Assessment and Learning Process
I want you to zoom in on mastering the math that I teach. It does not matter if you master everything quickly or even at the pace at which I teach it. It may take some students three weeks to master what other students mastered in three days. My aim is for your grade to reflect what you know, not how long it took you to learn it.
Skills and Concepts
Your grade should reflect what you know. For example:
Skills and concepts like these will be assessed weekly through short quizzes. For each skill or concept that was assessed on the quiz, you will receive a separate score. The scale is as follows:
What You Know Changes and So Does Your Grade
Let’s say that you take a quiz on multiplying and dividing fractions, and you make lots of mistakes. Instead of getting one grade for the whole quiz, you might get a score of 4 for multiplying fractions, 1 for multiplying mixed numbers, and a 1 for dividing fractions.
However, this isn’t the end of your grade. It’s clear that some of these skills you need to work on. So that’s what you will have to do. You will look at your mistakes and try to learn from them. Either I will have you work in a small group during individual study time, or we can meet after school, or you can get help from parents, or practice on your own.
Then, when you are ready, you “reassess” (take another quiz but only on specific skills you need to work on). You won’t take the entire quiz over again; you will just take an assessment on the particular skills that you had difficulty with. In this example that would be multiplying mixed numbers, and dividing fractions. If you earn a 4 on these skills, that’s your new grade. However, your grade can also go down if you repeat those old mistakes.
Here’s a picture of what the learning cycle might look like:
Skills and Concepts
Your grade should reflect what you know. For example:
- Do you know how to multiply mixed numbers?
- Can you explain the place value system?
- Do you know how to set up a bar diagram?
- Can you solve a proportion?
- Can you explain why you should avoid computing with repeating decimals?
- Can you explain how you estimate fraction sums?
Skills and concepts like these will be assessed weekly through short quizzes. For each skill or concept that was assessed on the quiz, you will receive a separate score. The scale is as follows:
What You Know Changes and So Does Your Grade
Let’s say that you take a quiz on multiplying and dividing fractions, and you make lots of mistakes. Instead of getting one grade for the whole quiz, you might get a score of 4 for multiplying fractions, 1 for multiplying mixed numbers, and a 1 for dividing fractions.
However, this isn’t the end of your grade. It’s clear that some of these skills you need to work on. So that’s what you will have to do. You will look at your mistakes and try to learn from them. Either I will have you work in a small group during individual study time, or we can meet after school, or you can get help from parents, or practice on your own.
Then, when you are ready, you “reassess” (take another quiz but only on specific skills you need to work on). You won’t take the entire quiz over again; you will just take an assessment on the particular skills that you had difficulty with. In this example that would be multiplying mixed numbers, and dividing fractions. If you earn a 4 on these skills, that’s your new grade. However, your grade can also go down if you repeat those old mistakes.
Here’s a picture of what the learning cycle might look like:
Sometimes, I will ask you to reassess, and sometimes you should be the one taking the initiative. However, you can’t wait until the very end of the term to reassess. It should be happening all along the way.
Homework
Doing your homework helps you learn. It’s a chance to practice and make mistakes. It should help you figure what you understand and what you don’t. If you make mistakes on your homework, those mistakes are not part of your grade. They are part the your learning process. However, homework is still really important. So if you don’t do it, it will hurt your grade. I will check if your homework is completed. See the homework policy for more information.
Effort and Behavior Grades
You will also receive effort and behavior grades according to this rubric.
Homework
Doing your homework helps you learn. It’s a chance to practice and make mistakes. It should help you figure what you understand and what you don’t. If you make mistakes on your homework, those mistakes are not part of your grade. They are part the your learning process. However, homework is still really important. So if you don’t do it, it will hurt your grade. I will check if your homework is completed. See the homework policy for more information.
Effort and Behavior Grades
You will also receive effort and behavior grades according to this rubric.