So I have been researching SBG since I was in college getting my BA. However, I haven't had the guts to really jump in...until now. In college I read through "Classroom Grading that Works" by Marzano and that really got me thinking about what I wanted my grades to represent. I decided to research the topic a bit further and I ended up writing a million page paper on it (okay maybe more like 20 page, but it was still torture).
Then I got my first job and they already had everything laid out for how I was supposed to grade and SBG didn't really fit the formula. So I put it on the back burner for a while. Then when I moved to Tennessee, I started thinking about it again. I really wanted my grades to represent what the students actually KNEW. I didn't want any type of "responsibility" or "work ethic" or "late points" or ... anything other than content knowledge to be represented in my grade. So I kept researching and a friend pointed me in the direction of the blogging world.
If you know me, I am the type of person that would rather do something "right" than just halfway. So, I read everything I could about SBG and just kept learning. This past school year I was teaching six sections of geometry. Geometry is a math topic that I was not completely comfortable with just yet. Instead of jumping in with relatively new content and a new grading system I decided to just learn the content well and then do SBG the next year.
So that is where I am at now. I have been reading books, skyping, reading blogs, tweeting, ... anything I can think of to prepare for the implementation of SBG in my classroom. Next school year 2011-2012 I will be teaching only Algebra I. Not only that, but I will have freshmen. And not only that, but my school "loops" so the freshmen I have next year will be with me again as sophomores for geometry. I can't think of a better time to start up this system of grading in my classroom. New subject (one I know!!), new students, and new grading.
In the next post I will outline the skeleton of what I plan to do. I am sure it will change a million times before now and school starting. Comments are welcome. :)
I, too, will be teaching freshman math next year (Algebra I & Geometry). Just came across the idea of SBG and am intrigued. I am interested to hear how things go for you . . . I may look at trying it out in my classroom too!
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Can't wait to hear how it goes. I teach freshmen (algebra I) and juniors (math models)in a medium sized high school near San Antonio, Tx.
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