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My year is almost over. I’m not complaining, but I felt the strain of teaching too many different courses (Honors Physics, AP Calculus, 2 Robotics & Engineering classes, and Algebra 2). Every day was a scramble to prep for class, make copies, and grade papers; it took away from the time I got to spend interacting with the students. Despite my insanity, I had a few notable successes. Here are just two:
Story #1
I recently got two emails from the mother of a student. Let’s call him Pete (no, it’s not his real name). If you had asked me the first quarter of the year, I would have told you Pete was going to fail Algebra 2. In fact, I was certain he was going to fail. The first email came about a month ago:
Good morning. Just wanted to thank you for helping Pete with tutoring. He has come home excited about getting better grades in yourclass. It is nice to see him working towards getting those “4’s”, and really wanting to keep his grade up. Thank you again for your time and encouragement.
And then just this week:
Good Morning, once again just want to thank you for helping Pete realize that with hard work he can “Master” things in math and life.I was proud to hear that even though he was not feeling well on Thursday, he found a way to make it to the school to take a quiz, he didn’t want youto think he was slacking.
Pete started staying after school for help one or two days a week for the last several months. Sometimes he would just work out problems on the board for an hour. Some days he took a quiz. I never forced him to stay, I didn’t do anything except set expectations and keep the bar high. Pete’s motivation developed as he starting mastering a single concept. Little by little he started to have some success. It was new to him, and he liked it. The final is two days from now, but Pete will pass the course.
Story #2
Let’s call this guy Paul. Paul was a royal pain-in-the-ass for the first half of the year. I don’t think Paul had ever had any success in math. He was a victim of “learned helplessness” and was often a belligerent student. Paul is planning on going into the union and didn’t see much need to do anything beyond basic math. It was pretty clear that if he was going to pass my class, it wasn’t going to be by much.
I didn’t give up on Paul, I made him work every class. It took a while, but he mastered a single concept. A little success made a huge difference in his outlook and after a short time, he mastered another concept. Then something truly amazing happened. Paul’s friends started asking him for help and his confidence started to grow. With only a few weeks of school remaining, the students in the National Honor Society were asking Paul for help. Whenever Paul was asked for help by his peers, I would make it a point of asking him how it felt. I’ll take some of the credit for Paul’s turnaround, but I know for a fact that if I used traditional grading methods, he would have never mastered anything this year and would possibly be doing it all again in summer school.
Epilog
I think if there is a moral to these stories it’s that students will rise to meet expectations. Set the bar low and they will easily reach it. Set the bar high and they will struggle, learn from their failures, and gain confidence in themselves. But consistency is important. If you start down the path to SBG and wavier or back down, you’ve permanently lowered the bar in the students’ eyes. Don’t do it.
Our school has added a number of iPad and Mac carts. The technology push is on and I’m not generally excited about it. You have to understand, I am the technology guy. I sold top of the line engineering software to the defense and manufacturing industry. I’ve presented technology solutions to the Secretary of Defense’s office, Senators, Congressmen, Admirals, Generals, and heads of fortune 500 companies. I am not afraid of technology, I love technology. I have an engineering degree; I can program in half a dozen computer languages, and I’m competent in 3-D CAD. But handing me an iPad and telling me to use it in class is like buying a 12-piece screwdriver set and hoping screws will suddenly get loose. It’s a solution in search of a problem.
It took a brain-storming session with my department head to realize I do have a screw loose, I have a problem that technology might just solve.
I have been really unhappy with lab reports. I’ve gone full circle with what I want from the kids. Here is a brief history:
- Year 1-2 – The students were required to have hard-bound composition notebooks. Students were required to type the report (3-4 pages) and the notebooks were graded. I had about 100 students – grading was a nightmare and the work was poor when it was even done. Many of my students didn’t have a computer or a printer a home.
- Year 3-4 – I changed over to one-page labs where the students would fill in responses as they went. They were much easier to grade, but the rigor was gone.
- Year 5-7 – Students purchased Carbonless Lab Notebooks. They were to record observations and show their work as they went through the lab. This never worked as planned. It was a constant battle to get them to only write in the lab notebook; they wanted their report to be neater, so they took notes on the handout. Reports were hard to read because I was reading a copy of unreadable students’ handwriting. Students didn’t like that they couldn’t edit, mistakes were to be crossed out.
It is time for a change, again. Maybe technology will by my answer this time.
Here is the plan as it currently stands (in my head). Students will be given a basic report layout on the Mac using iBook Author. They will build on the layout to construct a full lab report. Having the Mac in their hands during the lab will allow them to take pictures of the set-up and the results. Ideally, they will be able to record data directly into tables and turn it into graphs, charts, and anything they feel is appropriate. Reports will be turned in electronically. What they turn in will be a unique, well-documented report, hopefully of a much higher quality than I received in the past.
The down-side is quite significant. First, there is going to be a learning curve for iBook Author. Second, the students don’t have their own Macs, so the entire lab report will have to be created during class time. What was a one-day lab will probably turn into two or three days of class time. Third, I’ll have to figure out how to transfer data from the Vernier to the Mac. I’m hoping the quality the iBook reports will make up for the lost teaching time.
If you are a follower of this blog, you may have noticed I posted this entry and then promptly unposted it. I thought the software I saw demonstrated was called iBook, but I couldn’t find the application for the iPad. I spoke with my principal today and she confirmed that I had it right. However, the authoring app does not exist on the iPad, only on the Mac. When I went to download the app for my Mac, it said it needed to be running OSX 10.7.4 and I’m running 10.6.8. I tried to update my Mac but it says no update is available. I admit, I’m a bit confused. The tech guy from school is the one pushing the app, so I’m sure he will get everything taken care of once we are back. I was just hoping to spend some time this summer exploring this idea.
If this works out, I should have some really nice files to post here in about two months. I’ll let you know either way.
Sharing the SBG Wealth
Posted on: May 22, 2013
I have a steady stream of teachers asking if I would be willing to share my SBG files and spreadsheets. My answer is always a qualified ‘yes.’
I have over 300 Physics quizzes, 200 AP Calculus quizzes, and various spreadsheets and other files. If I dumped all of those files on you without a detailed explanation, you would probably be overwhelmed and get nowhere. So what I ask is that anyone requesting my hard work do a few simple things:
- Go back and read over all of my SBG posts from the beginning. I spent hours on research and reading before being convinced SBG would work for me. I documented the how and why pretty thoroughly here.
- Ask me questions, as many as you want. I promise to answer promptly and thoroughly. Only with some discussion will SBG really start to make sense. You can’t buy in part way. As Yoda might say, “SBG – do or do not.” Sort-of doing SBG doesn’t work.
- Don’t make changes to the system without discussing it with me. After research and discussions with other teachers, I was able to avoid a lot of mistakes. I have tried many tweaks and made a number of incremental improvements each year. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
- As you implement this and come up with your own tweaks, add to the dialog here. I want to learn from your successes and failures.
- Once I provide you with my files, do not publish any of the questions. They came from textbooks, I do not own the rights to most of the questions, so I can’t give you permission to publish them.
That’s really it. I’ve done all the work for two courses, now it looks like I’m picking up Algebra 2 Honors next year. Time to start work on a third course.
A few weeks back, my principle asked me to talk to the faculty about my experience with Standards-Based Grading. Our professional development begins this week and I will be presenting on Tuesday (8/28/12). This is my first public talk on the topic, I hope to present a more refined version of this talk at a conference later this year. The slides aren’t glamorous and it’s a lot wordier than I like, but it feel the PowerPoint needs to stand on its own without me talking over it. I’ll embellish with anecdotes and energy.
There are some comments in the note section on some of the slides, so you probably want to download the slide show rather than just view it directly on Dropbox. I’ve also included an annotated set of spreadsheets that I will be using during the presentation. Hover over the commented cells to see my thoughts on the patterns that show individual student development.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s9f2r2jjko65ehs/5ooodjg10L
I would really appreciate any feedback, negative in particular. If you find slides are unclear, confusing, any typos, or if I’m you think I’m missing something, I need to hear from you.
This is me. It’s been a good year.
This has been an incredible year for my students and me. They continue to give me unsolicited positive feedback over the courses and me as a teacher. I’m not going to lie, it feels great to know they appreciated me. The students have seen a direct correlation between their effort and their grade, no more learned helplessness. Even better, they’ve really learned the material. I’ve become a better teacher by doing less and letting the students control their outcome. It’s the kind of story you want to shout from the mountaintops.
So how does a year of SBG wind down? The AP exam is done, so the students are done, right? Nope, they are working harder than ever and I’ve become an observer. Those last few concepts that we started in the fourth quarter were probably the hardest of all. The kids want those grades to improve. Every day, they come into class, join up with a classmate or two, meet at the whiteboard and work out problems on whatever concept they want to improve. This has been going on for over two weeks now and it blows my mind. The routine has been to stop when there is 15 minutes left in the class. They erase the boards and I hand out a concept quiz to anyone who wants one. Everyone is working bell-to-bell and I’m sitting back and watching them help each other master integration. This is teacher heaven. As we enter the last week of school, I’ll allow two concept quizzes in a day, not just one. The quizzes have to be on two different concepts. Its crunch time and they are feeling it. I don’t want to pull the rug out from under them now.
First time through using SBG is a hell of a lot of work. I’d say I got 80% of it right, the other 20% needs tweaking. Some of my early quizzes were too hard, others were too easy. I gave some insane quizzes on domain and range. I’m sticking with WebAssign for Calculus, but I’m giving it up for Physics. I’ve added a few inquiry labs to my physics routine and I’m hoping to add one or two more next year. Calculus has been officially approved for the AP label, but honestly, the class isn’t going to be much different.
The biggest difference to me is the connections I have made with these students. Usually by now I want them gone. Not these kids. I don’t think they are really much different from previous years students. I think the real difference is the way they were mentored through the classes, rather than just lectured to. I have more students going on to study engineering than in any previous year. When the pressure of every quiz or test is gone, the classroom becomes more relaxed. This year we covered more material in every course and had a lot more fun doing it. Best of all, I have relationships with these kids that are stronger and more lasting. I’m going to miss them but I’m also going to keep in touch.
I can’t wait to do it all over again in September.
Writing About Physics
Posted on: March 25, 2012
Scared, and for good reason
When we did the egg drop challenge a couple of weeks ago, I asked the students to write about their design and the concepts involved in safely landing the egg in their structure.
For them, they had fun and were rewarded for their hard work with no lab report, just a dialog of what they built, why they built it, and the concepts we’ve been studying. I wanted them to talk about forces, gravity, momentum, impulse, collisions, and any other concept we’ve studied in order to explain the physics behind the effort to save the egg.
I’m thinking the egg got off easy. I had to read phrases like “depending upon how fast you dropped the egg,” and “the impact of momentum, ” and best (worst) or all, “the egg has many things to be concerned about it not to break”
Other than labs, I haven’t given a writing assignment before and I now think it needs to be a regular event. Clearly the students can not talk about the concepts. Although we spend weeks problem solving, discussing, and working in the lab, they can’t put the concept into an intelligent sentence. How did this happen? I feel like I’ve failed.
Lame graphic, I know. Sorry.
As I mentioned in my 3-part update, my students absolutely love SBG in Calculus and have requested I move the system into my Physics classes as well. However, after studying the problem at length, I have to take the tact that Frank took. SBG as it is implemented in my Calculus isn’t a clean fit in Physics.
I’ve had to make some modifications, and I’m pretty sure there will be modifications in the future. Instead of solving two problems perfectly to achieve mastery, Physics students will have three, but they will be tiered. Here’s how it’s going to work:
- Most concepts will have three levels of problems: C-level, B-level, and A-level.
- Students must get a C-level problem perfect to take a B-level quiz. The B-level problem must be perfect to take the A-level quiz.
- If they get the C-level correct, they earned a 75% in that concept. A correct B-level gives them 85%, and a correct A-level problem boosts the concept score to 100%.
- C-level problems are basic. Everyone should be able to solve them. B-level problems are a little more advanced, but everyone should be able to get these correct with practice. A-level problems are challenging and most of the class will not get these unless they really put in the work.
- The 4 point grading system in still in effect, there is no partial credit. This makes grading much quicker. A 2 on a C-level is worth 60%, a 3 is worth 70%. (UPDATE Feb 2012) A 3 on a B-level problem is worth 80%, and a 3 on an A-level is worth 90%.
Quiz day will not have a standard group quiz. I have lots of 1/2 page concept quizzes. A student gets the quiz level for each concept based on what they have mastered. Yes, this is a hell of a lot more work, but my classes are small.
Here is how I divided up the concept “Upwardly Launched Projectiles:”
- A C-level problem is a projectile launched and landing on the same level. They are given an initial velocity and an angle. They have to find the time in flight, max height, and range.
- A B-level problem involves different elevations for the launch or landing, or a building or mountain to hit or go over.
- An A-level problem requires more math, like simultaneous equations or the quadratic to solve for initial velocity.
Points for the concepts are going to vary based on the depth of the concept. Projectiles will be worth 50 points while Relative Motion is only worth 30 points. Some of the topics will only have two levels, a B-level and an A-level, simply because there isn’t enough difficulty to warrant three levels. But those levels, like relative motion, will also not be worth as many points in the system. I’m still keeping grades for Homework (5 pts), Labs (25 pts), and the occasional WebAssign (around 15 pts).
We had our first quiz today and it went well. A few of the better students got 4’s on the C-level problems. I was able to grade about 15 full quizzes in under 15 minutes because of the 4-point system. I was also able to be a real stickler on the significant figures because the kids have time to correct their mistakes and get it all right.
I’m incredibly optimistic about the change. The students are a bit nervous, but they’ve heard so many good things from my calc kids that they know this is going to work to their advantage. I know they will be doing a lot more work and keep at the lessons longer than they would under a normal grading system. I’ll keep everyone apprised.
I think you can try to plan to implement Standards-Based Grading, but the first time through you really need to be flexible and open to change. I didn’t start the quarter with SBG in place because I was coaching soccer and there was no time after school. Not a good place to start, if anyone is thinking of doing the same thing. However, once soccer ended, we were in full SBG mode. Being that it was new for all of us, it took everyone a while to get into the swing of coming in for help and taking quizzes.
Right after soccer ended, kids started coming after school for concept quizzes. I started throwing problems on paper, trying to get a pile of quizzes together, it was a mad-house at first. Some days I would have 5 students all wanting different quizzes. Each concept quiz consisted of two questions. At least I kept a list of the problems I gave out. It was chaos, I had to improve my methods.
I had been keeping the after-school quizzes in a pile. One night I finally sat down at my computer and created two or three quizzes for each concept area. I put a 31-day divider into a binder and put the quizzes in each section by concept number. At work, I made several copies of each quiz and put them in the section behind the original. Now when a student needs a quiz, I open the binder and pull out a quiz. The front of the binder contains the weekly quizzes that cover from three to six concepts. These are given sequentially every Friday. Any of this material will be available to any teacher that requests it. Feel free to borrow and improve, or just borrow – whatever works for you.
At first I kept their quizzes so they couldn’t share them with friends. Once I got organized, I realized these were a valuable tool. I created a folder for each concept and stored the quizzes in the folders. This let me keep track of who took what quiz and what problems were giving the class trouble.
I soon realized I had to slow things down a bit. Students would show and take another quiz after school, but not do any better on it. I changed my method completely. Now I make them explain the concept to me. If they sound like they understand the concept, I’ll give them the quiz. If they don’t, I insist on tutoring them on the concept before I’ll give them the quiz. This has significantly increased their success rate.
Concepts
The first SBG concept was Symmetry, the second was Domain & Range. I still have several students that have not mastered those one or both of the concepts. If I hadn’t switched grading systems, those students would have done poorly on the quiz or test and moved on. They might have worried about the concept for the midterm or final exam. Some of my kids have been working to learn Symmetry and Domain & Range for six weeks now, and they won’t give up. Yes, I’m sold on SBG!
When I started this, I was really concerned about dividing the course into concepts. I was hoping to find a concept list online, but I didn’t. The key is to look at the big picture – not everything needs to be its own separate concept. For example, the Power Rule is part of the Product and Quotient Rule. You can’t do a product or quotient derivative problem without knowing the Power Rule, so it is tested sufficiently. The book is organized well, we use Larson’s AP Edition of Calculus of a Single Variable. So far, my concept list is:
- Symmetry
- Domain & Range
- Graphical Limits
- Algebraic Limits
- Continuity
- Infinite Limits
- Limit Process
- Product & Quotient Rule
- Chain Rule
- Implicit Differentiation
I closed out the list for the first quarter at number 7. As I write this, we are about to start the Chain Rule and we have almost two weeks left in the first quarter. We are adding roughly one new concept per week, most quizzes have six concepts. I probably won’t update this post as the year goes on, but if you email me, I’ll share whatever you need to get this working for you.
I’m extremely happy with the results. The kids are happy and they are learning calculus, not just trying to get through the course. I think I’ve made the course a little tougher knowing they can come back and take the time to learn all of it. I asked them today what they liked and disliked about the new grading system. I asked them for changes, anything at all. They unanimously said the loved the new system and didn’t want to change anything.
Personally, I’m struggling with not grading on a normal curve. My class average is too high, but they have learned the material, really, deeply, honestly, learned it.
With weekly quizzes and so many additional concept quizzes, I was worried about the time it would take to grade everything. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how quickly I can get through a set of quizzes, it’s quick because I don’t worry about partial credit.
Each problem gets one of four grades:
- 4 – The problem is done correctly, no errors
- 3 – The student understands the underlying concept but made at least one or more mistakes
- 2 – The student is starting to understand the concept, but clearly isn’t there yet
- 1 – No real understanding
- 0 – No attempt at a solution
Grading in the grade book is simple. Students get the highest score achieved times ten. If they do worse on a quiz, nothing happens to their grade. When they get the first 4 on a concept, they get 40/50 in the grade book. Get a second 4 and the 40 becomes a 50 and they are done with that concept. The kids love to write “MASTERED” on a completed concept.
I’ve set up a spreadsheet (Gradebook – names are removed) in Excel to handle the grades. Each student gets their own block. When I enter a quiz grade, I change the header grade and change the color to orange to remind me to change their grade in the school system. Blue means the concept is complete. Red numbers means the grade came from an after school quiz and not a weekly quiz.
The students use a Concept Checklist to keep track of where they are on each concept. Every week or so I cut up my spreadsheet and hand out the pieces to make sure their scores agree with mine. I plan to start a new spreadsheet each quarter since I can’t change the previous quarter’s grades. So far, this is handling my grading requirements.
Next post – Setting up concepts and creating quizzes
(This is a follow up to a previous post on Standards-Based Grading. I’m so pleased with the success, I started writing and created a monster post. I’ve gone back and broken it into bite-sized chunks to scare off fewer readers.)
The first quarter is almost done and I’m incredibly pleased with my conversion to Standards-Based Grading (SBG). I’m glad I started with Calculus, the kids have been an understanding group and open to trying something new.
I began by setting up the scoring, each concept was worth 10 points. The only other grade they have is a weekly WebAssign grade. Those are usually worth between 15 and 25 points. I found the WebAssign was too heavily weighted and the concepts didn’t have enough impact, so I did some analysis last week and seven weeks into the first quarter I changed the concepts to 50 points. I printed grade reports and noticed that the point change lowered everybody’s score. I expected an outcry, but it didn’t happen.
I explained that with three weeks to go in the first quarter, any new concepts will get entered into the second quarter. Since I will not have the option of going back and changing their first quarter grade later in the year, I needed to give them enough time to master the early material. What I explained to them is that their grade report showed the lowest possible grade for the quarter. They all have three weeks to bring their grades up to an ‘A’ and they all can do just that.
Suddenly it clicked and the kids are coming in during their study hall and after school. The rule is they can take a single concept quiz each day; plus we have a quiz every Friday in class. At first they were dreading the quizzes, now that they understand that a quiz can only improve their grade, they love the quizzes (well, maybe not love – I do make them rather challenging).
The students are motivated to learn the material, they finally feel like they have control over their grades. I know this is creating a positive learning environment. All of my calculus students that have me for physics asked me to switch the grading system in physics.
Next post – The Grading System
I’ve been following a fellow science & math teacher, Frank Noschese, and his writings on his blog “Action-Reaction.” He has some great stuff that I am going to steal and use in my classroom. One post in particular has really had me thinking, “My SGB Journey” (http://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/my-sbg-journey/). He is talking about Standards Based Grading. I knew nothing about this form of assessment, so I dug deeper.
I won’t lie, it took me several hours of reading to get the gist of it. Frank refers to a post by Dan Meyers. Follow that link and read through the comments. Others readers had many of the same questions I had; reading the questions and Dan’s responses pulled it all together for me.
I haven’t got it all worked out just yet, but I plan on implementing this in my honors Calculus class. My administration backs me on all of my adventures and didn’t bat an eye at it, “sure, go ahead.” After all, this one isn’t going to cost them thousands of dollars (I’ll fill you in later). I’m going to steal everything I can from Frank while I work out the methodology and the glitches in a small and forgiving class, then move it to my physics class the following year.
Here is my understanding of the concept in a nutshell: The course is broken down into approximately 40 key concepts. Students are assessed on those concepts. Once they get two questions perfect on that concept, they no longer need to answer those questions on later quizzes because they have already mastered the concept. They can keep retaking quizzes on the concept until they get two of them perfect. In the mean time, class moves on. (We hit the wall a few times in calculus last year where we didn’t move off a section for over a week because about half of the students didn’t master the concept.) Students track their own successes and know what they need to practice and get tutoring on. They can get a 100% in the class, but my guess is you still end up with a normal distribution curve because many of them will feel that a 60% or an 80% on some of the concepts is acceptable. However, if they choose to work hard and improve their grade, they can keep relearning and quizzing on the material until they master it.
Frank and Dan both have their own grading system. I would read their posts and decide what makes sense for you. I’m just getting started on mine, but my guess is I’ll steal one of theirs and tinker later.
It’s going to be a bit more work the first time around and a lot more time tutoring and retesting after school, but my goal is for the students to master the material. I want them to take the Calculus AP exam and knock it out of the park. This seems like the right approach. I’ve ordered the three books Frank has recommended, you can find them very reasonably priced on half.com. I think I paid about $25 for all three including shipping.
I’d be really interested to know if any of you have used similar systems and how they have worked for you. My gut tells me this is the right way to go. I nervous at the increased workload (again).
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As I sit here grading my final exams, I realize I am putting in way more effort than my students. I am making a promise to myself and I intend to keep it.
My final exam next year will…
- begin with a multiple choice section on basic concepts & terminology
- have lots of basic problems with multiple choice answers
- have a very small written portion – I’m keeping the Road Runner cartoon, it’s my favorite part
- be graded in under two hours
One of the questions this year asked the students to discuss three principles used in their Rube Goldberg project and explain the application of the principle. I was looking for concepts like inertia, momentum, kinetic energy, and force. I just graded a paper where the principles listed were ball, dog, and ball.
If it’s multiple choice, I won’t have to learn that after a full year of physics, one of my students thinks “dog” is a physics concept. I just wish it was a joke and not the truth.
Appropriate Extra Credit
Posted on: March 28, 2011
This is my second time trying to write this post. The first went so far off topic that it is banished to the unpublished file until it behaves itself.
As I mentioned before, I’m on the fence with extra credit. I’m now totally convinced that anything purchased for extra credit is just plain wrong. I don’t think there is a gray area here. No pay-for-points. I’ll play the benefit to society game because the results outweigh the costs. I will provide extra credit when it works to my advantage. If the students correctly answer their WebAssign problems 48 hours before the due date of 8am Monday morning, there is a 10% bonus. For a very few extra points, I get far fewer Sunday night emails. Instead, they want the extra credit, so they bring in the problem during school and ask for guidance. The result is they are looking at the work early in the week rather than waiting until the last minute. Am I tricking them into better study habits? I’ll take that.
I do like the idea that extra credit is for work above and beyond the norm. This brings me back to where I am right now, with a lot of kids in bad shape as the end of the quarter nears. My fear is that the normal grade distribution will be badly shifted by an extra credit assignment. I am a big fan of a normal curve, with an average at a C+. I give challenging tests and curve up to make the class average about 77%. The A’s earn their A’s, as do the F’s.
So what is an appropriate extra credit assignment? Here are a few ideas I’m thinking about:
- A 2000 word research paper on a Nobel prize winner in physics and the impact of the discovery on our every day life.
- A video that teaches a physics concept, done so that I can use it in class. It should be scripted, edited, and several minutes long.
- For less points – Creation or redesign of a lab for use in future classes.
None of these can be group projects; they must all be individual efforts. Points awarded for this level of effort should be valued at about 5% of the total quarterly points.
I’m right at the point where I need to assign these if I’m going to allow extra credit. The quarter ends in about 12 days. I could use some feedback.
Investing in Extra Credit
Posted on: March 13, 2011
I’ve been struggling with a moral dilemma. At least I think it’s a more dilemma. But I’m getting ahead of myself, where are my story-telling manners?
I’m not a fan of extra credit. Here is how I lay out my thoughts on the matter to my students:
- If you don’t turn in your work when it is due, extra credit is not for you. (This will be the one and only rhyme in this post, I promise.)
- I curve the grades. I make the tests and quizzes challenging, then I curve the average up to a C+.
- You want to do well in my class, do your homework, come in for tutoring, pay attention in class, take notes, study for the tests and quizzes. Do your homework!
- My course is designed so that honestly attempting homework banks enough points to overcome poor test scores. Did I mention, “Do your homework?”
There are some students that do all their work, they really try, but their math foundation is shaky and/or they don’t test well. If you work hard but fail tests, I tend to secretly award point at the end of the quarter for coming in for tutoring. Most teachers won’t fail a student that really, sincerely tries, but doesn’t succeed.
Now, about that extra credit. Generally I don’t like it, but sometimes it’s my idea, sometimes it’s a request from another teacher or administration, like…
Toys for Tots: Bring in a toy, help another child and you help yourself. This one, the ends clearly justifies the means.
Support school spirit: Attend a basketball game and support our team. It was only 5 points, the value of a homework, so sure. After all, I am the boys soccer coach. Go CHARGERS!
Warning – slippery slope, proceed with caution!
Students that volunteered to help other students with their science fair projects (as research subjects) and were picked were given points. Many applied, but few were chosen. So if you were picked, you got 20 extra credit points. That made a big difference for a few lucky people. Extra credit is now a lottery. Buy your tickets at the door.
So how about these:
- Points for bringing in a (usable) box of tissues for the classroom?
- Buying a fish for the fish tank?
- Buying batteries for the robots?
- Buying white board markers for the classroom?
So now it’s all about the Benjamins. (For you international readers, those are $100 bills.)
Where does it end? I mean, I’d really like a boat.
This all started because the school purchases Expo markers for the white boards. I stopped using them, they don’t erase well. I’ve been purchasing Quartet fine tip markers from Staples when they go on sale for $1 for five. Yeah, the sale just ended, sorry. I like these, they don’t leave a residue when you erase the board, so I never have to spray the white boards anymore. I thought about letting anyone who wanted extra credit go out and purchase two packages for $2 (the store limit), but my conscience got in the way.
See where this takes us? I mean, sure I really wanted them to buy me more markers, but the fate of the free world is in my hands here.
But seriously, if only for a moment, do we assign extra credit projects or purchases for students that don’t do their work when it is assigned? How about students caught cheating? Did I mention that roughly 30% of our students qualify for free lunch.
An engineering degree, a Master’s degree, twenty years of corporate sales and eight years of teaching just hasn’t prepared me for this decision.
I really do want a boat, though.
“I hate WebAssign” is the most repeated phrase of the year. I care, but I don’t care. Let’s talk about the reality of high school:
- Many kids don’t do their homework
- Many kids copy their homework from the kid that does his/her homework
- The kid that does his/her homework tends to do well in the class
- The kid that copies his/her homework tends to not do well in class
WebAssign allows me to give them an assignment they can’t copy since each student gets a different set of numbers in the problem. Oh sure, some still don’t do their homework, but the zero in the grade book is indisputable when we can pull up the WebAssign grade for Mom and Dad. The kids have a week to do an online assignment. No, the dog did not eat your computer. No, you had a week to do it. No, I don’t take late work.
My homework template was set up to allow up to five entries on an assignment. At first, there was no penalty for getting it wrong. I did an experiment in my calculus class and penalized them 10% for each incorrect attempt after the first two attempts. The kids really resented that. I think they felt like they were willing to keep trying, they didn’t want to be penalized for not quitting. Lesson learned, next experiment.
Recently I tried a new approach (ah, the scientific method at work). I started giving 10%-20% extra credit for completing the assignment 48 hours before it is due. With the assignment due Mondays at 8am (the start of school), I was getting a bunch of “help me” emails on Sunday evening. The extra credit was an attempt to reduce these emails. What I found is that more of the students were completing the work and doing it ahead of time. Yahoo! They will do their work if they feel they can boost their grade with extra credit. The reality is most of them don’t earn the extra credit, but they get the points for doing their work, and these online assignments are equivalent to a quiz grade every week.
But wait, this gets even better (I’m smiling as I write this). The kids think they outsmarted me. Ready for this … they are getting together to work on the problems. Oh, I don’t know, call it … a study group. AAAHHH!!
Physics & Physical Science Demos, Labs, & Projects for High School Teachers 
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