Ugh - I don't even know where to start! I've hit delete several times already and it's just the intro sentences!!!
I'm at an SBG roadblock. I am in complete agreement that SBG is where I want to be. I want my students and parents to be able to look at my gradebook and say "Oh man, I really need to study Learning Target (LT) #, #, and #, but check this out, I totally rocked LT # and #!"
But, then I run up against roadblocks... issues that I just can't figure out in my head and I end up wanting to just throw in the towel, but I know I can't - I believe in this system, I have confidence in how it can change my classroom. But I also know that I can't go into my admin and my only answer to his questions is "I don't know yet".
My current questions and issues:
1) Everyone has a different rubric and I'm not sure on which one is best. If you use SBG, could I beg you to post your rubric in the comments? I'm currently thinking of a 0-5 scale, but I'm not positive. My current favorite is @jazlen's Advanced/Proficient/Basic/Below Basic/Far below Basic and then add in 0 = doesn't have a clue in the world.
2) Speaking of rubrics, how do those translate to a traditional gradebook program? I don't have a choice about the program we use and it will automatically change a grade to a percentage scale. So if I use a 4 point rubric with 3 as "meeting standards", the computer will auto change that to a 75%. That really bothers me. I read the post on Edu-Ma-Ca-Tion on this same topic and I'm still not sure how to resolve.
3) How do you organize their concept checklists? Many use something like Dan Meyer's list and I like that too. I am thinking of giving them the list for the chapter along w/ their suggested practice (homework) and important terms sheet. They would need to keep a section in their notebook for each of these chapter sheets.
4) How do you keep track of the paperwork? I keep a papergradebook because of several issues - only have access to online GB at school, having backup in case of hackers (yes, it happened), etc. However, I struggle to visualize what an SBG paper gradebook would even look like!!! Ugh
5) What does a concept quiz look like to you? Some people give multiple quizzes w/ progressively more difficult questions, some give one quiz with various difficulty on that quiz, some do "traditional" quizzes with only difference being the score reporting.
6) Speaking of, how many times do you assess each concept? My current thought is quiz w/ various difficulty problems (which they can reassess), then see again on chapter/unit test. There will also be some ungraded assessments, maybe a "HW quiz" every so often, plus the possibility of showing up under the "previous knowledge" section on future tests.
7) I am a huge proponent of "previous knowledge" and "spiraling" and "not giving kids permission to forget" - so in that vein, should their grades be able to backslide? I know some SBG people allow grades to go down, some don't, I'm leaning toward the "grade needs to reflect current knowlege, so grade can go down" camp, what is your thought on it?
Sigh - I think that's it for now... I know it seems like a ton of questions, and believe me, I have spent time discussing with some of the best minds I know and yet I continue to feel clueless on these details. I have 4 weeks and counting to get these things figured out...
Thanks for reading - and taking the time to respond :)
8 comments:
This is just my opinion, but if this is truly SBG, and your goal is for students to meet the standard, then shouldn't the top of your scale be "meets the standard?" I have worked on a 1-4 scale the past 2 years. I score a 3.5 if the students meet the objective but have a computation error. I'm thinking this coming year I'm going to be on a 1-5 scale and have a 4 be with errors and a 5 be meets the standard. So, even though my grade book does convert my points scale to a percent, 100% is that they met the standard.
So since you said it was ok for me to do this, I'm just going to post blog posts where I said what I did. Then you can ask for more details through email or twitter if you want.
1. I use the one from the Marzano book you're reading. 0-4 by complexity with 4 meaning going beyond what was taught.
2. The way I do it. Again, from the Marzano book. http://alwaysformative.blogspot.com/2010/03/translating-to-letter-grade.html
If you look in the comments there are some suggestions for how to do it if you have to do a percentage.
3-7 are in the standards-based grading implementation tab on my blog. You've got at least three ways to contact me so just let me know about any clarifications you need. I'm a master obfuscator.
I personally am leaning toward @jybuell 's system of determining your level '3/P/just below has-it-and-is-able-to-run-with-it' first, then finding the prereqs and making those 1 & 2. I feel like this puts the relationship between related concepts and skills right into the standard. I think it also leads right to your assessments, which would move from low level to high. My only problem with multiple choice questions in this system is that assessment feedback is everything; unless they are providing written explanations or showing all work it is very difficult to determine where it all went wrong. And as long as we're turning these into grades at some point, it seems to me that there has to be a distinction between kids who learned it and kids who are making insightful connections and/or able to use it in novel ways.
1) I just read this in a NCTM article:
1- I know you don't know it
2- I don't think you know it
3-I think you know it
4-I know you know it
3) I like your idea of a chapter summary. I was thinking about making one per quarter because that's how I plan to set up my gradebook.
6) We know formative assessment is important and useful. As far as summative assessment, Kate explained it as teach 123, assess 123, teach 456, assess 123456, teach 789, assess 456789, and son. That would be assessing twice on it's own, plus any cumulative/retention tests you give.
7) Yes.
@Becky Goerend I think there should be something above "meets" because IMHO "meets" should be the minimum you accept as a standards-based teacher.
1) Example of project rubric (more specific--I like your generic one) http://tiny.cc/r37cz
2) Still thinking about this one. Maybe 5 point scale? 100/80/60/40/20 ?
4) I mostly keep paper "grids" as temporary gradebook. Very adjustable.
6&7) Assess each one at least twice, still thinking about "grade can go down"--for me, I think that would only work within a 9 weeks grading period. Our system "closes" the gradebook when the grading period is over.
1) I use 0-4. with 3 being meeting standard and 4 being awesome.
2) I punch in the words and it translate my words into points. So when I write 'awesome' in a performance indicator, gradebook reads it as a 100%. The 3 75% for just meeting standards doesn't bother me. That's a C at most schools considered 'average'.
3) I give them a couple of checklists.
4) I use a couple of different sets of excel files and keep a master list in a notebook. Standard per page and the list what assessments I put it on.
7) I hold the right to reassess any standard at any given time. There's a review standard for each student checklist.
I've put a bunch of this on my blog as I'm giving a presentation about it to my school and at a conference.
http://www.onezscore.com/category/sbg/
I think one thing about SBG is that it will always be a work in progress. What works at your school may not work at mine and then there's a difference between teachers etc..
However, the common theme is that the students know where their knowledge is lacking and have the opportunities to show that they know the material.
Instead of using a 0-5 scale, I use 100% A, 85% B, 75% C, 70% D, and 50% F
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