the grade book individually, parents, students and I all know which standard is mastered and which needs more work.
These are the first four concerns that we usually hear when teachers are thinking of switching to Standards Based Grading.
In the next post, I will share the interventions that our school has in place for re-teaching.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Standards Based Grading 2015-2016
We are now using Standards Based Grading in both Sophomore and Junior English classes. Since there are three teachers using it, there is input, help, and time to strategize in our PLC.
This is our new information sheet for parents and students.
It is very similar to the first one. We just re-arranged some items so it is easier to understand.
I have also been experimenting with ways to track my student data. I started this semester with notebooks where I kept notes on individual students. I still use my paper grade book, as well as the electronic grade book. This nine weeks I am trying to use the comments in my electronic grade book more. The notebooks are where I keep artifacts and details, like the grade sheets on papers or notes about concerns. Every student has their own page. My memory isn't as good as it used to be, so it helps to have some notes.
We have all discovered that Google Classroom is helpful for Quick Writes, Exit Tickets, Formatives, and even submitting essays. Socrative is also helpful for quick feedback on skills.
What have we learned?
1. Never evaluate too many standards on one test or essay. Five is now my maximum; otherwise, it gives me a major headache!
2. Our students have a more difficult time making the coveted "A" grade, but it is also harder for them to fail. (Most can demonstrate at least some understanding of a standard.)
3. Having interventions in place to re-teach is paramount. After a poor formative, individual students need tutoring time. Our school has put several interventions in place for this additional work, including a schedule that supports time for students in a tutoring center run by several teachers, paras, and National Honor Society students.
There are some things that haven't changed much. My grade book looks very similar to what it looked like a year ago when I started Standards Based Grading.
For final exams this year, the English teachers are thinking about having students pick the standard/standards that they most need to improve. They would develop a project that shows their mastery of the standard. I am in the process of developing some guidelines and ideas for those projects. Until I do that, I have a hard time envisioning the final product. My goal is to have the bulk of the work done on this before Thanksgiving.
And that gives you an idea of where we are on Standards Based Grading today.
This is our new information sheet for parents and students.
I have also been experimenting with ways to track my student data. I started this semester with notebooks where I kept notes on individual students. I still use my paper grade book, as well as the electronic grade book. This nine weeks I am trying to use the comments in my electronic grade book more. The notebooks are where I keep artifacts and details, like the grade sheets on papers or notes about concerns. Every student has their own page. My memory isn't as good as it used to be, so it helps to have some notes.
We have all discovered that Google Classroom is helpful for Quick Writes, Exit Tickets, Formatives, and even submitting essays. Socrative is also helpful for quick feedback on skills.
What have we learned?
1. Never evaluate too many standards on one test or essay. Five is now my maximum; otherwise, it gives me a major headache!
2. Our students have a more difficult time making the coveted "A" grade, but it is also harder for them to fail. (Most can demonstrate at least some understanding of a standard.)
3. Having interventions in place to re-teach is paramount. After a poor formative, individual students need tutoring time. Our school has put several interventions in place for this additional work, including a schedule that supports time for students in a tutoring center run by several teachers, paras, and National Honor Society students.
There are some things that haven't changed much. My grade book looks very similar to what it looked like a year ago when I started Standards Based Grading.
For final exams this year, the English teachers are thinking about having students pick the standard/standards that they most need to improve. They would develop a project that shows their mastery of the standard. I am in the process of developing some guidelines and ideas for those projects. Until I do that, I have a hard time envisioning the final product. My goal is to have the bulk of the work done on this before Thanksgiving.
And that gives you an idea of where we are on Standards Based Grading today.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Old Dog, New Tricks: Standards Based Grading So Far
My switch to Standards Based Grading has been... interesting.
This was my initial post on Sophomore English grading and my grade book.
First of all, I have changed using a √ and a 0 in the formatives. (I know how parents can freak out over a zero, even if it isn't affecting their student's grade. They assume the assignment hasn't been completed.) Formatives are now rated with an S, S-or U. The formatives still have no affect on the student grade, but they let the student (and the parent) know if they understand the standard or need further work before the Summative test.
The biggest challenge has been the mindset of the teacher. (That would be me. Gulp.) One short unit can involve several standards, and each of those standards requires two formatives, reteaching activities, and a summative test. My grade book now looks like this:
(Well, that is a portion of this nine week's grades so far. Oh, and the Standard RL2 Determining Theme or Central Idea and its development is going to be revisited-probably more than once.)
Thankfully, formatives don't have to be a quiz. (Though they can be.) They can also be teacher anecdotal notes from observation, exit tickets, standards practice in their notebooks, etc. Getting past the idea that students only show progress based on a quiz has been quite helpful and not nearly so limiting.
I really like this grading rubric on the Summative assessment of a standard.
10= Advanced- superior mastery
9= High Proficiency- progressing toward advanced mastery
8= Proficient Grade Level- mastery meets standard level
7= Basic- limited understanding
6= Improvement necessary
5= Insufficient effort
0= Absent for summative
That being said, my student grades have changed. A student really has to go above and beyond to show superior mastery. An A+ was easier to earn using the old method of grading. On the other end of the scale, fewer students are failing. Most students can show at least a basic or limited understanding of a skill or standard.
What does this mean?
1. A student who has done the minimum requirements has a tough time earning an A+, and they aren't thrilled about being challenged to show advanced or superior work. I haven't had the first parent/teacher conferences since switching to this system, but I have a hunch that will be a discussion with some parents.
2. I spend quite a bit more time in the planning stages of lessons and units that I have taught for years. I have to determine which standards I will emphasize, write the summative evaluation of each standard, decide how I will evaluate the standards through formatives, create the formative evaluations, and create some method of reteaching for students who need it.
3. Above all, I have to limit the number of standards that I evaluate in a unit. A short unit might have several reading standards, a writing standard, and a speaking/listening standard. Julius Caesar could have included 10-15 standards. (I have narrowed it down to seven or eight this year.) Keeping track of student progress on the formatives, reteaching, and summative tests is a bit of a juggling act; however, it gives a much clearer picture of what the student actually knows. And isn't that what a grade is supposed to show?
Right now, this switch to Standards Based Grading has been quite a bit of work. The best part is that it is becoming second nature to me now, and I feel like I have a much more thorough knowledge of the standards. The work that I do this year is going to make next year that much simpler, if only because I have walked through the process this year.
Have I mentioned that I have had company on this road to change? I am quite thankful for Sweet Young Former Student Now Colleague, an amazing Student Teacher, and my math colleagues who are jumping in this year, too. It is always better to have friends to travel the road with you!
This was my initial post on Sophomore English grading and my grade book.
First of all, I have changed using a √ and a 0 in the formatives. (I know how parents can freak out over a zero, even if it isn't affecting their student's grade. They assume the assignment hasn't been completed.) Formatives are now rated with an S, S-or U. The formatives still have no affect on the student grade, but they let the student (and the parent) know if they understand the standard or need further work before the Summative test.
The biggest challenge has been the mindset of the teacher. (That would be me. Gulp.) One short unit can involve several standards, and each of those standards requires two formatives, reteaching activities, and a summative test. My grade book now looks like this:
Thankfully, formatives don't have to be a quiz. (Though they can be.) They can also be teacher anecdotal notes from observation, exit tickets, standards practice in their notebooks, etc. Getting past the idea that students only show progress based on a quiz has been quite helpful and not nearly so limiting.
I really like this grading rubric on the Summative assessment of a standard.
10= Advanced- superior mastery
9= High Proficiency- progressing toward advanced mastery
8= Proficient Grade Level- mastery meets standard level
7= Basic- limited understanding
6= Improvement necessary
5= Insufficient effort
0= Absent for summative
That being said, my student grades have changed. A student really has to go above and beyond to show superior mastery. An A+ was easier to earn using the old method of grading. On the other end of the scale, fewer students are failing. Most students can show at least a basic or limited understanding of a skill or standard.
What does this mean?
1. A student who has done the minimum requirements has a tough time earning an A+, and they aren't thrilled about being challenged to show advanced or superior work. I haven't had the first parent/teacher conferences since switching to this system, but I have a hunch that will be a discussion with some parents.
2. I spend quite a bit more time in the planning stages of lessons and units that I have taught for years. I have to determine which standards I will emphasize, write the summative evaluation of each standard, decide how I will evaluate the standards through formatives, create the formative evaluations, and create some method of reteaching for students who need it.
3. Above all, I have to limit the number of standards that I evaluate in a unit. A short unit might have several reading standards, a writing standard, and a speaking/listening standard. Julius Caesar could have included 10-15 standards. (I have narrowed it down to seven or eight this year.) Keeping track of student progress on the formatives, reteaching, and summative tests is a bit of a juggling act; however, it gives a much clearer picture of what the student actually knows. And isn't that what a grade is supposed to show?
Right now, this switch to Standards Based Grading has been quite a bit of work. The best part is that it is becoming second nature to me now, and I feel like I have a much more thorough knowledge of the standards. The work that I do this year is going to make next year that much simpler, if only because I have walked through the process this year.
Have I mentioned that I have had company on this road to change? I am quite thankful for Sweet Young Former Student Now Colleague, an amazing Student Teacher, and my math colleagues who are jumping in this year, too. It is always better to have friends to travel the road with you!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Standards Based Grading in a High School ELA class
I understand why Standards Based Grading (SBG) is important, but for several months now I have not been able to find anything about how to go about SBG in a high school English classroom. Everything I have read has been math and/or elementary and middle school related. High school grades are different because they have to translate into a letter grade that contributes to the student's GPA, which determines scholarships and college admission. (Suddenly SBG becomes quite a bit more important.)
As for math, let's face it: English isn't nearly as clear cut as math. I think I'm beginning to see that we English teachers bring on quite a bit of that ourselves. SBG requires us to be much more deliberate in teaching skills. The way I have been teaching has become as natural to me as breathing. Why? I wasn't evaluating individual progress on those standards until the unit test--when it was too late for the student who wasn't understanding. So, what would I do? I'd just teach the next unit and hope the ones who didn't understand that skill the first time would understand it the 2nd time. (Sometimes they did; sometimes they didn't.)
Standards Based Grading forces me to take one short poem that I teach and recognize that for summatives I will be testing figurative language skills, understanding theme and central idea development, and small group discussion skills. In the same unit I will be beginning the first formatives to check understanding of representation in two mediums and giving a presentation making strategic use of digital media. Whew! (I've never been so concrete in my life!)
Thankfully, bright young math colleague, terrific biology colleague, and a smart young student teacher have all helped me through the process of trying to find something that might work. (I'm pretty sure there are still things to change and tweaking to be done.)
We use Power School's PowerTeacher Gradebook at Tiny Town High. I was having trouble figuring out how to make the electronic grade book work so that I didn't have to create a separate spreadsheet to keep track of student progress. I think I have finally hit upon a solution.
These are some of the things that will be happening:
*Formatives won't contribute to the final grade. They will be tracked in the grade book, but they won't help or hurt the grade. Students and parents will be able to see what the student needs to work on: a checkmark (changed to an S) will indicate adequate progress, and a zero (changed to a U) will indicate the student needs more work on the skill; however, the zero doesn't affect their grade. (I know parents equate 0 with a grade, thus the change.) Formatives will be happening almost daily: quizzes, writing, exit cards, and teacher observation. On top of that, our school has several interventions built in for students who aren't making adequate progress. I can assign them to a tutoring room for help or contact their advisory teacher for help during advisory time. Reteaching can be as simple as one-on-one conferences or as involved as an organized lesson with several assignments to work through.
*Summatives will be 95% of the class grade. My hope would be that every student can demonstrate at least basic understanding of a skill, especially after reteaching or tutoring. The summative grade for a particular skill could change if the standard is visited again and the student does better or worse on a different summative later in the semester. This will help students see how important it is to retain the skills they have gained and not just to learn it for one particular summative and then forget all about it.
*Finally, 5% of their grade will be based on Career Skills. Right now, there are two career skills: following directions and organization. (I know that this is one area that could/should be dropped, but I am finding it difficult to cut right now.)
This screen shot shows the final grade set up in PowerGrade:
These are my three category explanations:
This will be what the assignments could look like in my grade book.
The grade book looks like this with student names on the left.
Finally, each summative will be worth 10 points. This is the rubric for those 10 points:
10= Advanced- superior mastery
9= High Proficiency- progressing toward advanced mastery
8= Proficient Grade Level- mastery meets standard level
7= Basic or limited understanding
6= Improvement necessary
5= Insufficient effort
0= Absent for summative
Clear as mud? That's how it started for me, too.
Does it work? I'll get back to you on that!
Am I doing it all wrong? I could be. (I'm sure I will hear about it.)
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them below.
As for math, let's face it: English isn't nearly as clear cut as math. I think I'm beginning to see that we English teachers bring on quite a bit of that ourselves. SBG requires us to be much more deliberate in teaching skills. The way I have been teaching has become as natural to me as breathing. Why? I wasn't evaluating individual progress on those standards until the unit test--when it was too late for the student who wasn't understanding. So, what would I do? I'd just teach the next unit and hope the ones who didn't understand that skill the first time would understand it the 2nd time. (Sometimes they did; sometimes they didn't.)
Standards Based Grading forces me to take one short poem that I teach and recognize that for summatives I will be testing figurative language skills, understanding theme and central idea development, and small group discussion skills. In the same unit I will be beginning the first formatives to check understanding of representation in two mediums and giving a presentation making strategic use of digital media. Whew! (I've never been so concrete in my life!)
Thankfully, bright young math colleague, terrific biology colleague, and a smart young student teacher have all helped me through the process of trying to find something that might work. (I'm pretty sure there are still things to change and tweaking to be done.)
We use Power School's PowerTeacher Gradebook at Tiny Town High. I was having trouble figuring out how to make the electronic grade book work so that I didn't have to create a separate spreadsheet to keep track of student progress. I think I have finally hit upon a solution.
These are some of the things that will be happening:
*Formatives won't contribute to the final grade. They will be tracked in the grade book, but they won't help or hurt the grade. Students and parents will be able to see what the student needs to work on: a checkmark (changed to an S) will indicate adequate progress, and a zero (changed to a U) will indicate the student needs more work on the skill; however, the zero doesn't affect their grade. (I know parents equate 0 with a grade, thus the change.) Formatives will be happening almost daily: quizzes, writing, exit cards, and teacher observation. On top of that, our school has several interventions built in for students who aren't making adequate progress. I can assign them to a tutoring room for help or contact their advisory teacher for help during advisory time. Reteaching can be as simple as one-on-one conferences or as involved as an organized lesson with several assignments to work through.
*Summatives will be 95% of the class grade. My hope would be that every student can demonstrate at least basic understanding of a skill, especially after reteaching or tutoring. The summative grade for a particular skill could change if the standard is visited again and the student does better or worse on a different summative later in the semester. This will help students see how important it is to retain the skills they have gained and not just to learn it for one particular summative and then forget all about it.
*Finally, 5% of their grade will be based on Career Skills. Right now, there are two career skills: following directions and organization. (I know that this is one area that could/should be dropped, but I am finding it difficult to cut right now.)
This screen shot shows the final grade set up in PowerGrade:
These are my three category explanations:
This will be what the assignments could look like in my grade book.
Finally, each summative will be worth 10 points. This is the rubric for those 10 points:
10= Advanced- superior mastery
9= High Proficiency- progressing toward advanced mastery
8= Proficient Grade Level- mastery meets standard level
7= Basic or limited understanding
6= Improvement necessary
5= Insufficient effort
0= Absent for summative
Clear as mud? That's how it started for me, too.
Does it work? I'll get back to you on that!
Am I doing it all wrong? I could be. (I'm sure I will hear about it.)
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them below.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
One Step Forward, Two Steps...
You know the drill. I was so hoping that I was making progress. It was too good to be true.
We had spent a week or so discussing the history of our English language, where it came from, and where it seems to be heading. We even spent some time wondering if the technology of today puts us into the Post Modern Era of the English language.
Then, I listened to my students having a Socratic Seminar on English usage today. Students doubted the articles that said applicants were using text lingo on job applications. They guffawed. "We know when to use text language and when we shouldn't." Uh...right.
The next day, I pointed them in the direction of our classroom blog. There was a post for Extra Credit. (OK. Mainly to make sure that they actually knew how to access the blog!) The comments they had posted the week before were horrifying. They didn't capitalize "I," "English," or sometimes even their own name.
"No one sees the blog, Mrs. E."
Well, I do. Students in my classes do. Their parents do. Colleagues can and do. Other English teachers could. What would any of those people think of me as an English teacher after they read the student comments? I told them I was doubtful that I would even have a job.
The assignment for that day was to read the comments on that post and see how many had errors. They then were to pick the ten worst offenders, copy them into a document, and rewrite the comment using correct grammar.
And a hush fell over the room...
(I probably should let you know that I assured them that I would post no more comments with such blatant disrespect for our language.)
Yes, just when you think your students are making progress...!
Sophomores do such a great job of keeping me humble.
We had spent a week or so discussing the history of our English language, where it came from, and where it seems to be heading. We even spent some time wondering if the technology of today puts us into the Post Modern Era of the English language.
Then, I listened to my students having a Socratic Seminar on English usage today. Students doubted the articles that said applicants were using text lingo on job applications. They guffawed. "We know when to use text language and when we shouldn't." Uh...right.
The next day, I pointed them in the direction of our classroom blog. There was a post for Extra Credit. (OK. Mainly to make sure that they actually knew how to access the blog!) The comments they had posted the week before were horrifying. They didn't capitalize "I," "English," or sometimes even their own name.
"No one sees the blog, Mrs. E."
Well, I do. Students in my classes do. Their parents do. Colleagues can and do. Other English teachers could. What would any of those people think of me as an English teacher after they read the student comments? I told them I was doubtful that I would even have a job.
The assignment for that day was to read the comments on that post and see how many had errors. They then were to pick the ten worst offenders, copy them into a document, and rewrite the comment using correct grammar.
And a hush fell over the room...
(I probably should let you know that I assured them that I would post no more comments with such blatant disrespect for our language.)
Yes, just when you think your students are making progress...!
Sophomores do such a great job of keeping me humble.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Academic Vocabulary
Our students may be unusual in that they have a very limited vocabulary. (Somehow, I can't imagine that we are the only school whose students do not have the vocabulary for post secondary education or for the business world.) So, a goal for my students this year is for them to not only be exposed to a more academic vocabulary, but to use it on a daily basis.
I started with the word "annotate." Every time I used that word in class, students were to do a "Wooo!" (Kind of like Pee Wee Herman's Secret Word.) We talked about how important it is for them to mark up their texts with questions, comments, and paraphrasing for understanding. This isn't about me guessing what is going to cause problems. This is for them to dig through the text and find their own meanings and questions. (Thus, they are doing the work.) There was a lot of woo hooing in English II.
To encourage them to use the "Words of the Week," each class has a piece of paper on the front board. Every time a student uses a word correctly in discussion, they get a gold star to put on their hour's paper. The competition has been heated between a couple of hours, and even students who find the vocabulary difficult have been using the words. SCORE! (This idea came straight off of TeachingChannel.com. If you haven't discovered that gem yet, be sure to check it out.)
I choose four to five words a week as academic vocabulary. I also give them derivatives and challenging synonyms. The words go up on our front board for the week, so they can see them daily. At the end of the week, we add them to the word wall. The next week, they get new words on the front board.
What have I noticed? Challenging words (think synthesize, literal, allegorical, etc.) are making their way into their daily discussions. And to be honest, I think there are a lot of students who are quite proud of their growing vocabularies.
I started with the word "annotate." Every time I used that word in class, students were to do a "Wooo!" (Kind of like Pee Wee Herman's Secret Word.) We talked about how important it is for them to mark up their texts with questions, comments, and paraphrasing for understanding. This isn't about me guessing what is going to cause problems. This is for them to dig through the text and find their own meanings and questions. (Thus, they are doing the work.) There was a lot of woo hooing in English II.
To encourage them to use the "Words of the Week," each class has a piece of paper on the front board. Every time a student uses a word correctly in discussion, they get a gold star to put on their hour's paper. The competition has been heated between a couple of hours, and even students who find the vocabulary difficult have been using the words. SCORE! (This idea came straight off of TeachingChannel.com. If you haven't discovered that gem yet, be sure to check it out.)
I choose four to five words a week as academic vocabulary. I also give them derivatives and challenging synonyms. The words go up on our front board for the week, so they can see them daily. At the end of the week, we add them to the word wall. The next week, they get new words on the front board.
What have I noticed? Challenging words (think synthesize, literal, allegorical, etc.) are making their way into their daily discussions. And to be honest, I think there are a lot of students who are quite proud of their growing vocabularies.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Changes Ahead
I went to a conference on Implementing the Core Standards. I gave up three days of my summer, because I know that implementing the standards will be the emphasis of this year. I wasn't thrilled by the quality of what we accomplished or what I learned. In fact, it seemed like the presenter was spreading one day of material over three.
(Who am I kidding? Some of the infantile cheers and activities annoyed the snot right out of me. "Ra Ra Re--We can read independently..."! Argh!! I will never use that. Ever. Mark my words.)
In spite of limited learning, there are some things I know for sure.
Changes are coming to Room 304. Some things I give up willingly; others--not so much.
1. I have to be less helpful to my students and let them struggle it out. (Fewer answers and more questions will be the new norm.) While my gut instinct might be to jump in and save them, they have to figure things out for themselves. This is where my self-control (or lack thereof) is going to come into play.
2. Desks in rows will be a rarity. Yes, it simplifies taking roll, but it does not encourage working together to struggle it out. *sigh! (My subs and custodians are going to hate me!)
3. Reading and writing will have to be more rigorous, show more thoughtfulness, and require more effort and research. (All things that sophomores resist. Well, all but a few.)
4. I am going to be finding new ways to keep track of student involvement in discussion and group work. (I can't let a few students dominate, and others slide by doing nothing.)
5. Assignments will be more project based. The end result will not just be a summative test, but a project that indicates a working knowledge.
If my conference had been more helpful, I know I would have a clearer view of what my classroom and English II will look like by the end of the year. Since it didn't do that, my research is key.
Where will I end up? Stay tuned.
(Who am I kidding? Some of the infantile cheers and activities annoyed the snot right out of me. "Ra Ra Re--We can read independently..."! Argh!! I will never use that. Ever. Mark my words.)
In spite of limited learning, there are some things I know for sure.
Changes are coming to Room 304. Some things I give up willingly; others--not so much.
1. I have to be less helpful to my students and let them struggle it out. (Fewer answers and more questions will be the new norm.) While my gut instinct might be to jump in and save them, they have to figure things out for themselves. This is where my self-control (or lack thereof) is going to come into play.
2. Desks in rows will be a rarity. Yes, it simplifies taking roll, but it does not encourage working together to struggle it out. *sigh! (My subs and custodians are going to hate me!)
3. Reading and writing will have to be more rigorous, show more thoughtfulness, and require more effort and research. (All things that sophomores resist. Well, all but a few.)
4. I am going to be finding new ways to keep track of student involvement in discussion and group work. (I can't let a few students dominate, and others slide by doing nothing.)
5. Assignments will be more project based. The end result will not just be a summative test, but a project that indicates a working knowledge.
If my conference had been more helpful, I know I would have a clearer view of what my classroom and English II will look like by the end of the year. Since it didn't do that, my research is key.
Where will I end up? Stay tuned.
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