community and valuing voice. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.
Slide by the Slice of Life buffet for seconds or link up to serve your own slice of life.
What does it mean to value learning? Does it mean we honor practice and give participation grades? What does it really mean when we say we value what kids know and are able to do? Does it mean that as students' understandings or skill levels improve their grades reflect that improvement?
What does that mean in terms of what a parent or a child sees in our grade books? As the parent of a high school student, I wonder.
I've been thinking a lot about grades and how my teacher self grades students' learning or monitors kids' progress toward learning.
What does these snap shots from my grade book tell you I value as English teacher?
Here's another student:
I believe that if I grow strong readers, writers and communicators, our society improves. Kids choices improve. I believe literacy empowers. I believe in the power of practice and in second chances.
How does my grade book show you what I believe?
I think our mentor, Janet Allen, once said that your grades should represent what you spend the most time doing. In your case, reading, writing, and speaking/listening skills. I guess what it still doesn't illuminate for me as a parent is how they got to the grade. Did you use a rubric for each score point? Also wondering where student self-assessment fits in terms of their work and how the effort scale ala Marzano fits....
ReplyDeleteI remember Janet saying to grade what you value. If you value independent reading then be sure to grade it. I don't remeber her linking grades to time. But certainly how we spend our times should be reflected in our grade book. How students get to the grade is in their rubric, scale or learning progression. It may be noted in comments on the journal or in anecdotal records during discussion. I do use scales (learning progressions) a la Marzano. Students reflect on them in their academic journals. Here is one example for speaking and lisrening: https://www.dropbox.com/s/npetfz8i0nqhxk6/speaking%20scale_evidence%20based_for%20students.docx?dl=0
ReplyDeleteI love what I see in your grade book. Wishing that more teachers valued practice and second chances. Hang onto your belief that growing strong readers, writers, and communicators will lead to an improved society. Bravo, Lee Ann!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me remember yesterday, and a painfully long and boring PD session (3 hours in the cafeteria) about evaluations and the paperwork we need to assemble- so much of teaching cannot be seen, but we know it...we feel the learning progress in our bones.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me remember yesterday, and a painfully long and boring PD session (3 hours in the cafeteria) about evaluations and the paperwork we need to assemble- so much of teaching cannot be seen, but we know it...we feel the learning progress in our bones.
ReplyDeleteSuch important thinking! It looks like your district uses ProgressBook too? That's what we use! I need to do more with the comments on there... mostly I hope the good stuff will be communicated in the comments I leave on their actual assignments and rubrics... but I agree that it's good to have them on there too!
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ReplyDeleteI'm having such a hard time commenting on Blogger sites tonight!
ReplyDeleteAt any rate... my district made the move to standards-based grading this year, so we've had many many discussions about our values and beliefs as teachers and whether our grade books accurately reflect them or not. Yours clearly does. Thanks for sharing it here.
Great slice to make us think about what's most important. Too bad this is not a conversation that teachers are engaged in.
ReplyDeleteWhen we value students for their growth as learners, we make a change toward whole child achievement. Bravo for you, Lee Ann. Did you say that you are recovering from surgery? What now? Feel better.
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