Poland+Regional+Middle+School+&+High+School

Poland Middle School/High School


 * Poland H.S. opened w/ SBG and it didn't work well to start
 * 5 years of it in flux and there were lots of Incomplete grades which caused issues
 * No grades early on, but descriptors
 * Parents freaked so they had to reassess
 * Used and still use Easy Grade-Pro because it had a way to grade using standards-based instead of numbers
 * Very hard transition for teachers, didn't want to give up on points in grading
 * Advises that you jump right in as a school/district so everyone feels the pain together
 * Teachers saying they were doing SBG, but really weren't
 * Still use Easy Grade Pro for a gradebook. They have IC, but don't use it for grading
 * Still have grades for transcripts at the high school
 * Don't have a SB report card, it's traditional, but based on standards-based. Turned into number grade for reporting out
 * Have to be careful and make sure that the number grade matches with the descriptors
 * Hard for kids at first because everyone want to earn grades and be the smartest
 * Takes a lot of time with students and parents so everyone understands
 * “Why don't I have an A?” “I'm smarter than that student, why do we both have 3's?”
 * Standards-based is the number 1 issue w/ parents every year. Don't understand it completely
 * Whole year of dealing with parents- trying to educate them and get them to understand
 * Recommendation: Never meet w/ parents as a big group. Chaos. Bring food, have forums and meet in small meetings where you can look people in the eye and have conversations
 * Trimesters at the middle school level
 * Middle school report card, 1, 2, 3, 4. You see a number grade for each standard plus an overall grade.
 * Look at averages and make a determination for yourself
 * Won't necessarily assess all standards every marking period
 * Standards are aligned loosely with MLR's
 * Number of standards generally range from 4-6 per subject. Maybe less in semester classes. Focus on 2-3 per quarter
 * Homework falls under “Habits of Work,” which is part of grade in H.S., but not in M.S. Homework completion is an issue in M.S. because kids know it's not a part of the grade
 * In H.S., teachers (as a group in a content area) can weigh standards different, as long as they all agree
 * H.S.- Standards-based transcript does not exist
 * Colleges see “Competent” “Advanced” “Distinguished” on transcripts and colleges are fine with it
 * Still provide GPA and class ranks for scholarships, etc.
 * Bottom line, kids/parents have a better understanding of strengths/weaknesses w/ SBG. It's not about points or what a kids needs to get a certain grade, it's about learning
 * Takes mystery out of where the grade comes from
 * Rubric for everything. K-8 rule: If it goes in the grade book, there has to be a rubric. Some are general, others are more specific. Have a rubric for every standard
 * School is based on “excellent rubrics and excellent conversations”
 * Rubrics are used as instructional tools and they are important to go over in the classroom so kids understand what they are being assessed on
 * Kids can revise any work if they want to prove they've learned more
 * PLC's and feedback among teachers is important.
 * Checklists are not the same as rubrics
 * Some teachers use rubrics to plan their units and lessons
 * First year w/ SBG was a monster for everyone
 * 3 on a rubric does not mean 75%, parents/kids have a tough time with that
 * In M.S. They don't have +/- on rubrics. In H.S. They can give a +/- on the report card
 * Piloting is important
 * Didn't take a year of piloting, they were ready well before that
 * Trending- Have to take into consideration that material gets tougher as the year goes on, so a students might not always earn 3's. Poland averages the 1-4's at the end of marking period
 * H.S. - Summer school and “Credit Recovery” programs exists. They are based on standards not met. Once a kid proves they have met standards they are done. This does not exist in the M.S. They have intervention programs, no type of retention program. Starting Saturday interventions w/ kids who have poor work completion habits. Having trouble with assessing what kids really know if they are not doing any work
 * Projects/assessments can be done at home. They don't have the fear of parents helping/doing the work for them. There are multiple measures of standards throughout the year so by the end you know what a student knows
 * Reporting out takes a long time at the end of a marking period
 * Student led conferences and they use portfolios to do them. Not a formal portfolio where the standards are there. More of a general thing
 * Eligibility and Honor Roll- plan ahead as to how you are going to deal w/ them. M.S.- Honor roll is all 3's. High Honors is all 4's w/ no more than 1 3.