Checking in...

Hi all.....just wanted to pop in and give an update on how things are going so far this year.   It's been quite an adventure and the picture above may be a bit misleading.  I'm not exactly overwhelmed with paperwork as it may look like.  Allow me to elaborate...

Making the switch to Standards Based Grading has been a stretching experience for me.  Previous installers of SBG have forewarned that the start-up is quite taxing.  They were not kidding.  SBG has definitely kept me on my toes, challenging my thinking, and helping me to pinpoint exactly what I need to look for from students.   The biggest portion of my time is spent on developing and preparing the assessments themselves as I did not have any to begin the school year.  I am making them along the way.  While I think I did a fair job, I definitely will go back through them all next summer and revise them.  For those who are planning on installing it, definitely make quite a few assessments ready to begin the year with - this is not something you want to install mid-year unless you are quite ambitious and have LOTS of free time.

Nearing the end of the 1st quarter mark, SBG has been keeping me accountable and more importantly, the students.   I have seen students get frustrated at the scores they earn (and I am frustrated myself too since I felt I did a good job helping students learn the content, but not so).  However, students and I have been having conversations about the skills they need to work on.  It's definitely good to see students saying something like "I don't understand the significance of pH for cells" or "I'm not able to count significant digits in multiplication/division operations."  In the past, students would have said "I don't understand."   It's quite the difference to see they can recognize their own weaknesses.   The students and I can clearly see what they can/cannot do and why they earned the score they did.

Some general observations:

• Grading has taken MUCH less time. The assessments are very specific and it is clearly evident if the students can or can not do the skill required of them.  There is no room for subjectivity.  I have been able to grade all of my students assessments the same day they take them and return it to them the next day.  This has allowed me to focus more time on preparing quality lessons (or as I stated earlier, developing assessments themselves).
• Despite the huge start-up investments for SBG, I continue to press on because I can see the value in it.  I have started things in the past and not finished them (academically or nonacademically), so this is saying something.
• Seeing the scores has separated the quality workers from the quantity workers.  I can clearly see who's motivated and who's not.  Which leads me to my next point....

Some students do not like the scores they are receiving.  We review what they do not understand and they want to do better.  So I explain they can make appointments with me after school for extra instruction/support (I have set up a big calendar on my wall for them to make appointments).   At the beginning of the year, I did not have high expectations as the student population at my school generally do not care about grades (just make sure they are good enough to play sports).  However, to date, I have had 4 students make appointments to come after school (and 3 showed up...the 4th forgot and claims she will make another appointment).  For the students that did show up, they all were able to improve their skills.   2 of them took a reassessment a couple days later and improved their scores.  The third tells me he wants to soon.  He even shocked me - he went online and made some flashcards at studystack.com to help him review key vocabulary for this particular skill.

It is so good to see these students want to do better.  To date, these students are the ones with the better overall scores and understanding.  I can only hope and pray that these students doing better will rub off on other students.  It all comes down to that intrinsic motivation of wanting to do well because they want it for themselves, not because they want to do it for me.

One last thing -- I'm learning about SBG at the same time I'm making the adjustment to a 7 period schedule.  Currently, I'm only teaching 5 and all different subject areas (and two entirely new for me) so trying to plan for each of these classes has my head spinning.  I often find myself having to slow down to make sure I've got material and plans for EACH class.  It is really trying balancing all these adjustments I have to make.  Feelings of unpreparedness, inadequacy, "is this working/is this not working?" constantly bombard me.   As I said, my experience this year thus far has been a stretching one.  But I take solace in the fact that I will become a better teacher because of this and the students I teach will be better learners.

I hope to find time to make another post soon about how my students are faring without homework.

Hope you are all well.   Drop me a line and let me know how you're all faring.  Now, back to my "paper pile".....  

Assessments and Homework

It's been some time since I last posted, but a lot of has happened.  It's been a stressful time, making several adjustments this school year at the same time.  It's been a "stretching" for me and in the moment, I don't like it, but as I look back, I realize I am growing from it and making myself a better teacher.

As I expected with the first few assessments, lots of the scores were low. I currently grade with 5 levels for each skill, with 5 being mastered.  Only one student to date has a 4.  Some students expressed surprise (to put it mildly) but I was able to clearly show them what they could or could not do.  So far, only one student has asked for reassessment which will occur in a couple days.   One thing I thought was interesting to note -- a student who is known for being a "trouble" kid is actually my top student so far.  I'm gonna make it a point to share with this student tomorrow this fact.  I'm sure this student could use the encouragement.

And now, further evidence that I'm stocking up against homework....here are some quotes from Alfie Kohn's "The Homework Myth" book.  I recommend again for your reading if you haven't already.

• For those of you who say homework is good for practice (myself being formerly one of them),  it's actually more like a drill to produce a desired behavior response. It's not actually learning.  Students become "less autonomous, more dependent.  Stuck in the middle of a problem, they're less likely to try to figure out what makes sense to do next and more likely to try to remember what they're supposed to do next - what behavioral response they've been taught to produce."
• Another point about practice - "giving practice problems to students who lack understanding can have any of several effects: 1) it may make them feel stupid (over and over again, they're reminded of what they can't do), 2) it may get them accustomed to doing things the wrong way, because what's 'reinforced' are mistaken assumptions, 3) it may teach them to fake it, perhaps by asking someone else for the correct answers, to conceal what they don't know."  (there are more, but I'm gonna stop here)
• A teacher is quoted as saying "How about the student who practices all the problems wrong?  What good did the homework assignment do her (the student)?  I want my students to do their learning in my presence, so I can immediately correct them, or take them in a different direction, or push them further, or learn from them."
• Another teacher says about English "assessment depends on observation, and if we do not allow students to write during class, we cannot observe their process or find the time to give them the responses and ask the questions that matter."

Those last two bullets are hitting the nail on the head for me.  This is especially true for the deaf students that I teach.  They need immediate (and I mean immediate) feedback or they are lost.  I want to be there to provide that one thing they may need in order to grasp a concept.  I don't want them trying something at home that they could do wrong or someone else could mislead them.

On to week 5.....

It's Done!

Earlier I posted that most of my SBG skills lists were done, but not all.   Well, NOW they are all done!  I am so excited about how they look.  I'm anxious to find out how it will go over with students, with myself, and how the grading will stand up to the challenge this year.

A colleague I was working with said something I had already felt: "I feel like I know what I'm going to look for and what students are going to learn for the entire year."  (emphasis mine)   Zing!   Isn't that a great feeling?  A nice feature of SBG!  Pacing guides are great, but they are just general ideas of what topics we'll be diving into.  SBG will help assess (ready for it?)  - learning!

Of course, as usual, our human nature comes up after a good feeling --- what if this doesn't work !?!  I cannot say that I'm not worried.  I have read all about it, researched it, followed people who use it, and looked at countless examples.  So it should work.....right?  It is a big change (risk?) and that's something I'm not used to.  However, I do have confidence in the evidence that is out there.  And if I fall flat on my face, I'll shoulder all the blame.  Isn't that part of growing and learning - trying new things?   I just hope it doesn't come at the expense of student growth.  I have usually been against using students in some "research project" or something similar because I don't want to mess with their education.  But I find myself in the same shoes that I was pretty much against.  We shall see....

Now on to the assessments themselves.  That'll be the challenge.  I know I'll be doing these on the fly -- not ideal, but considering the time I have left, I'll have to do it week by week.  I'll be browsing around some of your blogs for ideas, but any suggestions from you SBG users?