Weekly Coaching Communication
Make it a great day -- every day!
29 February -- 04 March 2016
On the Standards Front . . .
In Education Week: Teacher, "Putting Standards-Based Grading Into Action," Stephanie Pinkin (22 February 2016) shares her experience and insights with SBG:
Standards-based grading . . .
- aims to communicate how a student is performing against a set of essential standards.
- challenges many grading practices teachers feel very strongly about: assigning zeroes (which I no longer do), accepting “late” work (which I now always do), and allowing re-dos and re-takes (which I allow without limits).
- makes sense . . . It is the most accurate and honest grading method.
- allows me to provide feedback to students on individual skills.
- reports levels of mastery more current than those in traditional grading practices.
- shifts parent-teacher conversations from “Well, what can she do to bring up her grade?” to “What are the skills and areas she should be practicing more to help her learn better?”
- is challenging when teaching processes and skills.
- subjectively captures a student's knowledge of the content because the scores are still averaged and based on numbers.
Her final words of advice capture the strength and need to move forward with the practice of SBG:
Implementing SBG has been a bit of a culture shock for both students and parents, simply because it is entirely different from everything they have ever known about grades. Focusing on more quantitative and individualized feedback requires some flexibility, open-mindedness, and a lot of trust in teachers. Though this shift in mindset is certainly an initial challenge for parents and students, it is a necessary one. The benefits and progressive thinking behind SBG far outweigh the challenges of implementing the practice. We have gone long enough assigning subjective and arbitrary numbers to student performance, and it is time that our communication of student progress reflects student learning, and student learning only.
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Suggested Reading
SBG: Reassessment without going crazy by Matt Townsley
Matt Townsley's blog MeTA Musings is a great blog to follow and is rich with reflections and suggestions for SBG practice. I strongly recommend subscribing, but for starters, read Matt's experience and suggestions for reassessments.
Trending Tweets
Ever wonder how a data wall looks?
Dan Butler @danpbutler 52m52 minutes ago
An example of an assessment wall that guides all of our literacy decisions. A tremendous tool! #iaedchat
Quotation of the Week . . .
Inspired and passionate teachers do NOT:
use grading as punishment
conflate behavioral and academic performance
elevate quiet compliance over academic work (classroom control is important but does not have to be quiet)
do not use worksheets excessively (packets, packets, packets…)
have low expectations
keep defending low quality learning as ‘doing your best’ (What a kid can do today is not acceptable tomorrow. We should have a new goal for them.)
evaluate their impact by compliance, covering the curriculum or conceiving explanations as to why they have little or no impact on their students.
Inspired and Passionate teachers:
Build highly relational; their students know they care about them and their learning (.72 effect size)
provide feedback to students (use data)
Engage in dialogue not monologue
Provide challenge
manage the classroom so LEARNING is the key focus for students, not BEHAVIOR
use a wide range of instructional strategies is difference between EXPERT and EXPERIENCED teachers - expert teachers have a significantly greater effect on student outcomes than experienced teachers do
Coaching Schedule -- see Google Calendar for specific "Busy" times **schedule subject to change**
Monday, 29 February -- 9-11 GRADE REGISTRATION -- Late Start Schedule
- 11:30 ZOOM Mtg TLSS for IC Team
- Serve Teachers & Students
- Classroom Observations
- Research & Resources
Tuesday, 01 March EARLY OUT -- STATE BASKETBALL
- Serve Teachers & Students
- Classroom Observations
- Research & Resources
Wednesday, 02 March -- NO DATA TEAMS; Morning Meeting 8 AM Art Room (TLC)
- Serve Teachers & Students
- Classroom Observations
- Research & Resources
Thursday, 03 March
- 12:30-3:00 PM Opinion / Argumentative Writing Planning Session
- Serve Teachers & Students
- Classroom Observations
- Research & Resources
Friday, 04 March -- Principal/ IC Meeting w/ Libolt 7:30AM
- IC Team Meeting
- Serve Teachers & Students
- Classroom Observations
- Research & Resources
Click on the link to access prior weekly communications.
Contact Information
Center Point - Urbana CSD
Email: epopenhagen@cpuschools.org
Phone: 319-849-1102+91015
Twitter: @Epopenhagen