Middle School Update

Volume 7 Number 3

August 20, 2007

CALENDAR:

RESCHEDULED BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT:  We will reschedule the Middle School Back to School Night for August 28th from 4:00 - 6:15 p.m.  We will follow the same schedule except that all times will be 3 hours earlier.

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES BEGAN THE WEEK OF AUGUST 13.  we have a record number of participants. 169 out of 268 students in grades 6-8 are involved in activities one or more days per week.  Some activities still have room for more participants, students may talk to Ms Alba if they have questions.

MYP ASSESSMENT: To continue with the discussion of the alignment of middle school grading with the MYP criteria, I would like to start with an example:

Students have all read the same book or story. They are asked to describe the setting. Sample answers:

1.  The story takes place in the U.S. more than 100 years ago.

2.  The story is set in the southern United States immediately before the outbreak of the U. S. Civil War.

Both of these are “correct”, but are they both deserving of the same grade?  The second one is much clearer about the time and place and if the book is very specifically about happenings that are impacted by place and time, the second answer indicates a better understanding by the student. 

Another example of how rubrics work and the difference between formative and summative assessment is the one I was going to use at Back to School Night – though we do not teach Home Economics here at FDR.

There will be small assessments to help students and teachers know if students are learning throughout the unit and then large assessments where students can demonstrate overall attainment.  It would be similar to teaching someone to sew.  You teach them how to cut out the fabric. Then you teach them how to sew the seams. Next might be how to sew in a zipper and then how to do a hem.  They do each of these tasks perhaps at a 9 or 10 level.  Then you ask them to do a complete garment, cut out the fabric, sew the seams, put in the zipper and hem it.  At this stage many who were able to do the 9 or 10 on the individual tasks are only able to perform at a 6 or 7 when asked to perform them all. The first scores were formative and a progress report, this final assessment is “worth more” in the overall determination of the grade because it is summative.

With our 0-10 rubrics for each criteria, teachers have the opportunity to better differentiate students in terms of levels of attainment.

In the “old days” the possible percent grades for an “A student” were 90 – 100. The possible grades for an “F student” were 0-60.  Or, the possible grades for a student to be on the Honor Roll were  3.25 – 4.00   or about 85% - 100%.  With our move to the criteria, students who average 5 (out of 10) on the criteria in each subject will be on the Honor Roll.   The students who excel and are clearly performing well above the others will find they are receiving the 9s and 10s.  They will be in a minority.  Our new grading system will promote excellence by  differentiating between top grades rather than grouping them together.

Our plan is that the work we give allows the top students to demonstrate their deep understanding and advanced skills without other students having to miss being on the Honor Roll.  Students need to know that to get the highest grades they will, for example,  have to be using correct grammar and spelling, they will need to present their work in an easy to read way, they will need to remember to include units on measurements in Math and Science.  Students can demonstrate knowledge of concepts without these, but to be at the top it takes more.  A number of the MYP criteria mention that to be in the top mark band (9-10) a student must be able to perform the task in new and  “unfamiliar” situations, a true high order skill.

So, do NOT think criteria grades  of  5, 6 , 7 or 8 are substandard grades. To get all 9s and 10s is the equivalent of getting an IB Diploma 7. Last year less than 10% of the grades awarded by the IB to Diploma students worldwide were 7s.

REC NIGHT FRIDAY AUGUST 24TH.  The first Rec Night of the year will be August 24th from 7:30 – 10:30 p.m.  Students enter and exit through Gate 2.  Please have students arrive by 8:15.  We expect them to stay until 10:30 unless they are picked up earlier by a parent. We do not allow students to leave early without a contact from parents.  The activities will be dancing, 4-square, Tetherball, Ping Pong, and Soccer. The gym will be closed because of high school students painting murals for the ICC (inter class competition.)  We will, as usual, be barbecuing hot dogs, hamburgers and chorizos and for S/ 3 each, selling brownies for  S/2.5 and gaseosas and bottled water for S/ 2.  The price of admission is S/5.  Small change is appreciated.  There will be 10 teachers present as chaperones.