Weekly Warrior
Volume 8 Issue 12 February 6th, 2017
Important Dates
Feb 15th-EOC Testing for T2 during 1st & 2nd Block
Feb 15th-Dept Meetings
Feb 16th-Final Exams for 1st, 3rd, & 5th Block
Feb 17th-Final Exams for 2nd & 4th
Feb 17th-Talent Show 5th Block
Feb 20th-Growth Day
Feb 22nd-WorkKeys Testing--ALL Computer Labs will be in use for 1st - 3rd Blocks
Feb 22nd-PLC/Program Review Documentation
March 8th-Faculty Meeting
March 14th-MAP Testing for 10th Grade through English Classes
March 15th-MAP Testing for 10th Grade through English Classes
March 15th-Dept Meetings
March 16th-MAP Testing for 9th Grade through Math Classes
March 17th-MAP Testing for 9th Grade through Math Classes
March 21st-Statewide ACT given to All Juniors
March 22nd-PLC/Program Review Documentation
April 19th-Statewide ACT Make-up Day
February 15th-EOC Testing
Effective Feedback
Students may feel that they receive feedback throughout the school day: "You need more examples in your report." "I'm so pleased by your poster." "This paper is not your best work—you earned a C." "Great job!" But such comments—in which teachers offer advice, praise, criticism, or evaluation—don't provide the kind of descriptive feedback that can help students improve their performance, writes Grant Wiggins in this article.
Feedback, says Wiggins, is "information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal." Helpful feedback is always goal-referenced: The performer has a clear goal, and the feedback tells whether he or she is on track or needs to make adjustments. Helpful feedback is also tangible, actionable, user-friendly, timely, ongoing, and consistent. Fortunately, the teacher is not the only possible source of effective feedback—peers, other teachers, technology, and instruction that builds in intrinsic feedback are equally powerful. But it's essential to provide as much descriptive feedback as possible, says Wiggins, because "the research shows that less teaching plus more feedback is the key to achieving greater learning."
Feedback Essentials
- Goal-Referenced-Effective feedback requires that a person has a goal, takes action to receive the goal, and receives goal-related information about his or her actions.
- Tangible and Transparent-The best feedback is so tangible that anyone who has a goal can learn from it.
- Actionable-Offer neutral, goal-related facts
- User-Friendly-Make sure the user can understand the feedback given. No need to make it too highly technical or offer too much.
- Timely-Students have more opportunities to use the feedback while the attempts and effects are still fresh in their minds.
- Ongoing-The more feedback a student can receive, the better the end performance will be.
- Consistent-Everyone needs to be on the same page about what high-quality work is.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Success With Higher Standards
Southwestern High School will strive to graduate every student college/career ready and prepared for the 21st century.