After weeks of reading and learning about SBG, I felt somewhat ready (confident would not be the word I would use at this point) to try to develop the skill concepts and the grading rubrics I would use for each. One of the first things we (we meaning the other high school science teachers I work with) had to figure out is the grading scale for each skill concept. Naturally, one of the best ways to figure this out was to talk to people who already use it. So I talked with several people and especially @jbrtva and another math teacher at my school who incidentally had started using SBG themselves for a year and a half prior. We thought maybe 1-10 because it would be easier to match the grading scale in PowerSchool (the grading system we use at our school). But never just take the easy way. We realized that we couldn't come up with 10 different levels for just one skill concept – it was starting to become a little toooo subjective. So we decided on 1-5 (5 being mastered or on grade level).
Incidentally, our state had just revamped the standards for science, so naturally it was a great time to revamp the curriculum at the same time as well. Our curriculum coordinator gave us some time (paid, yay!) during the summer to work on this project. One of the things we realized we needed to do was determine what skills were “grade level” and what skills should have already been known or exposed to before they came to us. We developed a vertical alignment chart for each subject area we teach and brought it to our summer project. We each had somewhat slowly started developing the skills for grading but felt unsure of ourselves.
Well, its amazing what can be done when two or three people can get together and start discussing how it works. Once we were able to verbalize (in our case, “sign”-alize) what we were looking for, this got the ball rolling. We found it easier to list all the skills the state wanted them to demonstrate (although we did do them about 10-15 at a time, depending on the units we were going to teach and how interconnected they were). Once we got those skills listed, we went back and broke down sequentially each step a student would have to learn before they could actually master the skill. In some cases, we ended up combining two skills and in others, we split up one skill into two different skills. The more we did, the more confident we felt. We were able to do the skill concept lists and curricula for 5 different subject areas (well, 4 and 3/4 -- Physics is nearly complete and we feel confident we can finish by the start of the school year).
A few things I noticed as I was working on the lists:
- I realized some things I had been grading were not really as important as others.
- As we worked on the different levels for each concept skill, it really forced us to think hard about what we really were looking for and what prerequisite skills were needed beforehand.
- I love how straightforward the grading will be – I understand what is to be done. More importantly, the students know what is to be done.
A few questions also came up for me:
- Is this grading scale going to live up to its billing?
- Will the students understand what I'm trying to do?
- What if I missed something that should be graded? Is it fair to add in during the middle of the year?
- Should I use the list I/we developed for myself only or share it with the kids word for word? Should I simplify it for the students?
Now that this is nearing completion, I am getting excited to see it in action. But also nervous as well. My current mantra remains the same – “Think of the long term results.” Do any of you have suggestions, thoughts, comments? Maybe some insight to some of the questions I have, especially the last two questions?
hi harry, a few ideas: i implemented SBG last year and did what you did (come up with a list before school started). i found that, while i stuck mostly to this list, it was helpful for me to have a bit of flexibility. i ended up sharing them with the students in chunks (which also i think helped them digest the standards in chunks instead of all at once). that way i could modify future standards or add standards if i felt like i needed to. in terms of making them simple for their students, i love how Kelly at Physics! Blog! does her standards. http://kellyoshea.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/honors-physics-2012-objectives/
ReplyDeleteshe phrases them as "I can..." and then provides some clarification. They aren't short, but they are nicely cut in half and very clear. i imagine if i was a student i would like hers a lot - before school starts in like a week, i plan on rethinking a lot of mine, but even though i've done it a year i think i will still share it to my students in chunks. good luck, i love your thinking process here.
--> Is this grading scale going to live up to its billing?
ReplyDeleteI tried it for the first time this past year, and it DEFINITELY did! It was awesome. On my blog, you can find some of the student feedback after the first semester. They definitely liked it. The only students who didn't love it were ones who were very good at the "point game" in other classes. But they still got nice high grades (and nice understandings of physics), so they weren't distraught.
-->Will the students understand what I'm trying to do?
NOT at first. The girls, especially, were VERY nervous when I introduced this last year. I suspect because they weren't really planning on learning physics. They didn't think they actually COULD. They were planning on working really hard (lots of "effort") and not learning physics!!! Incredible! But once they started to realize that effort led to learning and that their grade would reflect where they ended up, not where they started, they were almost all 100% on board.
-->What if I missed something that should be graded? Is it fair to add in during the middle of the year?
I'm definitely of the mind that not everything has to be graded. You can do and learn important things that are never graded (most important things you learn in your life aren't!). So I wouldn't stress too much about "missing" something. But, also, if you are open with your students about how you are experimenting and trying something out for their benefit, you could also ask them whether they agreed that X should be added to the list of things you're giving them explicit feedback about.
-->Should I use the list I/we developed for myself only or share it with the kids word for word? Should I simplify it for the students?
Definitely share share share. A big power of this grading system is the transparency with the students. Nothing is hidden from them. They know what you expect them to do, and you give them feedback on how to do it better. You don't have to share the whole thing at once. Last year I gave them out one unit at a time. This year I'm much more confident in my list, so I'm giving the whole thing at the start. But that would have made me feel too locked in last year when I was being more experimental with it.
And re: the 5 levels for the grades... I'm definitely a fan of fewer levels. I really only do "yes" and "no". It would be difficult for me to distinguish too many in between levels. Also, the fewer levels you have, the harder it is for them to "settle" for a poorer understanding. They have to keep pushing through it until they really do get it.
Finally... your students are going to appreciate that you are taking these risks for them. That you are thinking about how you are doing what you are doing and that you are working to get better. How inspiring for a student to see! So even if/when they get frustrated or anxious because things aren't what they are used to, overall they will be glad that their teacher cares about them.
Bowman - thanks for your encouraging words. Flexibility is a good word to remember for anything new. Often people will just chuck things if it didn't work the first time. Better to step back and reflect on it to see if it can be tweaked, adjusted, or overhauled. Last resort would be to chuck it completely. I am glad to hear you gave it in chunks - that was what I had planned to do. The students I teach usually struggle with too much info at once.
ReplyDeleteKelly - thanks also for your affirming words. Good to know what I can expect in the beginning. As I told Bowman, I decided to share with the kids in chunks what the objectives will be for each unit. I sure hope I can be transparent enough to the students that they'll see I want the best for them.
I'll have an upcoming post about my decision related to no homework.