Traditional vs. Standards-Based Grading Systems

I grew up with a traditional grading system. Most of us born in the 20th century that went to a traditional school did. But what did we really learn about ourselves from our grades? I learned that I really like to see A's, and I learned how to play the classroom game of getting them.

After researching grading systems of the 21st century, however, I think we can do better. I think report cards should be an accurate reflection of what students have learned, and they should easily communicate that information to both parents and students.

Check out my infographic below. I don't know about you, but standards-based grading is winning by my rubric.

 

Differentiating Based on Pre-Assessment

If there's one thing I've learned a lot about in this teacher certification program, it's differentiation. I've learned to differentiate based on disabilities, language abilities, learning styles and even interests. For today's task, however, I'll amaze you with my ability to differentiate based on pre-assessment.

Pre-assessment is measuring students' knowledge on a given subject before you start teaching them, with the idea being that you don't waste time covering things they already know, so that you can delve into deeper subjects and cover more ground. It also helps teachers know where they need to focus the heart of their teaching, so kids neither feel lost or that we're beating them over the head with the same tired material.

Since I'll be teaching English Language Arts to groups of sixth graders, I developed a pre-assessment for a unit that focuses on identifying theme, plot and setting in various genres in accordance with the Common Core State Standards.  Hopefully, these terms will at least be familiar with students who have been studying English Language Arts since kindergarten, but my 10 question pre-assessment built on Kahoot will give me a better idea of what my students actually know. You can check out my quiz here.

Once my students have taken my quiz on their phone, tablet or laptop, I will group them into three groups based on their scores-- the top 5, the middle 12 and the 5 needing the most help. While all of these groups will be studying the same concepts, the texts they use, how they work through them and proceed through the unit will be differentiated based on their prior knowledge of the subject material. The key to differentiation is scaffolding based on abilities and needs and making sure that every student in the class has an appropriate challenge every day. I believe that the system I've created below is just what I need to implement to make my class successful scholars.

Student Assessments

Differentiating Lessons

No two students are alike. Each boy and girl that crosses the threshold of your classroom comes with a unique set of experiences, background, learning abilities, talents and interests. A one-size fits all teaching method is a thing of the past, and it is up to the modern teacher to take a personal interest in every student to learn how to motivate his learning and production and help him meet his full potential. The only way to ensure a quality learning experience for all is through differentiated instruction and carefully planned lessons that will meet every student exactly where she is and raise her to a higher level of understanding.

One way to gain this valuable knowledge is through a survey given to both students and parents. It can include things like what they like to read, watch, do, eat, etc. as well as how they learn best, what their favorite subject is, favorite assignments and what motivates them. If parents are encouraged to fill out the survey as well, you can gain more perspective on the learning abilities of the students. Additionally, students that have been identified as gifted or with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will already be identified for you, so from day one, you can begin building a relationship with those students to ensure that you are meeting their academic and emotional needs. Careful observation and personal chats with students will also lead to a better understanding of their learning needs.

Below you can find a mind map that provides strategies for differentiating lessons based on students' interest, learning profiles and level of readiness. Each strategy was specifically selected to meet the needs of the identified hypothetical student.

Formative Assessments--How to Get the Most Out of Your Lesson Plan

Formative assessments are the key to ensuring that students completely understand your carefully planned lessons. Without formative assessments, a teacher has no way of determining whether her students are grasping the material and able to apply it independently. Based on these formative assessments, the teacher can then adjust, modify or reteach parts of the lesson based on the needs of the students. This ensures that every student is following the lesson each step of the way, and it is really easy to do.

Hold on to your mouse pads, because this blog’s about to break it down for you. I will be using Common Core State Standard.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.9 which states, “Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poem; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.” Additionally, I will be addressing the following learning objective based on that standard: Define genre and give characteristics of short stories, novels, poems, and plays by citing specific texts. 

Prepare to be amazed as I offer up the following formative assessments for your reading pleasure.

White boards and Expo markers. These simple boards can be picked up at any Dollar Tree, for you guessed it, $1—a worthy investment in my opinion. Or, if you want to do it really cheap, you can laminate a piece of paper.

Here’s how they work. The teacher asks a question and the student writes it on the white board and holds it against their chest where the teacher can see it. With a quick glance around the room, the teacher can see if everyone is on the same page of the lesson plan. For students that don’t get the question right, she knows she needs to work with them individually or adjust the lesson to make sure the concept is grasped.

Picture this. The teacher has just delivered a most eloquent speech accompanied by Powerpoint presentation on various genres and the characteristics of them. The students had taken notes and looked somewhat engaged but how does she really know if they “got” it. White boards.  She reads out characteristics and asks the students to write on their white board whether it is a novel, short story, poem or play that she is describing. And just like that she knows where everyone in the class stands.

To reinforce the white board, she can then call on students at random to support their answer using a formative assessment known as Keep the Question Going. With this method, the teacher asks one student why they think the answer is “novel.” Then she asks a second student with the same answer if the first student is correct in his reasoning. A third student with a different answer written on their board is then asked to defend their choice. A fourth student then weighs in on which answer they think is right based on the evidence. Once a consensus is reached, a fifth student then gives an example of a text that is a “novel.”  This helps keep all the students engaged because they must be prepared to either agree or disagree with the answers given and provide explanations.

At the end of the lesson, students are asked to Explain What Matters using Exit Tickets as two more techniques of formative assessments. For this lesson, she could ask the students in no more than one paragraph to explain what genre is in their own words and give three examples. Students would drop these answers in a box on their way out of class for the teacher to read over and assess whether the students have totally understood the lesson or to what degree she needs to re-emphasize parts of it.

As you can see, there are many formative assessments that can be used throughout a class period. By simply walking around while students work in small groups or independently and observing what they are writing or saying, a teacher can gather great evidence as to whether or not her lesson has been internalized. There is tremendous knowledge to be gained from the powers of observation.

Understanding and Applying Standards

Over the course of the last week, I have devoted much of my time and consideration to understanding and applying standards. Specifically, I have focused my efforts on two Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts at the sixth grade level. Through three exercises in particular—unpacking standards, backwards mapping and writing SMART objectives-- I have developed a deeper grasp of how to apply CCSS in developing engaging lesson plans for sixth grade students.

Unpacking Standards

Unpacking standards involves getting to the heart of what a standard actually means. Often the language of the standards is complicated and involves many parts. Unpacking the standard means to break it down into individual parts by identifying what the students need to know and what they need to do to show that they are meeting the standard. It is imperative that you focus on the verbs within the standard to identify what the students need to do meet the standard and the level of higher order thinking needed to master the content within the standard.

One standard that I chose to unpack was CCSS-ELA.Literacy.RL.6.2 which states, “Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.” As you can see, this particular standard as many parts. First, a student needs to know what a theme is in order to be able to identify it. Once the theme is identified, the student must be able to cite with specific examples how it is woven and reinforced through the text. The third part of this standard requires that students be able to summarize a text without bias. They must be able to make word and syntax choice that do not convey personal opinions or judgments when relaying the details of the text. All in all, I find that this method of unpacking standards is quite useful in ensuring that every part of the standard is met.

Backwards Mapping

Another useful method for planning lessons using CCSS is backwards mapping, which was developed by educational experts Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, who believe that the best approach to designing curriculum and lesson plans is to start with the end product-- what students should know and be able to do a the end of the lesson or unit. Because CCSS gives very specific standards for what a student should know and be able to do in English Language Arts, backwards mapping is a great method to use for working towards that goal. Teachers begin with the standard, then they decide what assessments are needed to prove that that the standards have been satisfied, and finally, they plan the learning experiences that will help students meet the standards.

For this method, I chose CCSS-ELA.Literacy.RL.6.9 which states, “Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.” First I determined that students would again need to first know about theme, literary devices and genres before they would be able to compare and contrast several selected texts. The end result is that students would be able to compare and contrast, but this would take several lessons to accomplish and would unfold over a unit. I chose to design a unit on immigrating to the United States, and I selected several texts from various genres that students would be required to read, study and discuss as a class and in small groups. Then I decided what assessments I would need in order to verify that the standards had been met. One assessment would be that students would be required to create an infographic that artistically displayed the use of theme in the selected texts using specific examples from the reading. Students would be graded on a rubric. Finally I planned out the learning experiences that would be needed in order for the students to understand the use of theme and other literary devices and how they are used in the different genres of the same topic. For this, I decided that students would keep a chart of similarities and differences among texts as they read independently and discussed as a class and in small groups.

SMART Objectives

The key to understanding SMART objectives is all in the acronym. SMART—Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and targeted to the learner. All the elements must be met in order for an objective to be SMART. Using the same standard as before (CCSS-ELA.Literacy.RL.6.9), I wrote several SMART objectives, which can be seen in the infographic below.

Applying Rules & Procedures in the Middle School Classroom

The key to managing classroom behavior is to have an established set of rules and procedures and a plan for making sure that students follow them. There are various ways to effectively implement them, and in this post, I will lay out a few ideas for giving students positive reinforcement and applying consequences as needed.

The first step is to discuss and develop the rules of the classroom with students. Rules can vary according to need but should be kept to a maximum of five and should revolve around creating a classroom attitude of respect. Once students are aware of what is expected of them, you can also let them know what the consequences of not following the rules will be. Keep in mind that consequences may vary from school to school based on standards laid out by the administration, but in any case, it is important for students to know that you have a plan in place to maintain an safe environment for learning. Consequences should either be prominently displayed in the room along side the rules or should be given to students in a handout or class website on the very first day.

Appropriate behavior is expected from all students, but even the best of students can sometimes misbehave. If at any time, a students behavior becomes aggressive or threatening, a teacher should remain calm, step back and call administration as soon as possible. The safety of the teacher and other students is of top priority.

Most misbehavior will simply be disruptive. In these situations, a teacher's first response should be to stare down the bad behavior and begin moving towards the disruption. Most of the time, the students will fall into line, and focus on the lesson again. However, if the disruption continues, the teacher should use proximity to the offending student to encourage good behavior. Reaching for a cell phone, holding her fingers to her lips to signal no talking, or tapping the desk can all be signals to the student that their behavior is unacceptable without embarrassing him or her. If however, this method does not work, a verbal warning should be given to the student. This should be brief and address the offensive behavior without berating the student. For students that continue to misbehave, a series of consequences should be in place. A teacher can keep a weekly chart to document each students' behavior and to keep track of the number of offenses.  Consequences should follow a natural progression such as detention, social contract, call home, and sent to principal.

Detention is a teacher's first line of defense against bad behavior, For lower grades, this is called time out, but for middle school and high school, detention can take place during lunch, after school or on Saturdays. No student wants to give up his free time, so the threat of detention is a good deterrent. During detention, teachers can also employ over-correction depending on the offense that landed the student in detention. For example, if a student defaced school property, like leaving gum under the desk, the teacher could make him clean all the desks in the room during his detention.

A social contract can be implemented during a second round of detention in which the student discusses in writing his behavior, why it is inappropriate, and how he plans to improve it. It is then signed by the student and the teacher and kept on file. If the teacher wants, she can also require that the parents sign the social contract so that they are aware of the misbehavior. Calling home and sending students to the principal's office should always be used as the last lines of defense against inappropriate conduct.

While consequences are important, it is equally important to reinforce positive behavior and the following of rules and procedures. One way for teachers to easily do this is through verbal praise. The teacher can compliment the whole class by saying, "Good job, class. I really appreciate the way everyone was focused and involved in today's discussion." Teachers can also compliment individual students in front of the whole class or by whispering to them, depending on how the student reacts to being the center of attention. A shy student may become just as embarrassed from praise as from a warning while a student that thrives on attention will work harder if you acknowledge his behavior in front of his classmates.

Nonverbal cues can go a long way to reinforce positive behavior as well. Students respond to a teacher that uses positive body language, like smiling. Teachers should avoid putting their hands on their hips, and instead maintain a non-menacing and encouraging stance. Giving students a thumbs up or nodding at them while they talk are other ways to nonverbally praise students.

While I don't think that it's absolutely necessary at the secondary level to reward students for appropriate behavior, there is no rule that says that teachers can't or shouldn't have a rewards system in place, especially for middle school students. One method for rewards could be to have a jar filled with fun activities or brain breaks for the whole class and another for individual privileges. Students could be rewarded with free time or no homework or choosing their own partner. There are many ways that students can be encouraged to work harder and behave better. Incentives for good behavior should not be underestimated.

Below you will find a helpful flow chart to help manage classroom decisions in regards to student behavior.