Thank you for visiting #ksedchat. We welcome all educators to our chat that runs Mondays at 8 p.m. Central. Though many of our educators have their homes in Kansas, all teachers are welcome to pop in and join in on the learning.
Welcome to tonight's discussion! The format will be Q1, A1, Q2, A2, etc. Make sure to use #ksedchat to be included in other posts/replies. Let's begin with introducing yourself, where/what you teach, and a gif to represent your plans for summer!
Hello #ksedchat! I am Angie from Olathe. This summer I am lucky to be traveling a lot to awesome conferences such as the NEA Racial and Social Justice conference, NEA RA, and Capturing Kids' Hearts š
Will Dunn- Tonganoxie High School- Math. Iām kicking off a Math Teacher Circle at KU this summer (consider attending!- dm me for details). Also, working that second job. #ksedchat
Hi. I'm Melissa from Atchison, KS. I teach 6-8 Soc Studies. Going to some workshops & conferences to learn more ideas to bring to my classroom! #ksedchat
Anna, 6-12 Gifted Facilitator from Andover. I will not be working on my Grad classes, instead I will be getting ready for @KSDEredesign#ToTheMoon#ksedchat
A1: I see grades as a barometer of sorts for Ts, Ss, and parents. Theyāre *one* way to quantify understanding. Traditional grades were a source of immense pride and stress for me as a student #ksedchat
A1 Iāve got mixed feelings on grades. Iād like to think theyāre for measuring student learning/success, but honestly, sometimes grades are just an effort to try and motivate students. #ksedchat
Grades don't matter in middle school (according to my students). They can fail a core class and still go on to high school with no consequences except being ineligible for fall sports. #ksedchat
I found grades kept me compliant. I knew how to work a system, so when Ts truly challenged me outside that system, I felt frustration and resentment #ksedchat
A2: I think there has to be honest conversation with parents or we will be continually fighting the attitude of thatās not how it was done when I was in school #ksedchat
A2 - My team, along with many other Ts at our school, are transitioning to standards-based grades - which gives the stakeholders a better view of what the Ss have mastered. #ksedchat
A2 model and share learning through portfolio so Ss can see what growth and learning both look and feel like when removed from grades. Thatās whatās real. #ksedchat
A2: To me, itās a systemic issue that needs to be reversed. Higher ed still relies on traditional grading practices. The state still evals schools based on test scores. Overhauling using evidence-based practices so that stakeholders see results is key #ksedchat
A2: We have to communicate that we report summatively. We have to communicate our system, or reporting mechanism. Change isnāt always easy. #ksedchat
A2) I have started the conversation with my students about what grades should be. I think it will take time. Moreover we need to get higher ed to change. #ksedchat
A2) I went mastery based grading this year. Grades are not percentage correct, theyāre my call on how well they know the content. Iām hoping to shift this to more joint-grading with the student having a voice. And students have all semester to show me. No deadlines. #ksedchat
I had a dad of a special needs Ss in tears because of the growth the S showed! Will the S ever be on grade level? Not likely. Is he learning? YES! #ksedchat
A2 need to completely get rid of compliance grades. I think T's have gotten much better about this. There is a great culture shift happening and buy in on all sides will take time. #ksedchat
A2 - My team, along with many other Ts at our school, are transitioning to standards-based grades - which gives the stakeholders a better view of what the Ss have mastered. #ksedchat
A2 Thatās a tough one. My difficulty is we have so much late work, Ps are concerned about Ssā grades, when in reality, itās 21st century skills that need improved. They know the content; they donāt know organization or deadlines. So the purpose of grades is lost then. #ksedchat
A2) Letās use a 3-pronged approach here. 1st, communicate your purpose of grades. Emphasize grades demonstrate content mastery, not classroom compliance. 2nd, encourage Ss to grow by allowing multiple opportunities for them to demonstrate their knowledge. (1/2) #ksedchat
A2) Communication is key. We can have these conversations but at the same time at high school level GPA, class rank, etc. carry so much weight for post secondary endeavors. These things take on a life of their own for students and their families (and schools) #ksedchat
Thatās a hurdle that I always anticipate. It has to be all or nothing if a school system is going to make a major change. Vertical alignment of pedagogy/strategies/grading practices #ksedchat
3rd, remove graded assignments that do not directly correlate to content mastery. Itās tough, but be sure that YOU are maintaining the same understanding that you want parents/students to have about your grading practices. (2/2) #ksedchat
A3) While I do not teach a "core" class, I have taken the advice of #HackLearning Anthology with having my students reflect and then self grade. #ksedchat
A3: I had to consciously move away from using grades as a behavior consequence, BUT that doesnāt always mean natural consequences donāt apply. I penalize late work but accept it as long as the grading window allows. More opportunity to show learning. #ksedchat
A3) I think the first step is being 100% transparent in terms of what is assessed & what goes into a grade. Then making sure it is communicated first thing w/ Ss & Families. This would go a long way in alleviating issues. No one likes surprises when it comes to grades! #ksedchat
A3 cont) I also think at upper levels it is incredibly important to give feedback and conference w/ Ss about that feedback. This may be an unpopular opinion but no crossword puzzles or word searches for grades at the secondary level. Work should be meaningful. #ksedchat
A3: Also...STOP grading everything that students touch! Giving feedback does not equal āthis goes in the gradebook.ā Overwhelmed educators do nothing for classroom culture. #ksedchat
I'm not sure....
I'm looking into how to incorporate PBL with preschoolers.
I went to a breakout session at a conference about this topic recently. #ksedchat
This has been a process of reflection focusing on what they learned. This last project I had them answer 2-3 Qs from each section here: https://t.co/eg6JszObDN. I also have them give me a grade their parents expect to see. #KSedchat
Ss are expected to correct mistakes on all assignments. I give full credit for work done within the scope of a unit, if it's not well done I give it back and communicate what I want to see. #ksedchat
Using "feedforward" to promote achievement works best for my kiddos. If the grade/assessment doesn't move us toward a goal, I don't look at it #ksedchat
A4. I like a 1 point rubric and setting the baseline of what the difference between superior work and average work is. I've experienced kids really wanting to show that they can do superior stuff. Of course not all ss buy in but I think I've gotten a few more to step up #ksedchat
A4) The best intrinsic motivation I have seen this year is connected to a student's IPS. They are motivated to learn and excel in what they are interested and want to pursue. They are also motivated extrinsically by their grades so they can pursue those things post HS. #ksedchat
A4: This is tough. Grades as we know them are generally bad, but they are so interwoven into the system. I think we could use the framework to show Ss how it applies to new assessment strategies: āyou do x for y outcomeā vs. āyou do x for y result.ā #ksedchat
A4) Excellent question!...to which I have no decent answer! Tempted to simply say they canāt. But now Iām trying to conceive ways that collect student work over time, applying grades that can change with the growth, and having them reflect on that arc. Any ideas? #ksedchat
A4) student examples, peer editing and peer feedback with self reflection. Why do you do something better? Because it matters to you. They have to connect and care about the topic. #ksedchat
I use a āpracticeā vs. āgameā analogy w/ my littles. If you were evaluated mostly by your performance in practice every day, where would you be? Nowhere good, so no, I wonāt be grading all the papers all the time. #ksedchat
A5: Donāt be dismissive or unsupportive of colleagues who are doing things differently than you are. None of us have all the answers, and education can be so experimental at times. Our classrooms are often far ahead of legislation and research. #ksedchat
Thank you @abigail_crane for hosting #ksedchat tonight! Great topic and conversation!
Come back next week! @DHEPrincipal will be leading and you don't want to miss it!
A5) Some might call me boorish, but I like to think Iām ācandidā. I simply put it out there- āis [fill in the blank] a better way?ā Maybe Iām luckier than most, but my department colleagues at least hear me out. And there is value in rebuttal as well. #ksedchat
