Handouts are available below. Big Idea Are you concerned that science teachers aren’t assessing and giving feedback on content knowledge accurately if they’re using standards based grading? Today, I want to show a sample biology test I created that demonstrates how we can do both – assess content AND competency at the same time. …
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Handouts are available below. Big Idea One critique of Standards Based Grading is that it’s really hard for a student to get an A in it. Actually, it’s not that much harder or different than achieving an A in traditional grading. So, what’s an A in SBG? Answer: An A is Proficient. Episode Notes…
Handouts are available below. Big Idea What does Standards-Based Grading look like in the real world? Seeing how SBG is done in the workplace – for example, in the business world with regards to employee reviews – can give educators insights as to how to structure their own rubrics and standards. That is what we’ve…
Handouts are available below. Big Idea In Standards Based Grading, teachers assess student mastery of skills using a proficiency scale (ie. rubric). But, one thing teachers struggle with is how to convert an overall percentage – which they get from assignments and tests – to a rubric. In other words, what would a student’s proficiency…
Handouts are available below. Big Idea Do you watch science videos in class? Of course you do. But, what do you do after watching the video? How do you get students to respond to it? In this post (and video – see above), I share three activities I use to get my students to connect…
Handouts are available below. Big Idea How can we help students practice writing arguments (like CER) while also evaluating the reliability of sources? Answer: use argument mapping and the CRAAP test. Episode Notes Here are a couple of big ideas from the episode: The CRAAP Test (stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and…
Handouts are available below. Big Idea How can the “cell is like” project be infused with more creativity? I share my updated version of the classic cell analogy project: an animation of the cell that students need to add a symphony of sounds to. It’s all meant to stretch the critical AND creative thinking skills…
Handouts are available below. Big Idea One topic that comes up again and again at my workshops is this: what does extending (aka exceeding or excelling) on a proficiency scale mean?According to one proficiency scale, extending is where students demonstrate a sophisticated understanding. Unfortunately, many colleagues misinterpret sophisticated understanding as going “above and beyond” the…
Handouts are available below. Big Idea Standards-Based Grading (SBG) is a better way of assessing learning because it focuses on mastery of skills and not just regurgitation of textbook knowledge. But, do the students feel the same way? Is SBG – as communicated to parents in BC – accomplishing its goals? I thought I’d ask…
Handouts are available below. Big Idea What happens when we ask both MagicSchool AI and ChatGPT to create a 5E science lesson while incorporating Black History Month into a science lesson? Which AI program does it better? I decided to find out. Episode Notes A few observations while I was using ChatGPT or MagicSchool:…
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