http://tinyurl.com/5ag9t9

"When the primary question addressed in assigning a grade shifts to the level of mastery of a particular learning standard, teachers are likely to find the task of grading students with disabilities much more troublesome (Thurlow, 2002)."

DUH.

http://greatergrafton.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/standards-based-report-cards/

From the district Curricular Standards:

"These Grade Level Performance Standards describe behaviors typical at the specified grade level. They represent behaviors students generally exhibit as they move from novice to expert in their ability to take control of language processes. It is important to remember, however, that literacy learning may not be sequential and each child has a unique developmental pattern."

The 6th grade student reading at a 2nd grade level earns a ONE (remember, no zeroes) for the Power Standard of Reading Comprehension.  Why?  For not meeting the "behaviors typical at the specified grade level " (6th).

Now, if said student raises her/his reading level to that of a 4th-grade student, guess what.  That student still does not meet the 6th grade standard and will still earn a ONE for the Power Standard of Reading Comprehension.  Effort and improvement are not taken into consideration in this constricted construct for grading.

From the school district's Language Arts Standards:

"An equally important understanding is that a student's development is unique and influenced by many factors and therefore the accomplishment of these Performance Standards may occur in grade levels other than those at which they are designated.'"

So, at the end of the school year, the same 6th grade student accomplished the "Performance Standard" of 4th grade - a  grade level other than the 6th.

"A student's development is unique"

This is not taken into consideration in this constricted construct for grading.

"A student's development is ... influenced by many factors"

The student who is homeless or suffers abuse or lacks the resources available to a more affluent 6th grade student or is learning disabled or suffers from emotional disabilities is not taken into consideration in this constricted construct for grading.

Also from the standards site:

"Finally, although there are four language arts standards, it is important to keep in mind their connectedness.  'To use media, one must read or listen. To write, one must acquire knowledge by reading, listening, and viewing. To do research, one must read. To communicate in any form, one must know how the language works.'  Since all communication has content, the language arts standards are closely connected to all other content areas. (Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards Document)

The 6th grade student reading at the 2nd grade level would most likely also be using media, writing, and doing research at the 2nd grade level and will, therefore, earn a ONE for Power Standards other than Reading Comprehension:  Written Communication and Research/Inquiry.

by Shari Wargo

Credit: Wesley Bedrosian

This article was published in the August/September 2008 issue of Edutopia magazine.

Public education promises to be an important component of any substantive discussion in the debates leading up to November's presidential election. But what -- if anything -- will really change when either Barack Obama or John McCain becomes president on January 20? Realistically, not much -- at least not right away. The new president's influence is likely to come subtly over the next few years. So we wondered how do the candidates differ on public education, if they differ at all. Here's a quick guide to how McCain and Obama feel about some of the hot buttons in public education.

NCLB Obama: Calls the No Child Left Behind Act "a good start" and would revise rather than scrap it. Plans for increased funding. McCain: Described NCLB as "a major milestone" but has advocated for more flexibility in measuring progress in English-language learners and students with disabilities.

Technology in Schools Obama: Encourages installation of broadband so that students have access to the Internet. Believes that teachers should be trained and that students in poorer areas should have increased access to tech. McCain: Supports more funding for technology-based education such as online learning and virtual classrooms, but would leave the program specifics up to principals, superintendents, and school board members.

Closing the Achieve- ment Gap Obama: Supports summer-learning opportunities for disadvantaged youth so they can improve in their academic careers. McCain: Believes schools should offer after-hours tutoring, in which retired persons could volunteer. Supports online tutoring plus federal certification of all tutoring programs.

Early-Childhood Education Obama: Has proposed a $10 billion early-childhood- education plan that includes increased funding to sustain Head Start and subsidize universal preschool. McCain: Would boost funding for Head Start as a resource for early-childhood enrichment.

Curriculum Focus Obama: Math and science would be the core focus, with additional emphasis on technology. Also encourages "creative classes" that encourage the development of critical-thinking skills and alternative methods of problem solving. McCain: Would more strongly emphasize math, science, and English skills. Has yet to release his full education plan.

School Vouchers Obama: Does not support school vouchers and has instead focused on reforming public schools. McCain: Believes parents should have the right to choose what school their child attends and that federal funds should be available to help low-income families with private schools or homeschooling.

Merit Pay Obama: Favors merit-pay bonuses in certain instances, such as when a classroom's academic performance improves or when a teacher mentors other teachers. McCain: Supports a market-based system in which merit pay is given to teachers who achieve significant improvements in student performance compared to other schools, or work in hard-to-staff schools, and encourages staff development and new graduate recruitment.

Teachers give Dallas ISD's new grading rules an F

12:00 AM CDT on Friday, August 15, 2008

By KENT FISCHER / The Dallas Morning News
/ The Dallas Morning News
Tawnell D. Hobbs, Stella M. Chávez and Karin Shaw Anderson contributed to this report. Dallas public school students who flunk tests, blow off homework and miss assignment deadlines can make up the work without penalty, under new rules that have angered many teachers.

The new rules will be distributed when teachers return to their campuses next week. But many who have already seen the regulations say they are too lenient on slackers, and will come at the expense of kids who work hard.

For example, the new rules require teachers to accept late work and prevent them from penalizing students for missed deadlines. Homework grades that would drag down a student's overall average will be thrown out.

School officials said the new guidelines are needed to ensure that all district teachers operate under the same rules and to create a "fair system" for grading students.

"The purpose behind it is to ensure fair and credible evaluation of learning – from grade to grade and school to school," said Denise Collier, the district's chief academic officer.

Some teachers said the new rules offer kids too many loopholes.

"It's like we're sending the message to kids that deadlines don't matter, studying is optional, and no matter how little you do, you're still [going to] pass all your classes anyway," said Ray Cox, who teaches world languages at Franklin Middle School.

The intent may have been to create a uniform grading policy, but the result was to lower standards, said Dale Kaiser, president of the teachers' group NEA-Dallas.

The school board and superintendent "talk about elevating standards and holding high expectations for kids, but we're telling the kids that whether they do the work or not is irrelevant," he said.

The new guidelines were developed by district staff and did not require school board approval.

District records state that the changes are part of a switch to "effort-based" grading and are designed to give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate that they've mastered class material. Requiring teachers to contact parents instead of awarding zeros is designed to increase home-school communications, according to district materials presented recently to principals. Retests and deadline extensions are meant to motivate students to do better after initial failure.

Some of the rules are similar to those in place in nearby districts, but many of the district's new rules appear to be unique.

For example, teachers in Allen ISD can give zeros at their discretion. In Richardson and Fort Worth ISDs, teachers grade homework without regard to whether it will lower a student's overall class average. In Grand Prairie, students automatically incur substantial penalties for turning in late work.

Last school year, Dallas' board of trustees reaffirmed a policy that prevented teachers from giving students a grade lower than a 50 in any one grading period. The reason given was that students who fall below 50 have no hope or motivation to bring up their grades and just give up.

During the discussion, trustees asked administrators to develop standardized grading rules for elementary, middle and high school teachers.

Those rules were finalized this summer and have been sent to principals. Copies of the new rules were posted on The Dallas Morning News' DISD blog Wednesday.

Teacher reaction was swift and overwhelmingly negative.

One recent DISD graduate commented that he thought the new rules would give students the wrong impression of how businesses operate.

"Babying the rules so that [students] have almost unlimited chances to pass, that's unreal," said Joshua Perry, a 2007 graduate of Skyline High School. "In the real world, you don't get a whole lot of chances or other ways to make something up."

Staff writer Tawnell D. Hobbs, Stella M. Chávez and Karin Shaw Anderson contributed to this report.

Here, to teach is to supply

Educators shell out, get creative to keep classrooms stocked in lean times

By Emily Richmond

Fri, Aug 15, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Las Vegas Sun

Reader poll

If schools were to ask parents to help pay for supplies, how much would you be willing to chip in?

• Zero.
• Not more than $10.
• Not more than $25.
• Not more than $50.
• Whatever the schools need.

or See results without voting

Sam Morris

Karen Lundquist, a second grade teacher at the school, hangs decorations she purchased with her own money. Her principal has asked teachers to be sensitive to families when requesting supplies.

Sam Morris

Wendy Adams, a teacher at Tony Alamo Elementary School, readies her fourth grade classroom for the upcoming school year with her son Jaden on Thursday. With cuts to school funding, teachers are spending much of the money they receive from the district on basic supplies.

• Edutopia Poll: Do you feel obligated to buy school supplies with your own money?

When an office supply store offered folders for a penny, second-grade teacher Nikki McCormick bought as many as the store would allow: 10.

She made four trips to the store, and did the same when the sale was on 1-cent erasers (limit 12). All summer long she has been ferreting away supplies — pencils, crayons and paper — materials many schools will be rationing when students return Aug. 25.

“I’m very committed to making sure my kids have what they need,” said McCormick, who is entering her 30th year as a teacher and 16th in the Clark County School District. “I don’t care how many trips I have to make to OfficeMax.”

During June’s special legislative session, lawmakers cut by half the funding for school instructional supplies, including textbooks, paper and pencils.

“The schools probably cannot operate given how deeply we cut them,” said Jim MacIntosh, the district’s deputy chief financial officer.

Officials are planning to restore about $14 million for school supplies by making steeper cuts to administrative office budgets, he said. But the extra money won’t be available until October, which means campuses will have to be thrifty in the first few months of the academic year.

At Tony Alamo Elementary, Principal Rod Kissinger saw his school’s initial allocation, which represents 75 percent of its annual allotment for instructional supplies, drop to $45,000 from $104,000.

As a result, copier paper will be rationed based on the number of students in each class, and access to the color printers will be restricted. Once-basic supplies, such as watercolor paints, glue sticks and label writers, will not be ordered.

“There is going to be an impact to the cuts at our school,” Kissinger said. “But we want to assure parents the needs of their children are being met.”

Alamo first grade teacher Jennifer Szemety said she has looked over lesson plans for the first few weeks of school, hunting for ways to cut down on photocopying.

“We’re going to have to be more creative,” said Szemety, who is entering her 10th year as a teacher. “Do I really need to do this activity that’s going to require 200 sheets of paper, or can I teach the same concept in a different way?”

Teachers will still receive $200 purchasing cards from the district. But those funds will now likely be spent on basics that were once provided by schools. That means less money for the extras, such as the modest prizes teachers use as incentives for improved behavior or perfect attendance.

Many teachers say they are prepared to dip deep into their own pockets and expect to spend upward of $100 a month to keep their classrooms stocked.

But one thing Clark County schools won’t be doing is pressuring families to make up the supplies shortfall. There have been several warnings to that effect, at the district, region and school level.

In a letter to his teachers, Kissinger repeated the district’s request that schools “demonstrate sensitivity to families when requesting donated items or supplies.”

Any request sent to parents, Kissinger said, should include this statement: “The Clark County School District provides students with the essential school supplies. However, many children enjoy bringing supplies to school. You are welcome to purchase any of the items listed below.”

The list includes paper towels, rulers, child-safe scissors and crayons.

“The economy has not just hit the district,” said Jolene Wallace, superintendent of the southwest region. “We have people losing their homes and their jobs. We don’t want schools passing on all of these problems to the parents.”

With schools getting less money for supplies, Wallace said she has tapped her administrative budget to help make up the difference. She’s ordered enough copier paper to give each campus an extra 40 cases as well as dry-erase markers.

“You have to satisfy the needs at the level where the children are,” Wallace said. “If that means cutting something out of the region office, we’re going to bite the bullet and do it.”

At the same time, parents have already been generous, Wallace said.

The southwest region will also start an online swap meet, where teachers and administrators can list items collecting dust in supply closets that could be used at another school.

With the new academic year 10 days off, district officials are working hard to paint a positive picture.

But officials say the lack of money for supplies is just one more blow to school budgets that have already been pared down.

In addition to the money for instructional supplies, $18 million for school improvement and innovation grants was also eliminated. Wallace said the grants, used for remedial reading programs, tutoring and teacher training, among other things, were helping improve student achievement.

“This is going to hurt us,” Wallace said of the budget cuts. “And that’s just really sad.”

How much do YOU spend so your classroom run smoothly??

DEMONSTRATES LITTLE OR NO UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION. The student's work:

*    Does not communicate ideas with words and/or graphics; student thinking is not made visible to the reader/listener.

*     Contains response(s) without evidence of higher-level thinking skills, such as making generalizations, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and/or making connections to other disciplines or the real world (when applicable).

*     Addresses little or no aspects accurately of the standard(s)  under study; requires the reader/listener to make major assumptions about the student's understanding.

*     Demonstrates little or no understanding; significant procedural errors.

This is what students will earn when they choose to do nothing.  There are no "0"s in this new approach.

DEMONSTRATES PARTIAL UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION. The student's work:

*     Communicates some ideas with words and/or graphics; exhibits muddled explanations and/or incomplete arguments.  Some student thinking is made visible to the reader/listener.

*     Contains partial response(s); may contain minimal evidence of higher-level thinking skills, such as making generalizations, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and/or making connections to other disciplines or the real world (when applicable).

*     Accurately addresses some aspects of the standard(s) under study, but requires the reader/listener to make some assumptions about the student's understanding.

*     Demonstrates partial understanding; may include some procedural errors.

DEMONSTRATES FULL UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION. The student's work:

* Clearly communicates ideas with words and/or graphics; student thinking is made visible to the reader/listener.

* Contains solid response(s) with some evidence of higher-level thinking skills, such as making generalizations, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and/or making connections to other disciplines or the real world (when applicable).

* Accurately addresses all aspects of the standard(s) under study, but requires the reader/listener to make minor assumptions about the student's understanding.

* Demonstrates solid understanding; may include minor procedural errors.

DEMONSTRATES IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION. The student's work:

* Clearly communicates all ideas with words and/or graphics; all student thinking is made visible to the reader/listener. Includes (when appropriate) examples and counter-examples; provides strong supporting arguments.

* Contains complete response(s) including evidence of higher-level thinking skills, such as making generalizations, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluation, and/or making connections to other disciplines or the real world (when applicable).

* Accurately addresses all aspects of the standard(s) under study; the reader/listener does not need to make assumptions about the student's understanding.

* Demonstrates complete understanding, without procedural errors.

POWER STANDARDS SCALE:  1, 2, 3, 4

ART, PHY ED, ORCHESTRA

*  Skills and techniques

*  Knowledge

*  Application

COMPUTERS

*  Use of computer technology

*  Inquiry and research skills

*  Responsible use of technology

*  Keyboarding Skills

WELLNESS - none

MATH (6th)

*  Content 1

*  Content 2

*  Content 3

*  Content 4

SCIENCE (6th)

*  Content Knowledge

*  Conducting Investigations

*  Applications & Explanations

SOCIAL STUDIES (6th)
*  Content Knowledge

*  Analysis and Application

LANGUAGE ARTS (6th)

*  Reading Comprehension

*  Written Communication

*  Oral Communication

*  Inquiry & Research

LEARNING SKILLS SCALE FOR ALL SUBJECTS:  M, S, R

*  Uses class time productively

*  Completes homework

*  Cooperates with other

Keep in mind that homework assignments may not be graded.  Teachers may proctor an "assessment" the day a homework assignment is due in order to collect evidence of whether or not each student meets specific standards listed under each Power Standard.

A resource for teachers to learn more:

http://dww.madison.k12.wi.us/tl/grading_guides/ms_report_cards/ms_report_card.htm

but it doesn't work from home.

Another resource, known as "The Sandbox":

https://campus.madison.k12.wi.us/preview/madison_preview.jsp

but that doesn't work from home, either.

So, when will the district be providing teachers with paid time to learn, use, and apply this new system?  We'll receive binders of information at the first Inservice on September 16th - the third week of school - with progress reports due shortly thereafter.

1. What are standards?

Standards describe what students should know and be able to do in each subject area at each grade level. They help shape the curriculum from one grade to the next because teachers know what instruction has already occurred and can build upon it.

2. Where can I find the standards?

The MM School District Grade Level Standards and the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards (WMAS) are available on the web for all content areas at http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/tnl/standards/index.html

* For thrills, click on MMSD Language Arts Standards and peruse the four standards. Start doing the math: 1 teacher + 100(+) students . . . .

3. What is a standards-based report card?

A standards-based report card is designed to inform families about students' current levels of achievement toward the MMS District's Grade Level Standards. Achievement is not measured against other students' performance, but is measured against specific knowledge and skills needed to make progress through the K-12 system. Academic achievement is reported out separately from non-academic factors (for example: use of class time; homework completion;[sic], and cooperation with peers and adults) so it is very clear what the student knows and is able to do.

* Do teachers truly measure one student's achievement based on the achievement of another student?

4. Why is the MM School District changing to a standards-based report card at the middle school level?

All students must be offered the opportunity to learn the standards. Performance on standards has a direct impact on students learning what they need to know to be successful at the next grade level and on the standardized assessments. Families have a right to know specifically how a student is performing measured against what the student is expected to know and be able to do.

5. What is the time line for middle school standards-based report cards?

Middle school standards-based report cards will be implemented in 2008-09. A more detailed time line, including professional development opportunities, is posted on the District website.

6. Are we using MMSD Grade Level Standards or Wisconsin Model Academic Standards?

We are using the MMSD Grade Level Standards which are aligned to the Wisconsin State Academic Standards (WMAS).

7. Will teachers be required to use the standards-based report card?

Yes. All middle school staff will be required to use the standards-based report card in 2008-09.

* All? Not for 8th grade Algebra!  Algebra is a high school class taught in middle schools.  High schools use a traditional grading system.

8. Which standards will be on the report card?

There are many [emphasis added] standards in each subject area and reporting out too much information is not useful. Instead, grade level standards are combined into broad categories called power standards. Between 3-5 power standards will be reported out in each subject on the report card.

* Yeah, but the many standards don't just disappear! Remember that math problem? 1 teacher + 100(+) students + 3-5 power standards + . . .

9. When will a draft of the middle school standards-based report card be available?

A first draft was shared with middle school principals and learning coordinators in December 2007. The December draft of the report card was a key component of the January 14, 2008 professional development provided to all middle school staff. Future drafts will be shared as updates are made throughout the spring 2008 semester.

* Hmmmm. School begins in three weeks. Haven't seen a draft lately never mind a final!

10. Will all courses at the middle school level be included in the standards-based report card?

Yes. All middle school courses will be included in the standards-based report card and will include the appropriate power standards.

* And what about the teachers of Art, Music, Band, and Health? How many students are on their rosters per quarter?

11. Will letter grades still be used?

Yes. Letter grades will be used to provide summary information for each subject. Letter grades will be based on the student's grasp of the content and application of that knowledge.

* Although teachers will not be allowed to use letter grades nor average the components of the new grading scale (1, 2, 3, 4), the system will average that scale into letter grades!  Why would both letter grades AND numbers appear on a report card?  To appease parents who did not accept this change.

12. What are Learning Skills?

Learning Skills are work habits and behaviors that support learning. Learning Skills will be reported on the report card in each subject area using marks consistent with the elementary report card - Most of the time (M), Some of the time (S), Rarely (R). Learning Skills are not included in the academic grade or in the Grade Point Average.

* 1 teacher + 100(+) students + 3-5 power standards and the many standards in a subject area + 3 Learning Skills . . .

13. How is homework reported in a standards-based reporting system?

Homework has a dual role in a standards-based reporting system. Homework completion is an expectation of students and included under a section called Learning Skills. What students learn by doing homework will be demonstrated through the use of classroom assessments.

14. Will middle schools continue to report grades all four quarters?

Yes. There will be no changes in the quarterly reporting system that is currently in place.

* 1 teacher + 100(+) students + 3-5 power standards and the many standards in a subject area + 3 Learning Skills X 4 quarters . . .

15. Will progress reports still be used in a standards-based system?

Yes. There will be no differences in the practice regarding communicating with families for students who are not making expected progress.

* 1 teacher + 100(+) students + 3-5 power standards and the many standards in a subject area + 3 Learning Skills X 4 quarters 8 reporting periods . . .

16. Will there be common language used for proficiency levels?

Yes. The development of common language to describe proficiency levels is in progress and will be released in May 2008.

17. How will teachers ensure consistent evaluation of student work district-wide.

The development and refinement of assessment tools will be an on-going process. As teachers gain confidence and expertise in the use of standards-based tools, they will be key in the co-development of these tools.

* 1 teacher + 100(+) students + 3-5 power standards and the many standards in a subject area + 3 Learning Skills X 4 quarters 8 reporting periods + developing assessment tools . . .

Generic rubrics will be implemented in all content areas in 2008-09. District-wide common assessments will be implemented in all content areas in 2010-2011.

]]> http://nrimaami.wordpress.com/?p=90 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:24:30 +0000 Rekha http://nrimaami.wordpress.com/?p=90 On many nights, my roommate and I would be lying on our backs staring up at the ceiling fan, and chatting well into the night about what life would have in store for us. On one of those occasions, a shuddering thought occurred to us. "Nammaku porakardhukku padippae eralaenna...???", and we instantly recognized it as a problem that would baffle us. For the tamil challenged that would read as - what if our kid is academically challenged? I remembered this all of a sudden after so many years, because the other day, I oversaw my friend's daughter's kumon homework and found myself saying two words that I never understood as a kid - "silly mistakes" and "carelessness".

As in many tambram households, the first 21 years of my life was expected to be solely dedicated to the most important job of studying. "Padi.. padi.. padi", my mother would constant harp, as I sat with my book in hand but watched the India Pakistan one-day match out of the corner of my eye. "How can you concentrate?"she would say as Nadeem Shravan's music blared in the background. My father would come to my support and say that he studied quite successfully with AIR crackling in the background.  "How long is your break going to be?" my mother would demand, as a 5 minute break from my exam preparation stretched to a half hour distraction. "What vambu?" my mother would frown as I smoothly became a participant in the backyard gossip exchange conversation. "Have you finished revising everything?" she would repeatedly ask on the day before the exam. If I confidently replied 'yes amma', she would say "Bring me your book, and let me see how well you have revised". Sure enough, I would fumble and frown at every question she asked. "Poi padi" she would shout and off I went, stomping away with book in hand.

If all this was for the preparation, one can well imagine the scene when my brother or I came home with marks. Being a teacher's child has it's big minuses. My brother's marks and mistakes would reach my mother's ears and eyes even before it reached his. Any attempt on his part, to cushion the effect of poor marks by waiting to present it to appa and amma with some better marks would never work, because amma would be demanding on their ride home "So, heard you got your maths paper today??". My school was more forgiving, and therefore my teachers never ran to my mother to squeal on me. My maths answer papers would scream silly mistakes and carelessness, because the teacher would have written it red and bold and screaming on the side of the top sheet. My mother would clench her teeth and ask "Won't you check you check your paper before you hand it back?", and I would look at the floor. How dare I tell her I was so bored at the end of the 3 hour exam, that all I wanted to do was hand the answer sheet to the teacher and walk out.  Amma would play the "I am too mad at you to sign the report card" game every time. To this day, I don't know if it was her way of letting me know I should have done better, or her way of passing on at least some responsibility to my father (like let him at least sign the report card, when I waste all my "thondai thanni" getting these kids to study). My father would sometimes play along and pretend that he was never going to sign on a report card that had such lousy marks (they weren't all that lousy really..). Eventually, the next morning after making some false promises, and "I will next time"s I would walk out triumphantly, signed report card in hand. Appadi.. if studying was hard, writing exams was harder, getting that signature on the report card was truly the toughest ordeal of all.

Then there was the PTA meetings, where parents and teachers could jointly criticize the poor student for behaviour at school and home. My father only came to two parent teacher meetings. My mother stayed out of that - she didn't want someone telling her "vaadhiyar pillai makku", you see. The first time my father came along, I was in class 4, and the teacher politely said, she is so talkative in class, she will even make a stone talk if it sits next to her. That was some lesson, because the next time my father was informed of a PTA meeting was 6 years later, when I was in class 10, and I knew that pretty soon, there would be no more PTA meetings in my life. 

So indeed, now that I am parent and I have so much trouble getting my daughter to eat even Rava Kesari, I wonder what I would do, if she did not sit in one place and study like the good girl her mother was.

P.S: Amma and Appa, don't air my dirty laundry in public pleeezz!

Student A and Student B take the SAT, which is supposed to be a telling of his intelligence. An academic IQ test. Student A and Student B both have SAT books to study from. Student A reads the book cover to cover 20 times prior to the test. Student B uses it as a paper weight. They take the test. Student A gets a 1080 and Student B gets a 1270. Mind you Student B didn't study at all. Take a stab at what the two Students' GPAs are.

Student A: 3.8 Unweighted

Student B: 2.6 Unweighted

Student B would be me. I have a 2.6 GPA and live in a lower middle class family (which means scholarships are a must-have-but-can't-reach). It is obviously not because I don't understand the material, on the contrary, I understand it well. What is the cause of all of this? Well, first off I must blame myself for not working hard enough. Secondly, I live in Kissimmee, Florida, home to hicks and people who can't read english let alone teach it. I know it is the classic excuse to blame my teachers but I think I have some kind of credibility coming from a school district where the average school grade is a D+. Not all of my teachers are below par, just a select few who have no business doing what they are doing. Lastly, and this is only a minor factor, we start school at 7 30 in the morning. The classes that I usually have low marks on are my 1-3 period classes.

I could keep on complaining but the fact of the matter is is that I am a Senior in High School and it doesn't matter who is at fault; what matters is that I am in this situation. It is just an extreme injustice to think that there are geniuses in this world who can't go anywhere because they are judged based on their GPA. They aren't looked at for the fact that they aced their SATs without breaking a sweat. They are put into the same category as the idiots who can't read Dr. Seuss books correctly (again, I live in Kissimmee, Florida, I am NOT exaggerating). Why do grades=a person's value to society? This should be a system that is changed, so the right people get scholarships and go to college while the rest can stay where they belong: bumming off of Daddy's many resources or popping pills on their stoops.

It's actually a pretty big day at my house. Everyone is always so excited to bring those envelopes home, and I'm just as excited to get them.

Yesterday was no different. At the end of the day, my 8 year old son comes out of his class waving that golden envelope. He gets right beside me and we scan that report to see what his marks are. In the older grades, they get to see their report the week before, so we already knew she had straight A's.

So, what was the result? As I said, straight A's for my daughter. For my son, all A's but gym. Not a huge deal in my book. He didn't understand why it was only a B+, but I do. This kid doesn't rush for anything. Well, maybe a Snickers bar, but that's it.

So, it's another successful year for my kids. My son goes into grade 4 next year, my daughter to her first year of high school.

I'm very proud of both of them. I don't offer any incentives to them to get good grades, they just do it on their own which makes me even happier. They love school, they love seeing the good marks and they both work really hard to get them.

Just a proud mama braggin' on her kids.

This past week (no students) the senior play (a Shakespeare production) was held on Monday evening.

Tuesday was a lavish, catered (Middle Eastern) dinner for Juniors, Seniors, their parents, faculty and staff, and our retiring headmistress. Here are some of the things we had (photos off the web, however):

Pigeon Pastilla

Chicken with Olives

Mechoui (pronounced "MESH-wee")- Whole Roast Lamb, served on platters almost a meter wide

Couscous

Wednesday evening we had graduation on the school lawn. The American ambassador from our country attended, as well as the new incoming headmaster and elementary headmistress, and a few other local impressive figures. It was our school's first twelfth-grade graduation, complete with caps, gowns, and sashes ordered from the United States. Eighth-graders passing into high school also participated in the graduation, wearing suit and tie for boys, and elegant white dresses with high heels, for girls.

I'm not as exhausted, mentally or physically, at the end of this school year, as I was last year at this time. I hope to get busy cleaning up the numerous things around my house that need doing, such as unpacking and sorting through boxes from when we moved into our new house almost three years ago. I also hope to be starting a diet in the next day or two. I got to the swimming pool for the first time this season, and was able to swim ten laps. Please wish me luck all on these endeavors!

Eileen

"Comprehend grade-appropriate text inferentially."

These were two lines on my children's report cards this year, the first for my second grader, the second for my fifth grader. Instead of receiving letter grades in a subject, or on homework and tests, the children received a number from 1-4.

4 Exceeds the expectation for this standard at this time
3 Meets the expectation for this standard at this time
2 Making progress towards this standard at this time
1 Does not meet the expectation for this standard at this time

So 4 is an A, 3 is a B, 2 is a C and 1 is a failure? No.

My son, for example, might bring home a spelling test with all the words correct. That will be a 3, because you really can't "exceed expectations" on a spelling test, unless the teacher threw in some extra credit. But a spelling test with a few words wrong might also be a 3.

My son, who has a bit of a perfectionist streak, went nuts the first few times this happened this year. Now he kind of shrugs his shoulders and says "hey, a 3's a 3, right?" No. It's not. Now practice those words you missed, or solve that math problem correctly.

I bring all of this up because Monday, Grafton Elementary School will host "After the 1st Year," forums addressing the Standards Based Report Card, which the schools adopted for Grades K-5 this year. One session is at 10 a.m., the second is 6 p.m.

I'm not a big fan of the new report cards. I like clear writing. I hate to see words abused.

And it would be nice if my second grader could read and understand her own grades -- right now, she looks down at the rows of 2s and 3s and says "so I did okay?"

You get an A if you are...
A dreamer
A motivator
An encourager
A builder
A good example
A servant
A thinker
A leader

You get an B if you are...
a bonehead
brave but a bully
brilliant but belittling
better today than yesterday, but still not your best
beautiful, but boastful
big headed and not big hearted
biased about who you befriend

You get an C if you are...
callous
cold
crotchety
cantankerous
overly critical of others
cruel
conniving

You get an D if you are...
demeaning
demanding
a dictator
degrading
domineering
devious
deceitful

You get an F if you are..
unforgiving
unfaithful
full of yourself

My card might look something like this: A, b, c, d, f...What's your grade?

Bug had perfect attendance for fourth quarter and she made the A honor roll. She also had an A average for the entire school year. She is looking forward to being in the 4th grade. She says because that means she will only be in the same school with Buddy for one more year.

Bean had A's, B's and 2 C's for fourth quarter. She learned a little lesson in cause and effect this last grading period that I think had opened her eyes. Overall for the school year though she had an A/B average. She is really looking forward to middle school. She has had the opportunity to attend a camp at the middle school this first week of summer vacation. This gives the incoming 5th graders the chance to learn their way around the building and to meet some of the teachers. And they get to make some friends along the way. She has gotten to go swimming 4 days this past week at the city pool. She is still trying to work her courage up to jump off the high dive. On Friday the whole group went to Fall Creek Falls for the day. They hiked up the the falls and across the swinging bridge. I am proud of her that she went across the bridge. She has a small fear of heights that she is trying to overcome. She will go a couple of days this week. But Steve's parents are visiting so she will miss some. The part she is most looking forward to is the overnight on Thursday. All of the kids get to spend the night camping on the school grounds on Thursday night, having marshmallow fights, water balloon fights and other such fun. She will miss a little bit of the fun due to a softball game but she will get to go back and spend the night with her friends.

So summer vacation is well under way in our household. This is the first year for us that summer break started Memorial Day weekend. They go back to school Aug 8th. And between now and then almost every week is chock full of something. Busy, busy, busy!!!

Our school is now in the middle of computerizing our grading system. We are using an on-line grading system based in America. The on-line grade books are not yet set up (but will be for next fall's grades). So we are still recording grades by hand, calculating final grades by hand, and now entering the final grades and comment on the computer.

We do not have access to computers in our classrooms at school to do our grades (no money, of course). There is one computer classroom for students (at the complete other end of the school building from my class), and teachers can use those computers if they are available. However, students are always in the room, and students have access to any of the computers teachers would be using.

In the beginning, I found myself making a lot of errors, such as entering the grade in the wrong subject box! After working with the new system for a few hours, I got more proficient. The question which interested me was if the computer system was any faster than doing the grades by hand. I would have to say "No." Some things are slower, and some things are faster. But overall, the entire time spent is just about the same.

I did find that putting comments into a Word document, then pasting them in to the on-line computer site did save time over typing each comment individually into the site. I worked on this Word document at home, then emailed it to myself so that I could work on it at a computer at school. After working more on it at a school computer, I emailed it back to myself, and deleted it from the school computer (where students have access).

Then I had a new problem. Back at home, I tried to reopen the document, only to find that it was now in an incompatible Word format!!! So, for those comments, I will have to go back to the computers at school to be able to open those comments!!

This is still easier than writing long comments by hand, and then recopying them by hand onto the permanent records (our old system). I do think that once all parts of the system are working, it will be a good system.

Is anyone else having problems like this with their on-line grading systems?

Eileen

After we got the kids stuff, a tourist walked into the school. Female and about 5 months pregnant. She and her husband were lost. They had followed GPS and had been told that Mosca Pass was drivable. OMG's! It isn't drivable!!!! Medano Pass is with a hefty 4WD, but Mosca is a horse or foot trail. So, they were trying to get directions on how to get to the Sand Dunes. Julia, the principal was trying to give the woman directions to Pass Creek which will lead them to HWY 160 and eventually the Sand Dunes. Dan was also standing right there and said that we'd show them the turn as it isn't very clear if you don't know the area.

So, we got in the truck and started out. As they were following us, I mentioned to Dan that the weather was getting worse the higher we went and perhaps we aught to just have them follow us all the way over the pass. He agreed, because as we both know, the road is dirt, has lots of odd twists and at this time of year can be dry, snowpacked, muddy, slushy and down right soaked because the creek has jumped it's banks. By the time we got half way down the road, it was snowing really steadily. We stopped at the junction of Pass Creek road and 160, and the couple thanked us for leading them. We wished them a nice weekend and then drove over La Veta pass to get home. It was a nice drive and we got to do something nice for two lost people.

Oh, and the kids did really well on their report cards!

Today has been a slow day. Slept in a bit, and then just puttered around. Dan isn't feeling 100%, and neither am I. So far, my biggest effort has been to do two loads of laundry. I think I'll write a bit more on Digitally Challenged and then curl up with my book.

Here is a photo of the report cards we use at our American school. We need to give a grade in each subject, and write a comment for each subject. It normally takes me in excess of 40 hours (all at home, spread over about three weeks) to do this for a whole class of close to 30 students. During the Fall term, knowing the students and their work less well than in subsequent terms, it takes me about 60 hours. Not only do these have to be handwritten, but there is a second permanent record form where we have to recopy all of this by hand! So I am including all this in the time I have stated above.

Our school is about to computerize, which I'm hoping will save time, but we won't know until we do it (especially since we don't have any computers in our classroom, sometimes the computer lab at the other end of the building is not available, and often the internet is not working in my country--our computerized system is based in America, so we need to use the internet to access it).

The report cards as above I've been writing for the fourteen years I've been with our school. So these are soon to go defunct. However, we are not to have preassigned comments with numbers, or anything like that. After computerizing, they want us to keep personalized comments for each student, as below.

Please read the comments below, as I'm curious to know what readers, and especially other teachers, think about this.

Here are the grades and comments typical of what I might write on a hypothetical student's report card (a compilation of comments from several students' report cards):

Reading: B

Good.

Reading Comprehension: B

Inadequate preparation at home of some preassigned essay questions for the comprehension test. Good work on mastering new story vocabulary.

Oral Expression in Reading - B

Ahmed knows how to read aloud correctly, but shyness prevents him from reading aloud confidently and authoritatively.

Language (Speaking Grammar in English): B-

Some problems with correctly conjugating verbs in the present tense in his spoken English. This problem carries over into Ahmed's writing.

Composition: C

Problem with writing in sentence fragments. Sometimes leaves out words. Need to remember to indent. Ahmed writes about interesting and exciting ideas!

Spelling Tests: B-

(At the beginning of the year, parents are informed that spelling tests will be graded on also requiring correct handwriting. For example, m's and n's must have the correct number of humps, and capital letters where they do not belong will cause the word to be marked wrong, even if it is spelled correctly. )

Many points lost on tests early in the termfor unacceptable handwriting.

Spelling Skills in Writing: A

Very good attention to spelling details. Ahmed uses and remembers what he does already know.

Mathematics: D

Severe trouble with rounding and patterns on the tests. However, his general math understanding is better than his grades indicate.

Social Studies: A-

Very good! Ahmed loves geography and history.

Science: B+

Ahmed enjoys science.

Computer Class: B

Very good (Comment from computer teacher.)

Art: B-

Improving. Must cooperate better. (Comment from art teacher.)

Music

Not always attentive. (Comment from music teacher.)

Handwriting

Has made dramatic improvements, but still having trouble with the formation of certain letters (k, m, n, f). Continued trouble with correct proportion, and must take care to have a consistent forward slant.

Physical Education: C

Can do better. Lacks enthusiasm. Consistently tardy before and after class. (Comment from P.E. teacher.)

Class Participation: A-

Shy, but does participate well when he has something to say.

Work Habits: B-

Often distracted and thinking about other things. Ahmed often seems to lack energy. Is he eating well? Is he getting enough sleep?

Social Behavior: A

Excellent

Days Tardy: 12

Please, would it be possible to have Ahmed arrive at the gate about fifteen minutes earlier? Students should be coming in the gate at 8:20, so that they have time to put their things away, and be seated in their chairs, ready to work, at 8:35. Ahmed generally arrives in our room about 8:40 and disrupts the lesson while he puts his things away. Thank you!

Days Absent: 0

Please, comments from readers? (Thanks!)

Eileen

Anyhow, they all did amazing the last 9 weeks.  Zachary received all S's-Satisfactory.  Daniel made the A/B honor roll and Aimee made the principals honor roll---she had straight A's again!  We are SO extremely proud of all three of them.

Bedtimes have changed for the summer.  Daniel and Aimee get to stay up until 10:30 at night and Zachary till 9.  It will change back to there normal 'school' schedule two weeks before school starts.

Daniel is sleeping over at a friends tonight.  This 'friend' will be moving in about 3 weeks.  I believe he is having a few friends over tonight as well.  And next week both Daniel and Aimee have friends moving.  Aimee is really going to miss Ava.  They have been very close ever since we moved here.  I believe there last full day here in our neighborhood is May 28th.  And May 29th they leave. 

We have told Aimee that she will just have to get out and ride her bike around the neighborhood to see if she can find more little girls around her age.  Truth be told there is a 9 year old girl that lives directly behind us.  But she and Aimee just don't seem to 'click' as friends.

Tomorrow, I am going to be posting some recipes on my recipe blog.

I hope you all had a great week. 

Come on over to Koibitoanime.com -Hosaka's sweating up cooking up something good just for you