SBG and Me

So, I've been researching standards-based grading for a few months now. It all started when Ryan Collins sent me a link to Shawn Cornally, my newly-discovered-inspirational hero (no need for an order of protection, I promise). As soon as I started to read his blogs about what's wrong with traditional grading and what's right with this thing called Standards-Based Grading (SBG for short), I swear I heard the angels singing! Preach it, brother Cornally. Here was this guy telling me the things I had been thinking about changing in my 7th grade math classes for next year!

I have to admit I feel a bit silly that I thought I was being revolutionary thinking about grading standards not assignments, continuing to let students correct their HW (yes, I graded HW-give me a break; I didn't know any better) for full credit and even letting my students correct test (sometimes). Who knew about SBG? Certainly not anyone in little ol' Kenton, Ohio. Certainly not anyone who taught me in college.

TGFI (No, I'm not confused and glad it's Friday) Thank God For the Internet. Since stumbling on Think Thank Thunk, I've also learned about Matt Townsley and Jason Buell who have all given me so much to chew on this summer.

Then along came my summer course Teacher as Researcher.

A bit of background here: after raising two children to teen-hood and 15 years of teaching 7th grade, I decided to get my Master's in middle school mathematics. Graduation is in 319 days- but who's counting?

As the name of the course implies, I would be conducting research. Exciting, huh? THIS time, it was! I had an authentic topic. Not the one that would be easiest to find information for. Not the one that had all the buzz words to impress my teacher. (Oh, come on. Don't look at me like that. You know you did that, too!) I would be writing a proposal for an action research plan investigating the effect (grrr or is it affect?) SBG has on student learning and motivation.

Through this class I was required to read about SBG. A lot. I wrote abstracts for more than ten articles. All on SBG. I have more information now than I know what to do with.

I plan to spend July sorting through my information and making a SBG plan of my own.

I might even work up the nerve to ask an expert for some help along the way.