First, Second and Third Trimester Grading
Overall Math Grading Information
What is Standards Based Grading (SBG)? SBG is the practice of measuring student proficiency upon our CA State Standards instead of a letter grade or score on a test. In Kindergarten through Fifth grade we do not assign letter grades on report cards. In the past I have just included the points correct out of the total points available. Which essentially gives me a letter grade or a range of points in which I can assess the ability of each student. However, this didn't completely provide the information I needed and it had another effect on students which I hadn't anticipated.
The new curriculum is challenging and a majority of the testing is completed through real life application and multi-step word problems. Student scores were low and this brought down their moral and excitement of the challenge at hand down to an all time low. Students need to master this sort of questioning and problem solving. In the modern day workplace the value once placed upon success with computational skills and math ability has moved more toward the ability to problem solve and be a team player. See Research Below from Fortune 500 "most valued skills"
Standards Based Grading will allow me to assess students on all required Math In Focus curriculum. Students will be tested upon the challenging questions. If students do not pass them the first time, I will be able to pull them into a small group and do my best to walk them through the concepts they are challenged by. Students will be able to re-test until they show proficiency and mastery. The only difference is, they will not be seeing a grade on their paper. Instead, they will see my scoring system pictured below with a count of 1-4. If they are at a 1 or a 2 they will need to re-test and show their understanding. I will be keeping a score in my grade book which essentially can serve as a letter grade and overall grade in the class. However, students will not be privy to the score. I am hoping this will eliminate any stress related to grading.
Math needs to be fun! Students need to be motivated and feel like they can be successful. This style of test grading may help to achieve this.
Attached below is an article from Educational Leadership Magazine which does a great job of explaining how SBG can benefit understanding of what students actually know vs. passing the test. Also included is an article from The New York Times discussing Mastery Based Learning theory.
Math Trimester One:
Students will be focusing on Place Value to 1,000,000. Expanded notation, comparing quantities, estimation and number theory. Whole Number Multiplication and Long Division. Students will begin to explore fractions. There will be three tests administered during this trimester and multiple assessments.
Math Trimester Two:
Our second trimester includes all things fractions and Mixed Numbers. Students need to be comfortable with equivalent fractions which will lead us to adding and subtracting unlike fractions. Decimals and fractions. Adding and subtracting decimals. Understanding angles and using a protractor. Perpendicular and parallel lines. Classifying shapes by their properties. Three tests will take place during this trimester.
Math Trimester Three:
We will review Unit Conversions and Measurement, Area and Perimeter. Understanding symmetry, tables, line graphs, data and probability.
Writing Rubrics and Grading for First Trimester
Our first graded writing assignment includes the Personal Narrative. Students will learn to draw in a reader by attending to "The Big Thing That Happened". It is then followed by an Informational writing activity as it relates to a Multiple Intelligence. Their second graded assignment for the trimester includes another Informational project for Science class concentrating on adaptations of animals. Students will need to detail and create a "new species" of animal. The writing requirements of this assignment will be detailed below as we near the assigned date.
Students move through the writing process and are provided with suggestions as to how "good writers" form and develop their writing craft. Although students are graded on adhering to the style or format of certain types of writing, our goal is to achieve personal growth as writers. A rubric allows for us to grade on the more technical aspects of the writing. However, growth, color and voice are all part of what goes into grading for writing in the Fourth Grade!
Rubrics included below.