In my previous school district, I was the only teacher teaching a physics course with set, district-wide learning outcomes. These same outcomes were also taught in physics classrooms at the other high school in our district. But at our school, I was one of the 2 physics teachers. The other teacher taught the AP-level physics courses. So, in many ways, I had opportunities to incorporate strategies I believed were best for learners and that I found worked best for them without being seen as out of alignment with anyone in our building. My amazing friend and one of my teaching philosophy goddesses, Katie Novak, stated the following misconception about alignment: All teachers must deliver instruction in the exact same way. True alignment, she says, is about shared goals, rigor, and outcomes. Thank you, Katie! Katie has taught me to truly believe that learner variability is the rule, not the exception. I encourage you to take 10 minutes to listen to Katie Novak explain it in the ...
One of the main tasks before teachers as we begin the school year, is setting up our digital gradebooks. This year, I’m making a major change in the way I setup my gradebook based on the fact that I am moving from an outcomes that are contained within a unit of instruction to outcomes that carry over from unit to unit.
Now, I am a science teacher. So, I hope you don’t quickly tune out if you are not. I think as we move towards skills based outcomes, we need to work together to find systems of assessment and communication that work for all. I would love to hear what others are doing. I don’t have the answers. This is just my iteration of an idea. Hopefully we can innovate together.
We work with Infinite Campus online gradebook. Our gradebook has weighted categories. A couple of years ago, I set these categories as tests, labs, and practice work. Then, I moved to create a category for each unit outcome I created. This became a little overwhelming as I’d have ~15 categories per term. This year, I will have 9 categories per term. One category for each of my science practice/content skill and one for success skills/habits of mind not embedded in a science practice. So when creating categories, it looks like this:
Now, 1 assessment may have multiple practices. For example, the first one we’ll be doing this year “Buggy Lab”. Here’s the rubric broken down by practice below:
Science Practice
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3
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2
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1
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Developing & Using Models
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Develop and use a model based on evidence to illustrate
phenomenon or relationships between variables.
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Evaluate merits and limitations of two different models of the same proposed process in order to
select a model that best fits the evidence.
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Use a model to illustrate
phenomenon or relationships between variables.
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Planning and carrying out investigations
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Conduct an investigation
individually and collaboratively to
produce data to serve as the basis for evidence.
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Analyzing and interpreting data
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Analyze data and compare and contrast various types of
data sets to examine consistency of
measurements and observations
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Analyze data using tools in order
to make valid and reliable scientific
claims or determine an optimal design
solution
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Using mathematics and computational thinking
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Use mathematics to describe,
support claims, and explanations.
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Apply rates and unit
conversions in the context of
measurement problems.
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Apply techniques of algebra and functions
to represent and solve scientific and
engineering problems
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Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
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Apply scientific reasoning or models to link evidence to the
claims to evaluate how well data supports the
explanation or conclusion.
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Make a quantitative and qualitative claim regarding the relationship between dependent and independent
variables.
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Make a qualitative
claim regarding the relationship between dependent and independent
variables.
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Here are a couple of notes about the rubric. Each practice is graded on a 4 point scale. So, why don’t we see any level 4 and why are there blank spaces? Since this our first lab, we won’t be able to assess what a level 4 would be yet. We’ll build on that in future labs. As a unit progresses we will growth the practice to study the unit specific content.
Since I am putting grades into a gradebook, we do need a grading scale. We have a couple of options for setting up our grading scale in our district. We have a standard curve with the cutoff for a “D” set at 70%, a 0-4 integer scale, and a 5 point integer scale. I use the 0-4 integer scale in my classroom. The breakdown of the scale can be seen below:
If each assessment measures more than one practice, that means it needs to be recorded under different categories. When I create an assignment, I code it under all the categories it falls under. So the gradebook looks like this:
So, I will need to put in multiple grades for a single assessment per student. Also, as students demonstrate improvement related to a practice, I will need to exclude assignments from grade calculation. I’ll be sure not to delete them as they are evidence of growth and part of the learning process.
I remember as a student how many teachers would say that everyone has an “A” on day 1 and it’s up to us to keep that “A”. There could be nothing further from the truth. We all start out with an Incomplete. We have demonstrated zero mastery. The path to mastery needs to be fair, but we don’t deserve any grade if we haven’t demonstrated anything yet.
Lots of work? We’ll see. This is a process. In the end the goal is to assess, track, and communicate performance. Like anything new, clear communication of the goals of the process and collecting feedback from the users will be essential. So, I look forward to hear from parents and students.
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