As we enter our final week of preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth, I am overcome with a sense of humble gratitude for the privilege of having a hand in introducing your children to the story of salvation and the friendship of Christ. Thank you for entrusting me to partner with you in showing them the way to heaven.
May you, too, be blessed with the deep satisfaction that comes from opening your children's minds and hearts to the Good News...and may your hearts and your homes be made glad at His coming.
Enjoy "a nice, nice Christmas!"
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
No surprises!
Most adults of today experienced report card grades as the averages of all the work we produced for a particular course during a grading period. Along with traditional tests, learning experiences and learner behaviors were all swirled together in a magical grading blender - and out popped an achievement grade that often felt more like something that happened to us rather than something we were empowered to affect. Not so today. The evaluation of performance that you will receive next week is a far more specific snapshot of your child's actual skills and knowledge relative to clearly-defined grade level outcomes. Experiences designed to facilitate learning - like classwork, homework, and formative assessments - are very intentionally not included in the grades. Neither are learner behaviors such as attention, assignment completion, or participation, which are reflected separately.
Today, both teacher and student know what mastery looks like. And every outcome - or standard - is both taught and assessed. Where am I going? Where am I now? and How do I close the gap? are questions students answer in the formative assessment practices designed to facilitate learning. To support this focus, students have increasing opportunities to receive and reflect on feedback that directs their efforts toward mastery.
The report card arranges course standards into clusters or topic strands. Proficiency on the individual standards behind those topics is reflected with a rubric score of 1, 2, 3, or 4. It's important to understand that a score of 3 represents grade-level mastery. This has been a big shift from a culture in which A somehow became the target, leaving no room for teachers to fairly document understanding and application that exceeded grade-level expectations. So these rubric scores, devoid of homework, class participation, and other learner behaviors, tell you precisely what your child knows and is able to do relative to grade level expectations.
In the middle school, you will also see a "blender grade" for each course, simply because grading culture is deeply-embedded. The traditional A-B-C-D-U summary remains an average of many unrelated pieces, but, even so, is different from the grading practices of the past in that it is more a more "pure" grade summarizing performance on the course standards at the completion of units of study without muddying the picture with other factors.
It is not insignificant that today's clearly-articulated standards enable us to give ownership of student progress to the student. A grade is no longer something that "happens" to him or her based on a variety of sometimes arbitrary factors. Standards-based grades highlight both strengths and areas in need of strategic focus. Formative assessments and feedback suggest a way forward. Empowering!
Be sure to take time next week to review your child(ren)'s report card(s) together with them, celebrating successes, reflecting on areas for growth, and developing strategic action steps for continued improvement.
Today, both teacher and student know what mastery looks like. And every outcome - or standard - is both taught and assessed. Where am I going? Where am I now? and How do I close the gap? are questions students answer in the formative assessment practices designed to facilitate learning. To support this focus, students have increasing opportunities to receive and reflect on feedback that directs their efforts toward mastery.
The report card arranges course standards into clusters or topic strands. Proficiency on the individual standards behind those topics is reflected with a rubric score of 1, 2, 3, or 4. It's important to understand that a score of 3 represents grade-level mastery. This has been a big shift from a culture in which A somehow became the target, leaving no room for teachers to fairly document understanding and application that exceeded grade-level expectations. So these rubric scores, devoid of homework, class participation, and other learner behaviors, tell you precisely what your child knows and is able to do relative to grade level expectations.
In the middle school, you will also see a "blender grade" for each course, simply because grading culture is deeply-embedded. The traditional A-B-C-D-U summary remains an average of many unrelated pieces, but, even so, is different from the grading practices of the past in that it is more a more "pure" grade summarizing performance on the course standards at the completion of units of study without muddying the picture with other factors.
It is not insignificant that today's clearly-articulated standards enable us to give ownership of student progress to the student. A grade is no longer something that "happens" to him or her based on a variety of sometimes arbitrary factors. Standards-based grades highlight both strengths and areas in need of strategic focus. Formative assessments and feedback suggest a way forward. Empowering!
Be sure to take time next week to review your child(ren)'s report card(s) together with them, celebrating successes, reflecting on areas for growth, and developing strategic action steps for continued improvement.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Watching, waiting, wondering
While waiting for the bell to ring this morning, the kindergartners shared some lively conversation about the gifts they are expecting for Christmas. As the excitement grew to fever pitch, one little boy said, "I wish Christmas would come tomorrow!" I smiled sympathetically, imagining the frazzled moms and dads who had just dropped them off. They were likely wishing we could have an extra week of preparation instead. It's a lot of work to make the magical memories those little ones are eagerly anticipating!
As we approach the conclusion of our first week of Advent, it's important to take stock not only of where we are in our shopping-baking-decorating for the coming of Christmas, but, more fundamentally, where we are in our preparation for the coming of Christ. This season marks time in a special way that invites us to come to Christmas with an ever-deepening understanding not only of God's coming into human history. It gives us time to prepare our hearts to welcome Him with an ever more intimate love. And, most important of all, Advent reminds us that Christ will be coming again at the end of time. We're asked to prepare; to be watchful...and to wait for this Second Coming. It takes a lot of intentional effort and patience to make ourselves ready to come to each Christmas more spiritually seasoned than we were the year before.
God came to us "with skin on," because He loves us radically. He could have been anything in the world, but he chose to be a vulnerable baby, an awkward boy, a condemned man; to be a little piece of bread and a tiny drop of wine; to be literally consumed by us in order to be fully one with us. This is the most amazing Christmas gift of all time. Don't forget to share it with your children. Add Advent preparation to your planner...and look with wonder and anticipation to the the heavenly outcome!
As we approach the conclusion of our first week of Advent, it's important to take stock not only of where we are in our shopping-baking-decorating for the coming of Christmas, but, more fundamentally, where we are in our preparation for the coming of Christ. This season marks time in a special way that invites us to come to Christmas with an ever-deepening understanding not only of God's coming into human history. It gives us time to prepare our hearts to welcome Him with an ever more intimate love. And, most important of all, Advent reminds us that Christ will be coming again at the end of time. We're asked to prepare; to be watchful...and to wait for this Second Coming. It takes a lot of intentional effort and patience to make ourselves ready to come to each Christmas more spiritually seasoned than we were the year before.
God came to us "with skin on," because He loves us radically. He could have been anything in the world, but he chose to be a vulnerable baby, an awkward boy, a condemned man; to be a little piece of bread and a tiny drop of wine; to be literally consumed by us in order to be fully one with us. This is the most amazing Christmas gift of all time. Don't forget to share it with your children. Add Advent preparation to your planner...and look with wonder and anticipation to the the heavenly outcome!
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