Eleven years. One-third of my life. Thousands of students taught. Crazy to think I have been doing this little thing called teaching for so long. By this time, I have taught both high school and middle school. Language arts, math, and science. I should have this whole thing down by now, right? I should know how to give effective feedback to help students grow as well as understand what their level of understanding is with ease. Heck, I had been doing Standards Based Grading for more than half of my teaching career and I felt like as a teacher it was now time to share my knowledge with others.
As a coach for my fellow teachers, I felt it was important this year to pilot what standards-based grading might look like as our middle school planned for full SBG implementation in Fall 2019. Like riding a bike, I thought this was going to be easy. But as I embarked on the adventure of creating solid rubrics for students, parents, and other staff to effectively use to gauge understanding, I quickly was humbled.
I should start by saying that not only am I in a district that highly supports teacher growth, but I am surrounded by colleagues that challenge me to grow. It was a combination of some trainings and questions from peers, that lead me to believe that while I understood the philosophy of standards-based grading, I had yet to implement it with fidelity within my classroom walls. I thought the next step in my journey was rubrics; if I know what I am assessing, then it should inform what I should be teaching. Bam, done! However, as I began to learn more, I quickly realized I needed to shift my focus from rubrics to proficiency scales. If you are not sure of the difference between these two: rubrics are specifically assigned to a task, project, assessment etc. It is about the end product, however, proficiency scales are focused on the standard and identifying what it would look like or sound like if a student grasped the concept. While I am sure educational researchers have far more eloquent definitions, this is how I, Jacki Kooistra, interpreted the information.
As a coach for my fellow teachers, I felt it was important this year to pilot what standards-based grading might look like as our middle school planned for full SBG implementation in Fall 2019. Like riding a bike, I thought this was going to be easy. But as I embarked on the adventure of creating solid rubrics for students, parents, and other staff to effectively use to gauge understanding, I quickly was humbled.
I should start by saying that not only am I in a district that highly supports teacher growth, but I am surrounded by colleagues that challenge me to grow. It was a combination of some trainings and questions from peers, that lead me to believe that while I understood the philosophy of standards-based grading, I had yet to implement it with fidelity within my classroom walls. I thought the next step in my journey was rubrics; if I know what I am assessing, then it should inform what I should be teaching. Bam, done! However, as I began to learn more, I quickly realized I needed to shift my focus from rubrics to proficiency scales. If you are not sure of the difference between these two: rubrics are specifically assigned to a task, project, assessment etc. It is about the end product, however, proficiency scales are focused on the standard and identifying what it would look like or sound like if a student grasped the concept. While I am sure educational researchers have far more eloquent definitions, this is how I, Jacki Kooistra, interpreted the information.
This newfound distinction created an eye-opening moment for me; I often talk to my students about what being a scientist might look like or sound like, or what a good teammate may look like and sound like; why not apply this concept to my standards? This led to a more thorough dissection of my standards. I forgot about the activities or the end results, and just asked myself, “if anyone were to look at this, how will they know if a student was successful?” As a good teacher always does, I reflect and modify my assessments every year, which often changes what my rubrics look like; but by creating the proficiency scales I can apply the levels of understanding to any potential activity in the future.
So how does this work:
· First, I determined what a level three, or proficient level of understanding, meant for that standard. What should my students know or be able to do if they grasped this concept?
· Then I determined a level two. What is the foundation knowledge that students need to know to achieve a level three with more time? This is considered a basic level of understanding.
· Finally, I determined if a student took this concept to the next level. If a student knew the concept well, where could they take it next, what could they do with their knowledge?
While this may appear simple, many hours were invested to shift my brain, because naturally, I kept coming back to lessons or labs that I could incorporate. I had to retrain my brain and how I look at lesson planning. I am happy to say I have created proficiency scales for all of my standards and was able to finish the year reaping the benefits of my labor. During my last couple of units, I could easily use my proficiency scales to create new assessments and rubrics that directly tied to the levels of understanding I had developed. This allows for my grading to be more focused on feedback that encourages growth by highlighting strengths and weaknesses. I then work backward from there to find or modify lessons that fit into my end goal.
Next fall my proficiency scales will be made available to the students and parents at any time, so if they were to ever have a question of what students are learning about in 8th-grade science, it is easily accessible and written in kid and parent-friendly language. This holds myself accountable to providing engaging learning experiences tied to the standards, as well as students accountable to meet the expectations.
I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues to help them grow and implement proficiency scales within their classrooms; while also creating richer opportunities for my own students.
Remember as a teacher, you are growing and learning right along with your students. When we begin to know more, we do more. Don’t seek perfection, because there is no end destination in growth, it is a lifelong journey.
Jacki Kooistra
Nevada Middle School
8th Grade Science/Learning Team Coach
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