I have thoroughly communicated my grading plan to my students and the parents who came to open house. Students took their first concept quiz and recorded their results on their record sheet. They got their folders and decided whether or not they should store their quizzes in their new folders that stay in the classroom or take them home to help them study. A lot of them took them home.
I am recalling a post from someone on my reader called "SBG and Trust" and I realize that the students are trusting me more now than last year even though I've only had them a few weeks. Maybe I'll track that post down and put in a link later.
I am a bit nervous about the requirement I have made that every student has to get a score of at least 7 on every concept in order to pass the class. Their score is always the sum of the last two scores on any concept/skill. Their grades go up and down unless they achieve mastery, which is 2 fives in a row. What's going to happen here? Am I going to be inundated with reassessments? Chasing kids down, calling parents? I teach six classes total and have four different preps, so I am not sure that my plan is even reasonable. I like the plan because it really holds them responsible.
The other thing I like about my new plan is how everything is cumulative. Concept scores transfer to the next trimester, so they can still improve on older concepts. My midterms and finals are cumulative too. They get longer and longer. I am allowing notes on those and directing the students to take notes as we cover them in class. If they get a 1 or 2 on any concept on a midterm or final with notes, I am requiring them to reassess on that even they have previously mastered it. This requirement may also be overwhelming.
I made a Math Intervention Pass that I got from three geometry teachers at MCTM last spring. I'll post that later when I have my computer.
I'd love it if any of you people reading this would comment. Is my plan feasible, I came up with this after a period of reflection and sometimes it's hard to see the forest.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Problem Solving vs. Skills
I've been thinking a lot about how some kids can solve problems and some kids can't. My grading is based on skills not true problem solving and this has been bugging me for a while. Of course I know the importance of Problem Solving but when middle schoolers are all over the map with these skills, how can yu fairly assess it? I am also trying to convert my Earth Science class to sbg and it is so much messier than math. I think it is because of all the subjective skills. Too many words!
In math, I am currently content with doing lots of problem solving in class and keeping the grades based on skills. In science, I don't know how to do that, so right now, I am linking all the stuff we do to standards and generalizing to come up with the concepts. I'm not going to change anything until I figure out what I'm doing and how it relates to standards. That may seem backward, but oh well, sometimes you do need to back in slowly. I also need to do it this way because I share my science class with another teacher and we want it to be the same so I need agreement from her too.
Hmm.. Maybe I can just generalize the concepts or groups of concepts involved in the problems we do in mathclass and it will all become clear some day just like I am hoping for science.
This is getting quite muddled. This morning, I looked at my Algebra Concept List and thought it was garbage and then I had to redo a bunch of plans and things I had already copied. It wasn't all garbage, but the beginning sequence didn't make sense. What was I thinking when I wrote that? Maybe, I'm just tired. School hasn't even started. Luckily the kids will provide me with some good energy.
Time to sleep...
In math, I am currently content with doing lots of problem solving in class and keeping the grades based on skills. In science, I don't know how to do that, so right now, I am linking all the stuff we do to standards and generalizing to come up with the concepts. I'm not going to change anything until I figure out what I'm doing and how it relates to standards. That may seem backward, but oh well, sometimes you do need to back in slowly. I also need to do it this way because I share my science class with another teacher and we want it to be the same so I need agreement from her too.
Hmm.. Maybe I can just generalize the concepts or groups of concepts involved in the problems we do in mathclass and it will all become clear some day just like I am hoping for science.
This is getting quite muddled. This morning, I looked at my Algebra Concept List and thought it was garbage and then I had to redo a bunch of plans and things I had already copied. It wasn't all garbage, but the beginning sequence didn't make sense. What was I thinking when I wrote that? Maybe, I'm just tired. School hasn't even started. Luckily the kids will provide me with some good energy.
Time to sleep...
Thursday, August 4, 2011
The New Year
This year I will be teaching Algebra with a mixed group of 7th and 8th graders. I am excited to see how this mix will work since we have not mixed grade levels in the past. I am also teaching 1 section of Earth Science.
I am changing how I do SBG this year. I am definitely letting the grades fall. Last year, students "mastered" a concept when they earned two fives on any concept and I always recorded their two highest scores. Retention was not so good. The other thing I am changing is that I am requiring every student to have a score of at least 7/10 on every concept in order to pass my class. I am going to give them an incomplete if they do not pass every concept. I am doing this because the averaging of scores last year meant that they did not need to learn some concepts and they could still pass. This year, earning 7/10 on the last two concept quizzes would mean that they at least have a clue on every concept. I do not want kids leaving my class without even having a clue on how to do a specific standard/skill. In order to accomplish this, I am going to use my advisory time (I don't have one this year) and hand out Math Intervention Passes to those who need to come in and reassess. That way they can do it during the day if they can't stay after or come before school.
I am continuing to give midterm exams where the students are allowed to use notes they have created in their DPM (definitions and properties manual). These midterms are cumulative. The change I am making here is that if they get a 2/5 or below on any concept on the midterm when they are allowed notes, they will need to reassess on that skill/standard. Because this test is not a big percentage of their grade 5%, I found last year that students didn't care about it because they understand the points game too well (especially my advanced kids). The final exams will also be cumulative with no notes allowed and they will not need to reassess if they get a low score.
Last year, I cut off skills at each trimester because I didn't know what else to do. This year, I am having cumulative grades so that at the beginning of second trimester there grade will be based on the concept scores from first trimester and I will add concepts to that. If they want to improve their grade, they work on mastering any concept, even if it is third trimester and the concept was introduced in October.
The thing I am still working on is how to make real problem solving part of their grade. I am basically just assessing skills on my concept quizzes. I am planning to introduce concepts with good problems and I will demonstrate and expect to see students solving problems in class, but I don't know how to assess this. I am considering a 10% Problem Solving category so that students who want an "A" in the class need to be proficient problem solvers. Hmmm.... Maybe this is an extra requirement for kids who want to stay (7th graders) or move(8th graders) to the advanced courses. Needs more thought..
Probably my biggest challenge this year is going to be my new and improved classroom management. This has always been an issue for me. I am good with building relationships with students but we waste too much learning time because of my poor classroom management. Though I usually stay up late every night planning good lessons and getting things ready, transitions take forever and students spend a lot of time socializing. I could do all the greatest lessons and assessments I wanted and I will still not be a very effective teacher if I don't get a handle on this.
This is what I've spent most of my summer on. I read 3 (almost 4) books on classroom management and the thing I am going to do is to have no socializing in my class. I will meet students at the door and have work for them to do immediately. I've done this before but it always took awhile for them to settle in. I am not going to tutor my helpless kids during class. I am going to provide some visual aids when they are doing independent practice (I've done this before to) and I will wean them from their helplessness by being less helpful and setting expectations. The other thing I am going to do is to have students earn (or lose) time to do something that they will really enjoy like goofy games (like Kate Nowak's speed-dating), online math games, bingo, etc when they do not waste time during transitions. I will set it up so they are more likely to gain time, than lose it. I got all these ideas from Fred Jones' "Tools for Teaching."
I am changing how I do SBG this year. I am definitely letting the grades fall. Last year, students "mastered" a concept when they earned two fives on any concept and I always recorded their two highest scores. Retention was not so good. The other thing I am changing is that I am requiring every student to have a score of at least 7/10 on every concept in order to pass my class. I am going to give them an incomplete if they do not pass every concept. I am doing this because the averaging of scores last year meant that they did not need to learn some concepts and they could still pass. This year, earning 7/10 on the last two concept quizzes would mean that they at least have a clue on every concept. I do not want kids leaving my class without even having a clue on how to do a specific standard/skill. In order to accomplish this, I am going to use my advisory time (I don't have one this year) and hand out Math Intervention Passes to those who need to come in and reassess. That way they can do it during the day if they can't stay after or come before school.
I am continuing to give midterm exams where the students are allowed to use notes they have created in their DPM (definitions and properties manual). These midterms are cumulative. The change I am making here is that if they get a 2/5 or below on any concept on the midterm when they are allowed notes, they will need to reassess on that skill/standard. Because this test is not a big percentage of their grade 5%, I found last year that students didn't care about it because they understand the points game too well (especially my advanced kids). The final exams will also be cumulative with no notes allowed and they will not need to reassess if they get a low score.
Last year, I cut off skills at each trimester because I didn't know what else to do. This year, I am having cumulative grades so that at the beginning of second trimester there grade will be based on the concept scores from first trimester and I will add concepts to that. If they want to improve their grade, they work on mastering any concept, even if it is third trimester and the concept was introduced in October.
The thing I am still working on is how to make real problem solving part of their grade. I am basically just assessing skills on my concept quizzes. I am planning to introduce concepts with good problems and I will demonstrate and expect to see students solving problems in class, but I don't know how to assess this. I am considering a 10% Problem Solving category so that students who want an "A" in the class need to be proficient problem solvers. Hmmm.... Maybe this is an extra requirement for kids who want to stay (7th graders) or move(8th graders) to the advanced courses. Needs more thought..
Probably my biggest challenge this year is going to be my new and improved classroom management. This has always been an issue for me. I am good with building relationships with students but we waste too much learning time because of my poor classroom management. Though I usually stay up late every night planning good lessons and getting things ready, transitions take forever and students spend a lot of time socializing. I could do all the greatest lessons and assessments I wanted and I will still not be a very effective teacher if I don't get a handle on this.
This is what I've spent most of my summer on. I read 3 (almost 4) books on classroom management and the thing I am going to do is to have no socializing in my class. I will meet students at the door and have work for them to do immediately. I've done this before but it always took awhile for them to settle in. I am not going to tutor my helpless kids during class. I am going to provide some visual aids when they are doing independent practice (I've done this before to) and I will wean them from their helplessness by being less helpful and setting expectations. The other thing I am going to do is to have students earn (or lose) time to do something that they will really enjoy like goofy games (like Kate Nowak's speed-dating), online math games, bingo, etc when they do not waste time during transitions. I will set it up so they are more likely to gain time, than lose it. I got all these ideas from Fred Jones' "Tools for Teaching."
Friday, June 3, 2011
End of year blues
I have a lot of kids coming in for reassessments at the end of the year and what's bugging me is that it seems to be about points and grades. I hope they're learning. I guess I'll find out when I grade their finals next week.
I don't want to be disappointed by their performance on the final but I am not sure that they are really better off after all my work to make their grades meaningful.
I did have a good idea for my reassessment questions. I think I'll put the answers on the back Of the notecards and I have these cool tabs with paper clips attached that I can have them attach the notecard to their reassessment form (so they don't flip it over and cheat). Also, then when I grade it, I can remember to write down their name in pencil on the back to record that they have already done that question. It will be nice when I don't have to write so many questions from scratch.
I have a lot to change and revise next year.
I don't want to be disappointed by their performance on the final but I am not sure that they are really better off after all my work to make their grades meaningful.
I did have a good idea for my reassessment questions. I think I'll put the answers on the back Of the notecards and I have these cool tabs with paper clips attached that I can have them attach the notecard to their reassessment form (so they don't flip it over and cheat). Also, then when I grade it, I can remember to write down their name in pencil on the back to record that they have already done that question. It will be nice when I don't have to write so many questions from scratch.
I have a lot to change and revise next year.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Saturday Brain Dump
How should I include problems covering 2-3 concepts?
I think I'll call them Power concepts. These would be required for students who want to move to a higher level of math in 9th grade. I'll list these under a problem solving standard and they will count as 10% of their final grade. They can only take Power concepts when they have mastered the related concepts. This will be good for the high level students who take little time on their weekly quizzes because they master everything as soon as I give it to them.
What should I do about the kids who get a C on the midterm?
An idea:
If the score on a particular concept on the midterm or final is less than 3 (I have a 5 point scale taken from Kate Nowak)and the previous concept is score of 8, 9 or 10, it becomes a 7/10. Their grade will drop. If they receive a 4 or 5 on any concept on the midterm or final, nothing changes. If they get a score of 1, the score changes to a 6/10. Students need to prepare for the final and midterm and mastering concepts but not being able to retain them is a big problem. I will allow them to use their notes on these exams. I think I will add a retention check sheet for their student record.
Students don't care about "old" concepts. Some do and that is great but I have had a cut off point at the end of each trimester. Standards should be cumulative. I have hated not counting standards that are on previous trimesters. Trimester 2 will include all of the concepts from tri 1 and trimester 3 will include all of the concepts from tri 1 and 2. if they drastically improve on concepts, I could even request a grade change for a previous trimester. Any midterm or final should also be cumulative.
What should I do about the end of tri push to improve their grades?
I graded about 75 reassessments yesterday. (I allowed them to do them in class because I have been somewhat unavailable after school) It is still frustrating that this is about the points to them not just the learning but they are learning.....hmmmmm... I think a signup sheet..... If people sign up for a spot and don't show, it will be easier for me but not nice for their classmates who wanted to come, oh well..
Other end of the year woes:
Students have checked out and won't really listen to me or learn from me much anymore so I'm not too hopeful about getting much mastery on the last few concepts.
What about homework?
A lot of kids do a terrible job on it, whether or not it is graded. I think I will check it and write a score in my phony grade book (#correct)and give feedback on my weekly Edline reports but I won't include it in their grade.
My real grade book will consist of concept scores (Spreadsheet) and I will enter sum of the top 2 scores in our school grade book.
grades next year:
90% concepts
10 % Power concepts and other things I decide that I want to grade. A team test now and then, an involved problem or project they work on that strengthens their understanding of the core concepts.
I think I'll call them Power concepts. These would be required for students who want to move to a higher level of math in 9th grade. I'll list these under a problem solving standard and they will count as 10% of their final grade. They can only take Power concepts when they have mastered the related concepts. This will be good for the high level students who take little time on their weekly quizzes because they master everything as soon as I give it to them.
What should I do about the kids who get a C on the midterm?
An idea:
If the score on a particular concept on the midterm or final is less than 3 (I have a 5 point scale taken from Kate Nowak)and the previous concept is score of 8, 9 or 10, it becomes a 7/10. Their grade will drop. If they receive a 4 or 5 on any concept on the midterm or final, nothing changes. If they get a score of 1, the score changes to a 6/10. Students need to prepare for the final and midterm and mastering concepts but not being able to retain them is a big problem. I will allow them to use their notes on these exams. I think I will add a retention check sheet for their student record.
Students don't care about "old" concepts. Some do and that is great but I have had a cut off point at the end of each trimester. Standards should be cumulative. I have hated not counting standards that are on previous trimesters. Trimester 2 will include all of the concepts from tri 1 and trimester 3 will include all of the concepts from tri 1 and 2. if they drastically improve on concepts, I could even request a grade change for a previous trimester. Any midterm or final should also be cumulative.
What should I do about the end of tri push to improve their grades?
I graded about 75 reassessments yesterday. (I allowed them to do them in class because I have been somewhat unavailable after school) It is still frustrating that this is about the points to them not just the learning but they are learning.....hmmmmm... I think a signup sheet..... If people sign up for a spot and don't show, it will be easier for me but not nice for their classmates who wanted to come, oh well..
Other end of the year woes:
Students have checked out and won't really listen to me or learn from me much anymore so I'm not too hopeful about getting much mastery on the last few concepts.
What about homework?
A lot of kids do a terrible job on it, whether or not it is graded. I think I will check it and write a score in my phony grade book (#correct)and give feedback on my weekly Edline reports but I won't include it in their grade.
My real grade book will consist of concept scores (Spreadsheet) and I will enter sum of the top 2 scores in our school grade book.
grades next year:
90% concepts
10 % Power concepts and other things I decide that I want to grade. A team test now and then, an involved problem or project they work on that strengthens their understanding of the core concepts.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Let the Grades Fall
Last night I updated my students concept scores and I've decided that next year I need to have the score in the grade book be the last 2 scores on on each concept. I have many students who have the mindset that they can take a test and forget it and they are not studying for these quizzes. It's too late to make the change now and it wouldn't matter for the last 3-4 concepts anyway because we're almost out of time.
I am really happy though, when I look at their grades and now I know that the grades mean something. The grades are definitely lower in my Geometry class so, as I suspected, I was guilty of grade inflation.
Another thing I am pleased with are my students who are achieving mastery on almost every concept and never did well in math before. My general observation is this: my Algebra class is doing better than my Geometry class. I think this is because kids got on the advanced track by being game players and they didn't really know how to learn. The Algebra kids feel like they have a way out and they may have felt trapped (and probably stupid) because they were not good at the game. Now that it means something, they can do it. I love those kids.
I am really happy though, when I look at their grades and now I know that the grades mean something. The grades are definitely lower in my Geometry class so, as I suspected, I was guilty of grade inflation.
Another thing I am pleased with are my students who are achieving mastery on almost every concept and never did well in math before. My general observation is this: my Algebra class is doing better than my Geometry class. I think this is because kids got on the advanced track by being game players and they didn't really know how to learn. The Algebra kids feel like they have a way out and they may have felt trapped (and probably stupid) because they were not good at the game. Now that it means something, they can do it. I love those kids.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
What They Have to Say
I had individual meetings with all of my math students yesterday, just to check in and see how they're doing. In Geometry, I wanted to find out what happened to them on the midterm. most of them brought no notes, many of them rushed through. I asked if they had enough time, they said "yeah" and they were done early. "Well, why did you rush?" I asked. "I don't know just to be done." Many could not do skills they had previously mastered, they forgot and didn't bring their DPM (definitions and properties manual or their DPMs were not useful because their notes were bad.
I'm trying to remember how I got last year's class to love their DPMs. I remember that they fondly called them their "dippum" Hmmm.... There's an apathy with this class that I can'figure out. I think I will reintroduce concepts after the midterm if I see low retention across the board. If they've previously mastered it, they get a free "5" and they just have to do it one time to get their stamp.
I like the idea of a cumulative concept quiz for the midterm and final and including concepts from earlier in the year that are not part of their new concepts.
Hard week. In Earth Science, they're doing their Energy projects on Monday. I do not feel as confident about their readiness for this as I think I did last year and I spent a lot less time preparing for it.
I wrote this on the weekly email to parents this week....
Students are asking for extra credit and my answer is an adamant “No.” In math, students can raise their grade by learning the concepts. They have a weekly opportunity in class on Concept Quizzes and can come in and reassess on any concept as long as they can prove they have done some work towards learning that concept. When they come in outside of class, I ask them to show me their homework or tell me what they have done to learn that concept before allowing them to reassess. I have had to turn several students away when they have come in with no proof that they have done any work toward learning the concept. I call this the “video game” approach to math; just keep trying until something works or you get lucky (that works on video games, I know because I play them). This does not help them learn what they need to know.
The "video game approach" came form Shawn Cornally's blog.
I'm trying to remember how I got last year's class to love their DPMs. I remember that they fondly called them their "dippum" Hmmm.... There's an apathy with this class that I can'figure out. I think I will reintroduce concepts after the midterm if I see low retention across the board. If they've previously mastered it, they get a free "5" and they just have to do it one time to get their stamp.
I like the idea of a cumulative concept quiz for the midterm and final and including concepts from earlier in the year that are not part of their new concepts.
Hard week. In Earth Science, they're doing their Energy projects on Monday. I do not feel as confident about their readiness for this as I think I did last year and I spent a lot less time preparing for it.
I wrote this on the weekly email to parents this week....
Students are asking for extra credit and my answer is an adamant “No.” In math, students can raise their grade by learning the concepts. They have a weekly opportunity in class on Concept Quizzes and can come in and reassess on any concept as long as they can prove they have done some work towards learning that concept. When they come in outside of class, I ask them to show me their homework or tell me what they have done to learn that concept before allowing them to reassess. I have had to turn several students away when they have come in with no proof that they have done any work toward learning the concept. I call this the “video game” approach to math; just keep trying until something works or you get lucky (that works on video games, I know because I play them). This does not help them learn what they need to know.
The "video game approach" came form Shawn Cornally's blog.
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