SBG...that is Standards Based Grading...Year #2

So I handed back the first skill quiz to my Algebra 2 students the other day.  I didn't get past three students before one of them asked "what grade is this?" and another asked "is this a B?".  For most of my students this will be their first experience with SBG.  I have talked about it profusely in my Math Department PLC and encouraged others to investigate or even try it themselves but no one has taken me up on the offer to assist them.  I am involved in district wide curriculum discussions and when I talk about SBG and its impact on student learning I get a lot of requests for information from other teachers.  So far no one has taken the bait and been hooked.

Back to the SBG and my Algebra 2 classes.  Today I distributed a new and improved copy of my SBG Rubric to all of my students.  This year I switched from the old 4 point scale (actually it was a 0 to 5 scale) to what I think will be a "nicer" scale of 5 to 10.  Last year I had to spend a lot of time explaining to students that a 2 out of 4, even though it is not good, really did not equate to a 50% or F.  This was even more difficult for good students who scored 3 out of 4.  Really...a 75% means I am doing ok?  The go-getter students saw this as pure motivation to kick it into high gear and make sure that 3 became a 4.  Pure magic for them...not so much for my reluctant scholars.

I will try to post my new rubric just in case someone is following this blog and would like to see it (and offer some constructive criticism).

Remember...Math Rocks!

ps - I had to send a student (11th grade) to the hall today because he asked "Who farted?" at least 12 times in a 4 minute span.  When he left the room another student who was sitting near him said, "Mr. C, what is the probability that he was the one who farted?" as everyone else laughed...we just happened to be discussing probability today.

A New School Year...

It is good to be back at school and into the routine again.  This year has some changes in store for me, including no more teaching Enriched Geometry.  I must say I will miss it ( but at least I can help my daughter with her geometry work ).

This will also be year #2 in my implementation of SBG (standards based grading).  Last year went well and I think my students began to grasp the reasoning behind SBG.  This year I am making a few changes to my system, including going to a 5 - 10 point rubric.  I will post some of my resources and rubrics once I can catch a breath from the start of the school year.

I shall return...

ok so now I am back.  I had to assist my daughter with her homework.

Today was our first all district staff development day.  It began (after coffee and rolls) with our Superintendent talking with us about various things.  One of the items on her agenda was discussing the use of technology by our students and how it could be used for learning.  The district is opening up the idea of letting students bring in their own technology (byot).  A little depressing seeing that we are always in the midst of budget woes and are currently beginning year number 2 of a 4 day school week.
But, hey...it would be exciting to have ipads and laptops at our disposal for each and every student...wishful thinking.

Back to SBG.  I am working on revising my sills lists for each of my classes and I am struggling with how detailed my lists should be.  For example in Algebra 2 one of my items is "use appropriate counting procedures including permutations and combinations."  Should I break this up into separate skills, like a specific one for permutations, another for combinations, and even another for fundamental counting principle?

What do you think?

I'll give this a try...

I am putting some of the final touches on my version of Skill Based Assessment and will be sharing the process with you.  Things are kind of crazy for me right now as I am juggling my ever so busy teaching workload with the added tasks of being an assistant coach for my son's high school baseball team.  Top that off with being the "commissioner" of our communities youth baseball program and you realize there just isn't enough time in a single day to do all that you want/need to do.

My first post...which should be up later this week, will be about the creation of my "skills" list for Algebra 2.  This was seemingly going to be an easy task but now that I am in the third trimester of the school year I have found my self revising the list more often.  As you follow my posts keep in mind that this is a work in progress and the nature of everything is tailored to how things occur in my classroom.  Your environment is certainly different than mine to some degree.  Please feel free to comment (I tend to take constructive criticism quite well).

More on Assessing in the Classroom

Skills Based Assessment, Formative Assessment, Summative Assessment,...asess, assess, assess...

I have spent much if this school year thinking about how I assess my students within the classroom.  What I have discovered/realized was not to comforting or professionally reassuring.  I think I have been doing it wrong.  Not completely wrong, but wrong in the sense that I was simply giving assessments "of" learning rather than "for" learning.

I have been visiting numerous blogs written by those that are walking in the same shoes that I am.  Teachers from throughout the country who have implemented some sort of skills based assessment and are seeing it the way that I see it.  From my readings (thier writings) I have been creating my own system to assess students in my Algebra 2 classes.  It is something that has taken a lot of time and energy to develop and I am still not where I want to be with it.  I am seeing students respond to it and as I get better at implementing it, they too will respond better (I hope).

MCAII Test is on the Horizon

All 11th grade students in Minnesota, including our very own NBAHS Class of 2011, will be taking the MCAII Test in Mathematics on April 13th and 14th.  The whole testing thing certainly gets me worked up a bit when it comes to teaching and learning.  I have been very proactively assessing my students the past 12 weeks to get some sort of measure as to whether or not they will be successful on the MCAII test.  I currently teach about 110 11th grade students and I am confident that 40 of them will be successful/proficient and "Meet" or  "Exceed" the standards.  There is another population of students that could "meet" the standards of "Partially" meet the standards.  I am hoping we can get these students to do some extra prep work the next few weeks (unfortunatley we have spring break and easter break before the test...fewer classrooom days).  Then there are the 15 or so students that I am most certain will not meet the standards at all.  What do you say to an 11th grade student who, when asked what the radius of a circle with a diameter of 6 inches is and he replies with "huh?" or "I don't know!" 

Assessing Assessments in my Classroom

The past several months have been an all out soul searching, though provoking, head slapping, paper ball throwing adventure as I spent unthinkable hours examining how I assess my students in my classroom.  In the day of standardized testing (in Minnesota it is the MCAII tests) everyone is focussed on the numbers...that's all they seem to care about.  I know it has a part in the overall, big picture, or education but I have a really hard time putting so much emphasis on what students do on one single assessment.

My plight began when I started reading numerous blog's written by teachers as I tried to find a way to teach "better" not "harder."  As I was doing so I started to see a pattern evolving as more and more of these teachers were using a skills/standards based approach to assessing students.  The further I trodded along the more I began to see that I was not necessarily going about assessments the best way.  Just two years ago we purchased new textbooks for our math curriculum and along with it came an assessment system...you know what I mean...the canned, ready to use, textbook made tests.  I sadly admit that I have used them in the past...and the more I look at them the more I think they are not all that useful.  They can be used as an assessment of learning but certainly not for learning.

This is where my journey took a turn.  My new focus was on creating assessments for my classroom that are skill/standards based and are formative in nature...that is...students and I can use them to guide our learning/teaching.  To do this I was excited to enlist the help and advice of the other math teachers on our staff (we are all in a PLC together and we made common assessments one of our tasks for the year).  I thought this would be a no brainer and we would be able to crank out some really good stuff....oh was I wrong.  Nothing but resistance!

Well...gotta go now but I will continue on with this discussion.

Finding Time and Energy

I really do want to post more often but the time really flies and seems to disappear at times.  I like reading blogs a lot more than I enjoy writing my own.  Several blogs that I read truly do keep me inspired/motivated to become a better teacher.  I have to thank Dan at dy/dan for all of his refreshing ideas as welll as Kate at f(t).  I am in my 17th year of teaching and I often feel I have lost the creative drive to develop lessons that grab student attention and, more importantly, promote valuable classroom discourse.  I have been working diligently with my Enriched Geometry students to engage them in daily math discussions rather than me simply passing along some information that is printed in our textbook.  This years group of students have taken to this much better than in the past and I am seeing some progress and real value in what they are accomplishing.

Another student is at my door for some after school help...gotta go!

Mr C

New Beginnings

As Monday rolls around we find ourselves with new classes and many new students.  This trimester system has it's advantages and disadvantages.  What I really do not like is the fact that most students end up moving to a different math teacher for each trimester.  After 12 weeks I feel I am just getting to know all of my students and make valuable connections with them.  Several students that I have been working with because they were struggling are now moving to the teacher next door and that whole process will probably need to be repeated.

As our district faces more budget cuts and teachers worry about their jobs the discussion of alternative scheduling has been taken on by the school board.  They had a listening session this past week to offer information on the 4 day work week.  Is this a viable option?  It appears to work for numerous districts across the country but more information is needed.

Another discussion has to do with our high school 7 period day and trimester system. In the 7 period system we now teach (or have an assigned duty) for 6 of the 7 periods. Is there a system better than our current one?   What about schedules where we do not have the same classes every day?

If anyone has ideas please pass them along.

Mondays

Even though it is a short week I found today to be extraordinarily long.  I was excited to teach my Algebra 2 classes as we are starting our Quadratics Unit and I find it fun teaching.  My goal this year is to really create an atmosphere of problem solving and application.  I want my students to not just do the math but to experience it.  I know I can't do this each and every day but I want to make it a habit to start each unit with something fun, relevant and thought provoking.

Today was a weak attempt I must admit.  I drew a picture on the board of a stick person pushing a huge ball off of a ledge.  At the bottom of the ledge was another stick man with a cart he was pushing.  He was about 4 meters from the bottom of the ledge.  The ledge had a height of 5.14 meters.  That's it.  No question, no equation, no formula.  I just let the students absorb it.  Finally one student stated "I wonder if he can catch the ball before it hits the ground?"  That's all I needed.  After a short discussion and some talk about vertical motion models we actually went out in the hall way where I just happen to have a ledge overlooking a stairway that is exactly 5.14 meters high.  We proceeded to see if a few students could "catch" the ball in time.

Next up is graphing.  Letting the students discover the changes to the graphs of a quadratic function.

The Problem Solving Problem

How do we get students to full heartedly engage in problem solving at its fullest?  I am working with my Algebra 2 students to move beyond the complacency of solving equations and the procedural repetitions that we tend to get too focused on.  I would have to say that we have probably spent a good 80% or more of our class time working on the mechanics of graphing/solving linear systems and inequalities.  Even the word problems that we have tackled in class seem very mechanical and my students (those who are doing their work) seem to be able to knock them off fairly efficiently.  Is this all in good faith because we have to prepare them for the MCAII test in April?  I find myself struggling at the moment with what direction I want to take my students.  Many of them would be ok if we simply "did" some math and solved a few problems along the way.  I want to give meaning to the math that we are doing and allow my students to see beyond the equations, to see the bigger picture.

The staff morale in my school (and entire district for that matter) has taken a lot of shots lately as our community has once again voted down an operating levy.  We are facing huge cuts in budget and staff again for next year.  Our class sizes are already growing beyond their means and will no doubt get larger next year.  We are also in a negotiations cycle and have not settled our contract with the school board for this year (and next).  The status of the talks is not good and will probably go on for a long time.  We have been offered "a hard freeze" for the next two years.  This is essentially a fairly big pay cut with the expected increases in insurance.

With that said I can usually find solace in my classroom.  When I close the door and have my students there with me I can let all of those other worries go for the next 50 minutes.  I want this short amount of time to be as meaningful and productive as it can be. Even on those days when my 11th graders are acting as though they have not left the middle school I still feel comfortable within the confines of my room.

Well, enough for now.  As I venture on to the depths of Problem Solving I will continue to keep you posted on my thoughts.

When Do We Say Enough?

I find myself struggling with a dilemma.  Over the past several weeks I have been furiously working with and encouraging struggling students to seek out extra help beyond what I can give them within the classroom.  My Algebra 2 students just finished a unit on Systems of Linear Equations and Inequalities and I found that many of them are unable to consistently graph linear equations.  We spent many extra minutes each and every day working on graphing in Slope-Intercept and Standard Form.  Each passing day I was stealing minutes from the daily lessons and interactions with students to remediate graphing.  At what point does a teacher need to put an end to it and move on?  Is it appropriate to allow those struggling students to use a graphing calculator to do their graphing?

The past several days I have had a few breakthroughs with some students who have taken the initiative to come in after school for some extra help.  In a class of 33 students it is tough to be able to understand and assess what each and every student really knows.  Spend a few quality minutes with them one-on-one and they open up.  Not only do voices open up but so do their minds.  The thinking is obvious.  One young man stated as he left my room the other evening, "if I knew it was this easy to think about math I would have done it a long time ago!"  For many students "doing" math is a difficult task, but even if the task it self is difficult all students can spend time "thinking" about math and "talking" about math.

I have been reading numerous other blogs from some seemingly great teachers.  They talk about many of the same struggles that I am experiencing in my 16th year of teaching.  Just as the pressures of state testing and meeting AYP are mounting I am finding myself searching for a better or smarter way to teach.  I am drawn to the idea of teaching math from a true problem solving perspective and am excited to try new things.  I have expressed interest in this with some of my colleagues in the math department but no one seems to be sharing the vision.

I am currently working on a unit for Quadratic Equations and Functions that will include a problem solving activity to kick things off.  The activity is based on some clothespin catapults that other teachers have used and posted on their blogs.

NCTM Minneapolis

Spending two days out of the classroom may be a welcome "vacation" for some teachers but I was really worried about it.  I am glad that NCTM Minneapolis offered some really good workshops.  I managed to sit in on 10 different sessions, 9 of which were worth while.  I really enjoyed the Mathematical Lense session as I have always liked the column in the magazine and, as many of you may know, I also enjoy photography.  The sessions that were centered around problem solving and reasoning were great and the information/discussion sessions about the new publication "reasoning and sense making in high school mathematics" was really enlightening.

I will be out of the classroom one more day on Monday for another workshop (this one local) so I won't see my students until Tuesday.  I am excited to try some new ideas and get my students working on with while problem solving and reasoning.

Will Smith certainly understands what it takes to be successful...

Time...where does it go?

I certainly have been shirking my duties with this blog.  I don't know where all of the time goes.  Preparing for my classes, going to meetings, preparing for meetings, preparing sub plans for when I have to go to a meeting...and on and on and on.

This week has been an active week for my classes.  A lot of good discussions and interactions with students.  I think my students are getting more comfortable (as am I) with being active participants in the teaching and learning that takes place in room D216.  When students ask questions the now know that I will probably call on another student to answer it before I give any input.  I still need to find a way to get more students into the action as a few of them still passively make it through class as a mere spectator.

Algebra 2 - we are reviewing Linear Functions.  We spent this week discussing what functions are (and are not) and recalling how we graph them using slope-intercept and standard forms.  Students tend to rely on the short cut methods to graphing and when they don't remember it they are stuck.  Very few can fall back to making an input-output table to find several points.  Students need to have their HW done for Friday!
Here it is:  Workbook p. 15-17 1 - 23 all , Textbook p. 86 2-26 evens, and Workbook p. 20-21 evens.

Enriched Geometry students are undertaking REASONING SKILLS.  We have discussed both Inductive and Deductive Reasoning and looked at how we use both of them to make decisions.  What to eat for breakfast?  What to wear to school?  Should I do my homework?  Do I need to go to practice?  Should I drive 65 mph so I am not late?  Students have several assignments to be completing.  Students should have done Textbook p. 75 #1-18, 23,25: Workbook p. 25-27 #2-18 even, 20-24; and Textbook p. 90 #11 - 13, 15 - 17, and the Quiz on p. 93

Want some fun?  Try some logic puzzles at this site: Printable Puzzles

I promise I will try to post more often!
Math Rocks!
Mr C

A Picture is Worth...

I consider myself an amateur photographer even though my wife and I actually earn some money from what we do.  I love taking pictures and I often feel that I take too many.  I have started to gather photos of architecture, design, nature, and just about anything else that in one way or another shows how MATHEMATICS surrounds us.  I want to share many of these and use them in classroom discussions.  I am also extending an open invitation to all math students to join me in taking "Snapshots of Math".

Here is a recent photo I took when I was in Duluth.  What do you see?  You can write a summary of any math that you see, along with an explanation (in your own words) and receive some extra credit.

Something to Think About!

Later,

Mr C

What is a Formula?

Today's Algebra 2 discussion was about formulas.  What are they?  What are examples that we use? and How do we work with them?  I was easy on my students as I only gave them about 9 problems to do for tomorrow.

Enriched Geometry students tackled the Midpoint formulas today and did a heck of a job.  Next up is the DISTANCE FORMULA!  Anyone good a rapping?  Maybe we can come up with a rhyme and some rhythm to help us remember it.  I'm gonna need a lot of help because my musical abilities are quite limited.

Onward

Mr C

Monday Scorcher

It was plenty warm in my room today...we are not used to the warm weather and the air conditioning was not functioning in a lot of the building.  We still managed to be productive.

Algebra 2 spent another day reviewing linear equations and looked at solving when we have fractions and decimals.  We also looked at the situations where our solution to the equation is ALL REAL NUMBERS or NO SOLUTION.  We then worked out of our textbooks.  CH 1.3 #33 - 60 every 3rd, 63, 65, and 72.

Enriched Geometry students were introduced to their first POSTULATES today.  The biggest one being the segment addition postulate.  There are a lot of notations and symbols that students have to get used to.  My two classes are pretty sharp and they are picking up on things quickly.  The assignment for today was out of the textbook for Ch 1.2 page #12

We're moving right along!
On to Tuesday

Mr C

The First of Many Friday's

Week #1 was a success!

All if my classes did a great job of transitioning back into "student" mode.  We had some rally great discussions in each class and students in my Algebra 2 classes are showing off their linear algebra skills.  Solving equations is "old hat" these days and we can move on to bigger and better things.  Next up...problem solving techniques.

Enriched Geometry students took it easy today by working on the "Who I Am" activity.  It's always fun to find out uniques/interesting things about my students, for example one of them absolutely loves to eat lutefisk while another thinks chocolate milk and laffy taffy are food groups.

Have a Great Weekend and I will see you MONDAY!

Mr C

Tomorrow is our First Friday of the Year...

We made it through picture day at NBAHS.  Despite the interupptions of students coming and going we were able to be productive.

Algebra 2 took time for some Q/A on the Ch 1.1 assignment.  Unit conversions seemed to be the trickiest part.  Students need to complete and make corrections for that assignment as itr is due tomorrow.  We then went through some expamples of powers, algebraic expressions, and following the order of operations.  Remember PEMDAS?  One student remembers it by Purple Elephants Munching Down Appple Sauce or something like that...For an assignment we broke out our workbooks and did Page 3 #2 - 18 evens.

Enriched Geometry started with a review of yesterdays lesson.  Numerous students in each class got the opportunity to tell the class what they learned about points, lines, and planes.  Tremendous job done by all!
We then continued with the lesson and took some time to talk about COLLINEAR and COPLANAR POINTS.  Sometimes the spatial visualization aspects of geometry is frustrating for students.  Some even struggle sketching a cube to make it look 3-d on thier papers.  Plenty of practice will help.  Another point of emphasis today was the idea of intersect/intersection of points, lines, and planes.  Homework for today was in your workbooks, pages 1 - 3 (all 29 problems).

I'm still working on the names and faces.  I always make it a challenge to know all students by the time we take our first test.

Until Tomorrow,
Mr C

Wednesday's Review

How big is  1 trillion?  How many millions are in a trillion?  This was our class opening discussion.  Only about 1 in 5 adults can answer this correctly.  How did your parent's answer it?

My classes got their textbooks today! I could tell they were totally thrilled.  I even gave my Algebra 2 classes some homework to do.  To top that I made my Enriched Geometry students take notes.

OK, so here is what we talked about.  In EG we looked at the essentials of Geometry which include trhee undefined terms, POINT, LINE, and PLANE.  We had very good class discussions and many students offered their inputs and ideas...GREAT WORK!

Algebra 2 students did a quick review discussion on number sense including the system of real numbers.