TE818 Final Post

Dear Mr. Pseudonym,

For the past year the teachers of Foundations of Science have been piloting a model of Standards Based Grading(SBG) and would strongly recommend that next year all 9th grade teachers move to a SBG system.  The SBG System is a much more realistic picture of a students knowledge, understanding and learning.  We have several reasons that we feel that SBG makes a large impact on students and the school.  

#1 - As a teacher there are many things in our classrooms that we can not control but grading and what students do in our presence we can control. It is frustrating that we are at the mercy of so many factors that we can not control, such as students socioeconomic levels, school funding, class sizes and many other issues but grading we can control.  With standards based grading we eliminate the useless averages that truly do not show what a student has actually learned.  

#2 - Homework presents a major issue in classrooms today.  Many of us who piloted the SBG program can tell you that we all started our careers believing that homework was essential and it was absolutely necessary to award points for homework.  It was a belief that students had to do homework and that if points were not awarded to the homework they wouldn’t do it. Yet in many classrooms students who were clearly learning sometimes earned low grades because of missing work. Conversely, some students actually learned very little but were good at “playing school” and turning in work and doing extra credit to get a passing grade.  Take these student examples.  (All names have been changed)

Grade Book
Name	Homework Average	Quiz 1	Chapter 1 Test
Frank	95	60	65
Brandie	50	75	80
Sherri - did extra credit	110	50	63

Students like Frank and Sherri do great on homework, but was this graded for just completion or actual content?  Was the work copied from someone else?  If they are scoring that high on the content of their homework, why do their quiz and test scores not align?  What was the extra credit? Crossword puzzles?  Sherri’s homework averaged with her quiz and test scores would make it look like she was proficient when in fact her assessments show she is not.

Many students today are too busy with extracurriculars or jobs to do homework and the homework turns out to be useless.  Times are different than 15-20 years ago when kids went home to the dining room table and did their homework and that was priority one.  So if homework just leads to grade inflation and is not a true reflection of learning in the gradebook then why assign it or count it?  We need to change the mindset of students that homework is done just to get points and instead get them to see it as practice that leads to learning.  I always discuss this with my students from the standpoint of homework and class activities as practice for the big game.  You have to practice the skills which you don’t get rewarded for but when you do well in the big game that is the reward.  Likewise with school work you have to practice the skills in order to be ready for the assessment so you can show what you have learned.    

#3 - If grades are inflated through extra credit and meaningless busy work it is not a true picture of what the student has learned or the skills they have acquired. Using SBG grades do have real meaning.

• An A means the student has completed proficient work on all learning targets and also has developed an advanced understanding of the material and skills.  
• A B means the student has completed proficient work on all learning targets.
• A C means the student has completed proficient work on most of the learning targets, although not on all learning targets. The student can continue to the next course.
• A Not Yet grade means the student has not completed proficient work on most of the learning targets and needs assistance through class interventions to still learn the necessary content.  
• An F means the student has completed proficient work on fewer than one-half of the learning targets and cannot successfully complete the next course in sequence.

The grading scale eliminates the D and essentially says you are either obtaining proficiency in almost all of the course content or you are not.  Some of us in the pilot program experimented with A,B,C or Not Yet.  While this worked well we ran into troubles with attendance issues.  The Not Yet grade was designed for those students who were there and just did not get it.  These students need extensive intervention time until they got it but the Not Yet grade doesn’t give students a defeated outlook, as it just tells them they don’t have it yet but there is still time to learn it.  The issue was with students who were habitually absent but not dropped according to the attendance policy and required the F in the grade book.   So therefore we propose the above grade scale.  

#4 - Since the adoption of standards-based grading, there has been a drastic reduction in meaningless paperwork which provides time for more important considerations such as teacher collaboration or work on the common core.  Many people may view that the fact our students do less paperwork as they are not learning as much but it is quantity not quality.   As a teacher I can focus my  feedback only on selected problems and give higher quality feedback.  When a teacher is trying to grade a lot of busy work and homework everyday the feedback is not constructive and ends up being a completion grade and busy work for the student.   By using fewer assessments, with better feedback, teachers can get a truer sense of where the class is an adjust instruction as needed.  

#5 - Through the implementation of SBG other reforms had to be implemented.  Implementing SBG required every class to have a clear set of learning targets.  This led to collaboration with colleagues about what the learning targets are and what proficiency of each of these learning targets would look like.  Since we were getting very concise about what we wanted students to learn we compared all of our learning targets to the common core.   So through SBG,  curriculum and collaboration were improved.   

The key for the implementation across all 9th grade courses will be education of students and parents.  Students and parents alike need to understand the rationale for the change so teachers must hold discussions with students and parents.  Students also need to understand their responsibilities in the SBG system.  Many students will not like SBG since it eliminates grade inflation and they can no longer do a bunch of homework or extra credit to raise their grade or get an A.   Some students will really like the ability to retest and intervention time built into class so that they can get extra help and revise or retake until they meet proficiency.  No matter what side of the coin they fall on parents and students will need to be educated.  

We feel that expanding the Standards BAsed Grading system to all 9th grade courses would be a step in the right direction for By The River School District and would like to see it expanded to all 9th grade courses and then possibly school wide.  

The Foundations of Science team would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss a plan to move forward.  

Thank you for your consideration.

Melissa Hocking

FOS Team Leader

Synthesis Theme 5: Standards, Measurement and Testing

The standardized testing debate has been going on for a long time and I don’t see it getting better anytime soon or any conclusion reached either.  Amanda, who commented on my blog post, made some really good points. It seems that the standardized test are just data collection tools that students do not see the importance of.  They are used as “weapons” against teachers so the teachers care more about the test that the students who do not seen any purpose for them unless they are motivated by their score.  Those students who are from certain family backgrounds or low socioeconomic status are not going to be motivated by their score as they are not motivated by grades so why should they do well on this test that means absolutely nothing to them. What if the test were used to identify the gaps and determine course placement for the coming year or who needed to be pulled out for additional assistance so they could make up the gaps.  In my former district we began using the Iowa Assessment Data to determine who would be placed in a Second Chance Reading course.  Students began to take the test very seriously rather than be put in a reading course.  More than anything it shows to the students that these test are important and we are using these to identify skills gaps and then helping those students close the gaps.  

I do believe that standardized testing can have a place I am just not sure we are using the testing correctly at this point.  

Theme 5: Standards, Measurement and Testing

I was enthused by this themes topic on standards, measurement and testing as this is an area I feel very passionate about have a deep interest in.  I was disappointed that some of the readings were not very current but the TED Talk by Ken Robinson was exactly what I was looking for.  Robinson argues that we have been educated to be “good workers rather than creative thinkers”.  "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says.  Robinson outlines 3 principles that allow individuals to flourish and yet these principles can be a rare thing in public education.  Principle 1 talks about how people are naturally different and diverse yet it seems to me that we are delivering a one size fits all education.  Principle 2 talks about the people being curious and that makes people learn without assistance.  This is where the major change is taking place in education a teachers are not to teach but to facilitate learning so students can be curious and curious about different things.  When things I was not expecting was Robinson to say that standardized testing was acceptable as long as it did not interfere with learning.  Yes we are locked in a constant fight about standardized testing and the benefits and pitfalls but if standardized testing is done right it can be a useful tool to measure outcomes but it should not be used to measure the quality of the teacher or provide the only picture into what a students has learned.  Principle 3 says that people are naturally creative but we are so focused on teaching the standards that we do not allow students to be creative.  So what this means for classrooms is that me must make education more individualised to the interest and curiosity of the learner.  In the article Creative Thinking in the Classroom by Robert Sternberg, Sternberg says there are 3 main aspects for creative thinking, synthesis, analytical and practical.  Sternberg argues that most schooling is centered around the analytical and that in order for schools to allow for creative thinking they must find a healthy balance between the three, he refers to it as the “triarchic theory”.   Synthetic is where students can generate their own ideas and redefine problems.  Analytical allows for judgement of one's own ideas and identification of strengths and weaknesses.  Practical is the ability to apply intellectual skills in everyday settings.  These three things need to be balanced in order to have true creative thinking in education and can come from things like Project Based Learning.  I really believe that the lack of creativity in public education has what has led America to be passed up by other countries in the the areas of science and engineering.    

Ted Robinson also has a great TED Talk on killing creativity.

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html?qsha=1&utm_expid=166907-20&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ted.com%2F

Synthesis Theme 4: Curriculum Creation

In my synthesis this week I want to respond to the questions that a couple people who commented presented me with.   What inspired me to develop a richer curriculum is when I looked at my classroom one day and realized they were all bored. Heck I was bored.  After I gave the same lecture for the 4th time in one day and watch students copy down the same notes so they could memorize the same boring facts I really wondered what kind of teacher I was.  When our school district embarked on a mission to compare opur curriculum against Daggott’s 4 quadrants or rigor, relevance and relationships I realized nothing I was doing in class we what Daggott referred to as Quadrant D work.  This Quadrant represented coursework that was done at the highest level of Bloom’s Taxonomy and applicable to real world unpredictable situations.  I think if someone wants to develop a deeper richer curriculum the place to start is with Daggott’s 4 Quadrant work.  While I embrace Doll’s 4 R’s I think to have something to measure your current curriculum and lessons against to actually see how rich they are you need a tool like Daggott’s 4 Quadrants in order to assess lessons.  I thinks Doll’s 4 R’s would be great conversation starters for interdisciplinary work.  Presently I am not involved in interdisciplinary work but a truly rich curriculum would have those connections between subject areas.  Where you have to start is a curriculum map so that each content area can see what is being taught when in each subject area.  There is some curriculum mapping software that each teacher enters what content they are teaching when, all in a large spreadsheet intended so that each principal knows what is being taught each month in the building.  What if this tool was also available for teachers to see opportunities for interdisciplinary work? What is besides subject alike professional learning community meetings they were cross content.  So PLC meetings with say 9th grade science, language arts,  social studies, math and art.  There goal was to create one project for the year or semester that was cross curricular.  The possibilities for cross content is endless if the right base is provided.  I do believe that before cross curricular can happen rich curriculum within the each individual content or teachers classroom must be developed first.  

Theme 4: Curriculum Creation

Much focus has been given over the past several years to the 3 R’s - Rigor, Relevance and Relationships -  created by William Daggett, but I was very unfamiliar with the 4 R’s.  These ideas are very progressive and could serve as a great model.  Tyler’s 4 principles has pre-set ideas goals and/or purpose, methods and then evaluation.  While not a wrong model Doll Jr. saw how the revision of Tyler’s principles would fit a more post-modern model of education.  The R that most grabbed my attention was the Richness.  As I look back on the curriculum that I taught 5 years ago this is what was missing.  I was teaching a curriculum with no depth.  It was meaningless to students and allowed for very little dialogue that Doll Jr. says is needed in a rich curriculum.  This is because there was too much on the “curriculum” plate so that the depth could not be there for fear we wouldn’t get it all covered.  I love that Doll Jr. places significance on richness as the deep rich conversations that my students have about things like stem cells, cancer and brain research as far more important than memorizing the parts of the cell.  So in preparing this blog post I googled “richness in curriculum” and actually found a university that has a Richness in Thought graduation requirement.  This is how they described it, “Through this component you’ll develop keen insights and a deep understanding of literary works, mathematical models and artistic vision. It will enable you to debate definitions and articulate differences in thought or action. As a result you’ll have a better understanding of the diversities of human experiences”, Susquehanna University .  I thought this was a great description of what exactly I am trying to do with my students when I try to make the curriculum richer.  Recursive also really grabbed my attention as I see more and more blogging and electronic portfolios as summative assessments.  I really like the idea of blogging and recently attended a conference where one school was having students start blogs at 2nd grade and keep the same blog through 12th grade.   Research shows that student reflection is a great tool for assessment of learning and learners can see their own strengths and weaknesses.  After students see their weaknesses they know what they need to improve on and can focus on that in their learning and relearning. In Daggetts model the relationship piece is about establishing relationships with students but Doll Jr. has a different perspective on relations as it pertains to curriculum.  I see how Relations directly relates to Richness.  As more connections are made between topics, the curriculum and conversations become deeper and richer.  I believe that the Rigor comes from the Richness, but also that the Richness provides the Rigor.  I think some teachers still define Rigor as how many difficult formulas or math problems they can make students do or memorize and it infuriates me.  To me the Rigor comes from the deep conversations where students must make arguments, connections, reflections and solve problems.  I was excited about the 4 R’s and instead of analyzing lessons by Daggett’s 3 R’s we need to have more lessons analyzed against the 4 R’s.  

http://www.learningnetwork.ac.nz/shared/professionalReading/WATTS1.pdf

http://education.apple.com/acot2/curriculum/

Synthesis Theme 3b: What Should Schools Teach? - "Controversial" Curriculum

While I realize there is a difference between book selection and book banning to me they are one in the same.  If you do not include the book in the options that is the same thing as saying you are not allowed to read it.  But this theme goes beyond book banning.  Book banning is just one price and what good does book banning really do with things like Kindles and iBooks students have access to those books in more than just the school library.  What we actually see in schools in controversial curriculum and material (books and otherwise) not being included in the curriculum and why is that? As our professor pointed out in her comment to me is this an issue where teachers are not trusted to talk with students about controversial issues and if they are not, why is it they are not trusted?  The role of the teacher is/has drastically changed and we need to stop being thought of as people who disseminate information as information is available everywhere they don’t need to get it from me or any teacher.  We have to teach students to think critically and maneuver the oceans of information available to them and some of that will be controversially.  So if the reason teachers are not allowed to include controversial material is because they are not trusted, how do we become trusted professionals to include this material in our courses?  Maybe this is an area where professional development needs to be included on how to engage students with this material, monitor their discussions and engage students while remaining impartial.  When I engage students in debates about Stem Cell research we have to talk about embryos and the point at which they become life.  The topic can be very controversial and some students will have very strong feelings.  It is my job to ask questions and let them formulate their own opinions and teach them to talk respectfully about their opinions maybe if we trained more teachers to handle these conversations others would be more open to including them in the curriculum.

Theme 3b: What Should Schools Teach? - "Controversial" Curriculum

Again this week the readings are rendering my speechless.  I really thought we were passed the days of book banning and book burning.  I thought we were passed the days were religious groups could tell schools what to teach and yet here in the year 2013 we are still “protecting” students by not letting them discuss controversial subjects and read materials associated with hot button topics.  As a school we are really going to be naive to think that students are not exposed to these things outside of the school walls?  This is the information age, the internet age.  Students are exposed to MANY topics and ideas outside of school that are controversial and I would rather see them brought into the school setting with adults who can teach them more about the topics and guide them through the information overload of this day and age?  It is like the age old controversy surrounding Huckleberry Finn because of the word “nigger”.  Maybe 30-40 years ago when no one heard the word or used it and it was consider to be a 4 letter swear word.  I remember growing up and hearing the word and understanding it was a very bad word that should never be spoken.  I was never taught the social context of this word, where it came from or why it was considered a bad word.  Today through movies, television and the internet students hear this work often and I believe as an educational institution we are better off to discuss the work and its meaning rather than hide it from students.  

When I read Curtis Acocta’s writing prompts I grinned from ear to ear.  This is the rigorous-critical thinking work we want students to be doing.  Students must learn to be analyzers of information and reflect upon the information they have consumed and this is what Acosta is trying to do.  Again students need to be able to read ALL information and formulate their own ideas and I would rather they did that with adult guidance than on their own.    

It infuriates me that people always think there is a hidden agenda in everything.  Bullying prevention is not about promoting any lifestyle it is about teaching children tolerance and acceptance so we don’t have young people taking their own lives for their choices they make.  It also seems that groups and leaders are always talking out of both sides of their mouths.  In one breath saying schools don’t do enough but then saying don’t teach it that way.  

There is always going to be controversy but for the sake of our students we need to take the controversy head on and do what is best for kids.

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

http://712educators.about.com/cs/bannedbooks/a/bookbanning.htm