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Time for a Reboot

My summer has been consumed with one overarching goal: bring a standards focus into our high school math curriculum.  Since it looks like I'll be teaching Algebra 1 and Geometry in my return to the classroom (after teaching AP Calculus and AP Statistics before I left a year ago), I have tried to have a laser focus on aligning standards to what we assess and thus, what we will be teaching.  Since early May, I have been combing through the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) and working to align what is expected in an Algebra 1 and Geometry course with what we actually teach.  Boy, has that been fun!

Once the school year ended, I had the opportunity to attend the FIRST Conference in Fond du Lac, WI in early June with some colleagues of mine and saw an AMAZING lineup of educators: Myron Dueck, Dylan Wiliam, Ken O'Connor, Todd Whitaker, Jay McTighe, Tom Guskey, Richard Cash, Lee Ann Jung; the list goes on and on.  One thing the conference reaffirmed for me and my colleagues; if we are going to go to the trouble of reviewing, rewriting, and realigning our standards, we might as well grade based on those standards!  Enter Standards Based Grading (SBG) into the mix!

I've been reading about SBG for years and even attempted a little bit on my own a few years ago, but this would be a great opportunity to implement it as a TEAM and not feel so isolated doing it.  Thus, in mid-June, our Algebra and Geometry teams have gotten together (both teams share all but one teacher), and worked on creating the learning objectives for each course, and then grouped those objectives into common themes or "buckets".  These "buckets" will then become our big standards we will grade on and use to help determine our final course grade of A, B, C, D, or F.

I'm excited for this journey we are about to embark on this year.  We have a lot of fresh and eager faces in our department, but also a great opportunity to work together for the betterment of our courses and ultimately our students.  I feel it's a complete overhaul of what we have done in the past and it is taking a big risk for all of us involved.  However, we have the support of our administration, and they are looking forward to seeing what we are able to put together.

In my next blog, I will begin to detail the process and thinking we are working through in one of our classes.  I'm nervous and excited about it all at the same time.

I have a feeling that's what a lot of Teaching ver. 2.0 is going to feel like this year!

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