While collecting feedback on the draft priority standards, we heard requests to see what grading based on standards looks like. A few schools have made the shift. The video below (click on synergy screen shot) from Science Teacher Katie Lyons of Cascade Middle School, demonstrates grading using standards in Synergy. While not a how to, the video gives an overview of it can look to post assignments, assessments and give grades.

The first draft of priority standards have been constructed by Bend-La Pine teachers. TOSAs are visiting schools to answer questions about the standards, and getting feedback about the team’s work. This in addition to the feedback that Math, Language Arts, Social Science, Science and World Language teachers gave in survey form.

One of the first trends that we have seen is a question about why the standards are broad rather than specific. There are a few reasons for this.

1. When the standards are broad, it provides more teacher pedagogical flexibility for instruction. When standards are very precise, it can limit the ways that teachers engage with their students in important content.
2. Broad standards give teachers and students the ability to assess a standard in a variety of ways across the curriculum and across the grading period. 
3. When standards are broader, they show up in multiple units of instruction. This gives students multiple opportunities to show they are proficient. When standards are too specific, students may only have one opportunity to show their knowledge. Additionally, when a student has multiple opportunities, retakes can be reduced. 

4. With specific standards, there may be too many standards to cover within a grading period.  We can view the broad standards as umbrellas, with multiple skills under them. By teaching the specific skills, we are also teaching the broader standard. 

We know that it is important for students to be able to write a summary of important information read in a text. Yet, some students struggle with this skill. Some students cannot find the main ideas and details, other students write so much that the summary turns into a retell with superfluous details included.

The strategy of “Gist Writing” is an evidence-based strategy that can help all students tackle this important skill.  It gets students into reading, writing, thinking, and communicating about summarizing text.

Step 1: Provide a text for students to read.  To begin, a shorter text is best and as the students gain expertise in the skill longer text can be provided.

Step 2: Students identify in a phrase who or what the text is about

Step 3: In 2 or 3 phrases that contain ideas from the text

Step 4: Combine the phrases from step 2 and 3 together into a sentence.

Step 5: Edit or “shrink”the sentence to be between 10 and 15 words.

Example:

1. Students read the follow text on Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

2. Name the who or what the paragraph is about in a brief phrase

Ancient Egyptian Religion

3. Identify two or three important details about the topic

They believed in an afterlife

People believed in several groups of gods

The main gods were Amon-Re, Osiris, Isis and Horus

4. Combine the phrases for a create a sentence.

The Ancient Egyptian religion believed in several groups of gods including Amon-Re, Osiris, Isis and Horus that provided the afterlife. (20 words)

5. “Shrink” the paragraph by stating the main idea

The Ancient Egyptian religion believed in several groups of gods including Amon-Re, Osiris, Isis and Horus that provided the afterlife.

The Ancient Egyptians believed in groups of gods that provided the afterlife. (12 words)

Ready for the next level? Have two students share their gist sentence and combine there to make a new sentence of 10-15 words.

If you would like to add a shout out to a colleague, please do so here.

PART 2: KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT

Students go through a very predictable pattern of academic behaviors as they are learning a new language. The table below is a quick reference to the stages and instructional moves that will provide success to you and your students.

Adapted from Krashen and Terrell (1993) 

Note: Research shows that lack of native language proficiency and or schooling can cause the time frames to lengthen significantly.

If you would like to add a shout out to a colleague, please do so here.

To Glennys Schwartz (CHS):

Glennys amazes me with her keen sense of pedagogy and language acquisition knowledge for both second language learners and heritage Spanish learners. Beyond this, Glennys applies her professionalism with such care and humanity to all her students. She has been a tremendous support to me as I integrate into the Caldera staff this year. -Julie Montoya

To Jessica Colburn (LPM):

Jessica Colburn at La Pine Middle School is engaging her students with a research project (“no Wikipedia, no Google” says Jessica) to construct biographies for a number of diverse people who built our great nation. The interest level is high as students buzz about what they are learning.

To Nate Neil (BHS):

Is there ever a time when Nate isn’t with students sharing his upbeat and kind energy!  It’s contagious. What a great role model for Bend High students. And for me as a teacher.  Helps me remember what is important.

As educators we have all had interactions with students that impact us a great deal. One involving student voice was particularly impactful for me.

While working with a new high school math teacher I sat with a table of his algebra students as they discussed a challenging math task. Each student was asked to reflect on their ideas and connections to the problem. As the group I was sitting with did this, one student shared an idea that really connected to the problem but others in the group did not recognize it. I simply asked this student to repeat what he just said. When the student shared again the other students listened more attentively and realized the connection. As a result, the group had a great conversation and made sense of the problem. At the end of the class the teacher’s formative assessment was simply, “What did you learn today?” This student raised his hand and said, “I learned what it feels like to be smart in math class!” It hit me then how important it is for ALL our students to feel “smart”, heard and have their ideas valued in the classroom. This is what it means to belong in that space. 

If it’s true that those that are doing most of the talking are doing most of the learning, how can we amplify the student voices that don’t typically get heard in our classrooms? How will amplifying those voices change the dynamics of our classroom? 

The Matthew Effect describes what happens over time when some children enter into a positive feedback loop, whereby those who break the code with relative ease experience a positive effect and are able to learn what tasks they are given in schools with relative ease while those who don’t have the opportunity to get feedback do not experience this growth in learning.

Consider this analogy from a 2019 report in “Just Equations” on Race, Math and the Matthew Effect:

Two little girls join the soccer team. They have nearly identical athletic skills. Both are good runners, but Maria runs a half step faster than Gail. When the first soccer lesson begins, there’s one ball. They both run forward, and Maria gets to the ball first and kicks it. After they’ve done this 20 times, Maria has practiced kicking the ball 19 times, and Gail has had only one opportunity. A week later, Maria has learned a lot more about kicking the ball than Gail.                               

The slight difference in speed has widened into a much bigger difference in opportunity that, in turn, has widened the gap in kicking skills. After a while, Gail thinks she’s not good at soccer. She thinks Maria is good at soccer. Gail’s sense of soccer identity and belonging lead to diminished motivation and effort. Meanwhile, Maria’s excitement and motivation grow. There is no mystery as to why Maria will improve at a much faster rate than Gail. Her opportunities to learn in the moment, and over an increasing accumulation of moments, are greater—much greater.  

It does not have to be this way.                       

Across the field, another soccer team is practicing, and that team will wind up winning the championship. That team is well coached. They have 20 little girls and 20 balls. All the girls kick the ball often and get feedback from the trajectory of the kicked ball. The coaches systematically give feedback to each girl, not just the girls standing near them, or the girl who attracts their attention. 

In our classrooms, similar unnecessary differences in opportunity cause Matthew Effects. When the teacher poses a problem, some students raise their hands, saying “Ooh, ooh, ooh!” wanting to be called on. Time and again, they get the teachers’ attention, feedback, and encouragement. Meanwhile, many other students’ hands stay down as they build the mistaken identity that they cannot learn math. When teachers move too quickly, covering topic after topic, some students get left behind, not receiving feedback or instruction that makes sense to them. Day after day, the opportunity gap accumulates, and aspirations— especially STEM aspirations—erode, particularly for students of color and low-income students.

How can we make sure every student gets their “foot on the ball”? How can all of our students feel that they belong in our classrooms and “feel smart”?

If these questions have pique your interest, please check out these resources:

8 Ways to Empower Student Voice in Your Classroom Short article from ISTE

3 Strategies to Get Students Talking in Math Classrooms Short article from Edutopia

Simple Ways to Promote Student Voice in the Classroom Another brief article from Edutopia

Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say an article by Steve Reinhart. This is an oldie but goodie!

If you would like to add a shout out to a colleague, please do so here.

To Matt Faurot, Tara Termes, Katie Lyons (CMS):

“An amazing all school WEB assembly!”

“These three are doing an AMAZING job running the WEB program. The assembly they ran was fantastic and they made it happen. We have not had a school wide assembly since Covid began. Tara, Katie and Matt are really a fantastic team!” -Melissa Morris

To Chelsea Jennings (MVHS):

“Chelsea is doing so much. She has spearheaded the Bend LaPine Schools Newcomer program with such grace and professionalism. Her students know that she loves them and is always there. Her commitment to excellence challenges me to a be a better person. I also am so thankful for her steady, calm demeanor; she’s talked me off the ledge many times and I am so grateful to have her working with me as a partner in serving our ELL population!” -Nicole Contreras

To Lindsay Nickerson (CHS):

“Lindsay puts her creativity and joy into her classes and she gives them so many amazing experiences! Her classroom is warm, welcoming, fun and engaging.” -Bekki Tucker

To Jackie Greewood, Matt Johnson and The Summit Math Team (SHS):

“Jackie planned and facilitated a studio experience along with Matt Johnson for the Summit Math Team where the focus was on Ambitious Math Teaching, that is homing in on what keeps our students engaged, including anticipating teacher moves that will keep student on task and talking about the reasoning of their math ideas. A full day of learning and reflecting with each other!” -Linda Adams

To Amy Romero, Leigh Ann Medina, Sharon Sieveking and the entire Mountain View Math Team (MVHS):

“Leigh Ann and Sharon co-planned an amazing geometry lesson on writing proofs. EVERY SINGLE STUDENT WAS ENGAGED! They introduced the subject by comparing two column proofs to playing UNO. Using ideas from TDG’s Ambitious Math work Amy facilitated the full day PD with her team seamlessly. We did the math as teachers, anticipated student struggles and teacher moves that would keep the learning happening. Thank you Mountain View Math Team for a great day of PD!” -Linda Adams

We witness the fabulous work you do in the classroom.  Join us in recognition of your work and dedication. 

See something incredible happening in the classroom, in the hallways, online or outside of school that makes your school a better place for staff and students? Shout out to your colleague who is making it happen. You are the reason spectacular things are happening with students.  Bend La Pine is fortunate to have a dedicated team of professionals.  Let’s celebrate your hard work.

Every week we will highlight the work you do. Fill out the google form to recognize a colleague.

A couple of examples to get us started!

Shout out to Chris Kuka at Summit High School.  Chris has dedicated time researching and developing an Executive Function program at Summit.  In tandem with his colleagues, Chris connects with freshmen about their brains and how they work.  He uses a framework for each student to self-identify their EF strengths and weaknesses and then teaches the explicit EF strategies. Chris is paving the way to ensure all students have the tools they need to be successful in the classroom and beyond.

MVHS Freshman team (Joy Teson, Shauna Johnson and Trevor Tesow) met to collaborate on a hands-on urbanization activity for their students.  The Urban Game raises the roof! A great way to engage all their students.

Pilot Butte 6th grade Middle School Math Teacher Patty Brun is committed to creating an inclusive classroom where all student voices are heard. She is invested in developing relationships where her students feel safe to share their mathematical thinking. It was exciting to be in her classroom and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t just the anticipation of the fire drill that day!

Are you struggling to make the transition to a new way of grading?  In Rick Wormeli’s article, “The Grief of Accepting New Ideas” (LINK),  Wormeli suggests, “The way we teach is often a statement of who we are.”  Wormeli also suggests that the presentation of equitable grading practices implemented in our district may feel like a questioning of our values as we sort and navigate how to reinvent ourselves in an ever-changing world.  How do we hold tight to our confidence as educators, while also letting go of practices ingrained in our teaching so we may be open to accepting new ideas?  Wormeli suggests that with this change comes vulnerability and grief over the loss of this part of our identity. 

Depending on how you are wading your way through the start of the year with standards based grading now on your plate, hopefully you are on the side of hope.  Hopefully, you have turned to your collaborative teaching community to seek resources to make this transition a bit more bearable, more productive for you, and more valuable for students.  If you are looking for some teaching strategies to help support your transition to standards based grading, please see below for a collection of strategies presented at the Innovation Conference by three teachers from the Equitable Grading leadership team (Katie Lyons, Erin Hoffman, and Nishka Morton)

Disperse the Grading

In-class Retakes

Are you struggling to find time for students can retake assessments?  Can you utilize class time to allow students multiple attempts on their assessments?  Try a highlighting technique for providing feedback on assessments.  Here is a video to show how this process works in one classroom:  LINK  A summary of this process is below

Advanced Proficiency Options

Often equity work is considered from a bottom-up perspective but don’t forget the opportunity to challenge your high achieving learners as you modify your assessments this year.  Consider building out extension opportunities on all assessments you create or assign this year. As you transition to rubric scoring, you will be better prepared to evaluate student work when you have developed the top-end of the rubric with your highest achieving students in mind.  By challenging them to pursue these extensions at every opportunity you are creating a bar in which they can rise to your clearly-stated expectations.  These are great opportunities to have students show true learning through content or development of their skills.  See below for a few ideas to consider:

More Tips!

Here are some of Rick Wormeli’s Practical Tips for Re-learning and Re-assessment:  LINK.  Re-learning may be the most important step in moving student learning forward.  Creating a thoughtful plan for re-learning the material and providing student choice for how this re-learning takes place, may in fact allow students to see their mistakes and failures as opportunities to learn.  

Last, don’t give up!  This work you are doing to transition your grading practice is challenging but important.  Student learning and mindsets have great potential to shift and grow.  If you need specific help or resources please reach out to your administrator or a member of the equitable grading team for support.