How long do the quizzes take?
Some quizzes take a full 50 minute class period and others take about half that time. It can vary from class to class. Because of this, I block off a whole class period for each quiz and assume I won’t be able to get to any other material on quiz days. Also, I like doing Minute To Win It challenges after quizzes in order to lighten the mood and tension if classes finish early.
What do daily grades look like?
I’m still trying to find a firm stance here. I prefer not to grade for accuracy on daily grades because I want the kids to have freedom to learn and explore without the pressure of a grade. In the meantime, I try to use as much formative assessment as possible to determine where students are and how we can improve. In addition, I like to take as few daily grades as possible in order to continue to promote learning over work completion. With all that said, at the moment I’m intrigued by some form of a lagging assignment (not homework) that students complete maybe once a week (or less if grading policies allow for more infrequent grades). However, I’m open ears to other ideas.
What does your online gradebook look like? How do you record grades?
There is one daily grade a week based on the description in the question above. In addition, there is an individual major grade for each concept that is quizzed over during the nine weeks. So, during the first nine weeks in Geometry, I have an individual major grade for distance formula, midpoint formula, angle pairs, and parallel lines & transversals. The grades for these quizzes are based on the rating scale of 5-10 (50% – 100%). Check out this post for more details.
Do you score each question on a concept quiz with the scale of 5 -10 or give a score of 5 – 10 for the entire concept quiz?
Check out this post for more details.
Do you give written feedback on quizzes?
I don’t give written feedback on quizzes. I actually tried to in the past, but I found it wasn’t sustainable time-wise to keep it up. It took a long time, and many of the kids didn’t read the comments. Instead, I try to pick a couple common mistakes and put those on a warm up or something for the kids to analyze. My hope is that the mistake analysis will help a bunch of kids and save time as well. Then, I try to spiral struggle areas in future classes to hopefully reach more kids after that.
What happens if a student scores lower on a retake?
Check out this post for more details.
When do students retake quizzes? Before or after school? On specified days?
Check out this post for more details.
Do retakes become increasingly more difficult?
Check out this post for more details.
How do you do your letter grades? Is it just a straight average with standard cutoffs (e.g. A = 90-100, B=80-89, etc.)?
The rating scale is from 5-10 which matches with 50% – 100%. Letter grades are just a straight average with standard cutoffs. Check out this post for more details.
How many quizzes do you have students take per unit?
This will vary, but there are usually 3-5 quiz days per nine weeks. I try to space out quizzes as much as possible in order to allow more time for learning and prevent kids from feeling over-quizzed.
Do you have an endless supply of retake quizzes?
Check out this post for more details.
Do you give any summative exams?
Yes. Our district has quarterly assessments so each nine weeks we take a two day exam that totals around 30 questions. Those exams go in the grade book as major grades. The quarterlies are the only summative exams I give though, and our district does not have final exams. Although I prefer using quizzes, it’s probably okay to have a summative every once in awhile to help with longterm accountability.
How do you get parent buy-in?
Being very transparent is key. Since the system is different from what most people are used to, it’s important not to hide anything and be willing to answer any questions parents may have. One thing that may be helpful is to send an email at the beginning of the year breaking down the system and making yourself available to answer any questions or concerns.
Also, communicating the vision behind the system is the most important aspect in my opinion. There will be parents who are initially skeptical or even strongly against SBG. However, once they hear the vision and have some time to see it work its way out in the classroom for a while, I’ve seen that most, if not all, will buy-in and respect your effort to create a positive learning environment for the students.
How do you handle eligibility?
The deadline for retakes is the end of the grading period. Therefore, students cannot retake a quiz that is from a previous grading period. For example, solving equations occurs in the first nine weeks of Algebra 1. As soon as the first nine weeks is over, a student cannot retake a solving equations quiz anymore. This prevents difficult eligibility situations from occurring. Also, I try to not quiz within the last week of a grading period in order to allow enough time for relearning and retakes. If I do give a quiz in the week, then the grade will just be applied to the next grading period.
What research do you have to support SBG for administration?
Honestly, I haven’t looked into the research (nothing against it…just haven’t taken the time to do it), so there is probably a lot more out there. Feel free to share research you have found!
When Math Happens 