Friday Focus - September 16, 2011

     The first six weeks of school ends today.  The fresh new school year, while still young, has seen routines and rituals established in all classes.  Our school improvement goals and CRCT targets have been set, and within days students will be provided account of how they have performed in each of their classes thus far.
     As our school's instructional leader, I feel it essential that I share (re-share for many) my thoughts on grading practices. At Commerce Middle School, the expectation is that grades represent a clear and accurate indicator of what a student knows and is able to do—mastery. We know the non-academic factors (e.g., effort, attendance, attitude, etc.) impact performance, but incorporating them into final grades is discouraged.
     I recognize and support the professionalism of every teacher in our building and defer to your discretion in determining your manners of grading. At the same time, I strongly discourage recording zeros for work not done.  Teachers using a 100-point scale who do not replace a zero with a fifty or sixty to equalize the influence of all grades earned, end up recording inaccurate grades. Once a student has crossed over into “failure,” delineating degrees of failure doesn’t help anyone, and it lessons the usefulness of the grade. The best professional article ever on the topic can be found at The Case Against the Zero.
     Don't hesitate to share your thoughts on grading and assessment at next week's grade-level collaboration meetings.
     --The window for posting six weeks grades is open.  Report cards will be issued next week and the Counselor Watch lists will be updated.  Student failure rate data will be shared with everyone as it become available.   
     --As we begin a new six weeks grading period, we must continue to monitor the academic progress of all CMS students.  Please encourage students to participate in before and after school tutoring, and work within your teams to make optimal use of guided study time.
     --All grade level teams should be reviewing the rosters of students in Acceleration classes and preparing to make recommendations on who would benefit from the additional time and support in Reading/ELA or Math. Please communicate with the Acceleration teacher at your grade level regularly to let him/her know who, what, when, and how he/she can help move students forward in your current units of study.
     --This year’s first meeting of the Commerce Middle School PTO will take place on Tuesday, October 4 at 7:00 in the cafeteria.  All teachers are invited to join the PTO and participate in the organization's activities.  The mission of our PTO is to enhance the education of the Commerce Middle School students by promoting understanding among students, parents, faculty and administration, and the community.
     --Hispanic Heritage Month began today and extends into the month of October.  An abundance of teaching resources are available online. 

     --Food for Thought:  “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”

                                                                                        --Benjamin Franklin

     Have a great weekend!