What my grades mean

7th grade – Math

Grades

95-99

90-94

80-89

70-79

65-69

64 and below

Description of Grades

95-99

Students who receive grades in this range are working at or above the average student. These students learn use their prior knowledge to master the skills.

Example: A student in math class has mastered all basic skills and can apply these skills to more complex material.

90-94

Students who receive grades in this range are working at or above the average student. Students consistently meet standards that are set for them, however, the students may not always complete assignments or take the time they need on assessment tasks. As a result of their lack of motivation, these students generally have the potential to make it to the next level but don’t.

Example: On particular assignments I might give a problem that is more complex but will be considered extra credit. These students will complete the assignment but normally won’t go the extra step to complete the more complex extra credit question, thus not having higher averages.

80-89

Students who receive grades in this range are working at grade level. Most students in this range can be labeled as average. They turn work in inconsistently and their assessment grades are satisfactory. Students generally stay focused in class and learn new material presented to them. These students; however, struggle making the connection between prior knowledge and new concepts. In these cases, the teacher may have to spend time going back and re-teaching skills that were not mastered.

Example: During a independent Pythagorean Theorem worksheet, a student in this range has the ability to set a problem up, but doesn’t understand how to solve a problem using the steps that we previously taught.

70-79

Students who receive grades in this range are working below grade level. These students have the potential to work at or above grade level but lack significant factors. These factors might be limited prior knowledge, basic skills, support at home or motivation. These factors serve as obstacles to students who, may have the knowledge, but refuse to participate in activities or hand in required assignments. Students might also fall into this category that do participate and hand in assignments but fall during assessment tasks.

Example: A student pays attention and participates in class, but does not hand in any book work done outside of class. He/she can complete worksheet assignments that they have time to do in class, but nothing outside of school. Because the student does not practice math skills outside of class, and although he/she understands new material presented during class, he/she doesn’t get any practice with the new skills in order to reach mastery.

65-69

Students who receive grades in this range are working at below the average student. Students are not meeting the learning targets for a particular unit. These students are in need of extra help and may require remedial classes

Example: A student hasn’t mastered their multiplication facts and cannot complete basic multiplying positive and negative integers without getting frustrated.

64 and below…

Students who receive grades in this range are failing to meet requirements of the class. These students do not comprehend any of the material presented. Students do not seek out extra help and do not turn in late work.

Example: A student has never passed a math class in his entire life, but has been pushed on. This student has no basic math skills and many learning gaps and ‘holes’ that he cannot catch up to the other students in class. He doesn’t complete any assignments and does not stay after school for extra help.

How my grades fulfill needs of…

Students

Since 5th grade my students have known that percents are out of 100. I use a grading system out of 100 because that is what my students are most familiar with and understand. My grading system allows my students to see if they are at the level that they want/should be at. I give back assessments within 3 days with comments for them, so upon its return they can make the appropriate corrections and hand it back in for half credit. I accept late assignments up until the test for the unit; my students know this so when a test is coming up they will ask me what they owe and how their grade is.

Parents

At Holley we have this program called SchoolTool. This program is an online grade book. Parents can see their child’s average in every class at anytime. They can also see what missing assignments their child has. I input homework grades out of 2. If a student has it turned in on time parents will see a 2, if it is late parents will see a 1 and if it is missing there will be a 0. All grades on SchoolTool are out of 100 percent. Parents know that students are held accountable and there are penalties for reoccurring incomplete assignments (ex. ineligible list).

Administrators

At the beginning of the year my administrators ask how my grading system works. They give each teachers grading system to the guidance department, so if there are any concerns from parents, the counselors can answering any question. We calculate a progress report that is sent home at every 5 weeks during the four quarters that shows what the students grades are out of 100. Other than that my administrators are not involved in my grading system.

I personally believe

As an educator I have many ethical, legal and professional responsibilities. One responsibility that I believe is important is assessment; although not the most important, it is crucial to understand how my students comprehend the material. Some important assessment responsibilities I have as an educator are, crafting and choosing assessment procedures, administering and scoring assessments, interpreting, communicating and using the results. Failure to adhere to these responsibilities can harm my students.

When building an assessment, I think that crafting and choosing assessment procedures is the most important part. As it says in the text, when you develop assessment procedures you have the responsibility to ensure high quality assessments that always have a purpose. I believe it is my responsibility to make my assessments as valid as possible, to stray from bias and follow my learning targets. To make assessments fair to all students I need to use many types of assessments (i.e. paper/pencil, portfolio, long term projects, etc.)

Along with crafting and choosing, administering assessments to my students fairly is a big responsibility. I need to adhere to all testing accommodations and modifications. I also need to set boundaries to the types of questions I will answer in my classroom assessments. I do not want to give advantages to any students.

The way I score my classroom assessments is the same way state assessments are scored. The difference between these assessments is interpreting and using the results in a correct manner. I disagree with how scores from state assessments are used. A lot of characteristics play into a students score. What if they had a bad morning? What if they didn’t eat breakfast? These all play into a students score. Should students be penalized for getting a “1 or 2”? No not necessarily. Educators need to take more things into account when determining a students future needs.

Finally as an educator it is my responsibility to communicate assessment results. At the beginning of the year I explain to my students and parents how I score, so there won’t be any confusion. I also tell parents that they can expect their child to bring home a test for corrections within a couple days of it being administered.


It is my responsibility as an educator to craft and choose assessments, administer and score assessments, and interpret, communicate and use assessment results. Failure to do these things can not only be unprofessional, but a harm to students. All students learn differently, and may require having various types of assessments, but the most important things to always remember are: remain fair in my decisions, be professional, and avoid bias.

My Pretest Rocks

I hope this is correct. I made this based on all my learning targets. You need a lot of prior knowledge for math. Each question is based off of a previous questions content. Ex) in order to solve a 2 step equation you must know what an equation entails. Please let me know if you think this is good or not.

Name _____________________________________ Chapter 10 Test Math 7, Davis

For # 1 – 3, write an expression/equation for the given phrase.
1) fifteen less than a number 2) ___________________

2) the sum of a number and nine 3) ___________________

3) the difference of a number and five 5) ___________________

For # 4 – 5, simplify the expression. SHOW YOUR WORK!
4) n – 7 + 8 + 9 6) ___________________

5) m + 13 – 7 – 9 7) ___________________

For # 6 – 7 tell whether the solution given is an answer to the given question. Write Yes or No. SHOW YOUR WORK!
6) 5n = 35; n = 7 9) __________________

7) x/8 = 2; x = 4 11) __________________


For # 8 - 9, solve each problem. Show all steps.
8) n/18 = 3 13) 12y = 60

9) r – 46 = 56 15) x/9 – 9 = - 19

For # 10 & 11, solve AND check. Show all steps.
10) 24y – 20 = - 32 11) z/2 + 6 = 15






For # 12, solve and graph on the number line provided. Show all steps.
12) x/2 > 1

For # 13 & 14, solve the proportion for the missing variable. SHOW ALL WORK!
13) Solve for x: 14) Solve the proportion:
x/20 = 3/2 132/m = 30/15

Final Project - Algebra Unit

Final Assessment - Algebra

Learning Targets
1. Students will add, subtract, multiply and divide two integers.

2. Students will use their prior knowledge of opposites in mathematics to know addition and subtractions go together and multiplication and division go together.

3. Students will translate a one-step and two-step verbal expression/equation into an algebraic expression/equation.

4. Students will use substitution to verify if a given solution is correct for an equation.

5. Students will solve/check one-step and two-step equations that include: combining like terms, using the distributive property, or moving variables to one side of the equation.

6. Students will solve and graph one-step equations.

7. Students will solve simple proportions using cross multiplication.

My final assessment for the Algebra unit can be classified as an alternative assessment. This assessment will be a combination between a "paper-and-pencil task" and an "individual project." This assessment will alleviate some of the test anxiety my students have.

The first part of the assessment will be a test consisting of multiple choice and short answer questions. This test will have questions that assess the learning targets for this unit.

The second part of the assessment will be combination of a demonstration and an oral presentation. For this part the students will have to select one of ten equations and the rubric I will be assessing them from. They will have to solve them individually and write them up formally. Once this is complete they will have to meet with me individually to present their problem. They will not be able to use their formal equations during this presentation. While they are presenting, I will ask them questions about their solving techniques.

Final Learning Targets

Learning Targets

Algebra Unit (7th grade math)

Unit Summary: In this unit, we will study basic and complex expressions, one-step and two-step equations, one-step inequalities, and proportions. This unit will emphasize their prior knowledge of integer rules and how to apply them in a more complex problem. They will also build algebraic expressions and equations from word problems.

1. Students will add, subtract, multiply and divide two integers.
• Developmental learning target
• Verbs: add, subtract, multiply, divide (Bloom et al., 1956)

2. Students will use their prior knowledge of opposites in mathematics to know addition and subtractions go together and multiplication and division go together.
• Developmental learning target
• Verbs: add, subtract, multiply, divide, relate (Bloom et al., 1956)

3. Students will translate a one-step and two-step verbal expression/equation into an algebraic expression/equation.
• Developmental learning target
• Verbs: pick out, construct, translate, arrange (Bloom et al., 1956)

4. Students will use substitution to verify if a given solution is correct for an equation.
• Developmental learning target
• Verbs: substitute, identify (Bloom et al., 1956)

5. Students will solve/check one-step and two-step equations that include: combining like terms, using the distributive property, or moving variables to one side of the equation.
• Mastery learning target
• Verbs: solve, combine, distribute (Bloom et al., 1956)

6. Students will solve and graph one-step equations.
• Mastery learning target
• Verbs: solve, graph, combine, plot (Bloom et al., 1956)

7. Students will solve simple proportions using cross multiplication
• Mastery learning target
• Verbs: solve, multiply, divide, combine (Bloom et al., 1956)

My favorite alternative assessment

I have been faced with several alternative assessments throughout my schooling. The assessment that sticks out the most took place in my Euclidean Geometry class in my undergrad at Niagara University. (I know….what is Euclidean Geometry?)

During this class, we had several written exams both in class and take home. Our final for this class was much different though. We were put into groups of five and given a packet of various geometric proofs. Our first task was as a group to prove the proofs. We weren’t given class time to do this, so we had to meet outside. I can remember us all coming in with our coffee’s dreading these obnoxious proofs. We were allowed to go to our professor for help, but because he wanted to see if we knew the content, he gave very little feedback.

Once we had the proofs formally written, we had our second task. Our second task entailed us memorizing one of the five proofs individually and then presenting it to him. During the presentation, we weren’t able to use our formal proof or our group members. While we were proving the proofs on the board, the professor would ask us questions about it, to make sure we knew the content. We were graded on our formal proof and our presentation.

This assessment is an example of a performance assessment. This was both a group and individual project with a demonstration at the end. I think this assessment was very worth while. It showed that we could write the proof but also explain it in words so he could understand it. This assessment made us responsible for our work.

I would love to do something like this in my classroom. I wish that there weren’t the little things called NYS assessments and regents. I did try a variation of this in my high school student teaching placement. The students kept asking me where they would use geometric proofs in the real world. So to prove my point, I had the students be in groups. They had a few days to prepare their proofs formally. Then we took a few days and the groups had to present their proofs to the class. I assigned a different group each day and they had to ask questions to the group presenting about their proof. On the final day of this assessment, I explained to my students that they would rarely use geometric proofs in the real world, but the reasoning and putting things in order was what I wanted them to get out of it. Our daily lives consist of order.

Mapping Learning Targets to State Standards

1. Students can add, subtract, multiply and divide two integers.

State Standard: 7.N.12 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide integers

7.N.13 Add and subtract two integers (with and without the use of a number line)


2. Students can use their prior knowledge of opposites in mathematics to know that addition and subtraction go together and multiplication and division go together.

State Standard:7.R.11 Use mathematics to show and understand mathematical
phenomena


3. Students can translate a one-step and two-step verbal expression/equation into an algebraic expression/equation.

State Standard: 7.A.1 Translate two-step verbal expressions into algebraic expressions


4. Students can use substitution to verify if a given solution is correct for an equation.
State Standard: 6.A.2 Use substitution to evaluate algebraic expressions (may include exponents of one, two and three)

5. Students can solve/check one-step and two-step equations.

State Standard: 7.A.4 Solve multi-step equations by combining like terms, using the distributive property, or moving variables to one side of the equation


6. Students can solve and graph one-step equations.

State Standard: 7.A.5 Solve one-step inequalities (positive coefficients only)

7.G.10 Graph the solution set of an inequality (positive coefficients only) on a number line.


7. Students can solve simple proportions using cross multiplication

State Standard: 6.A.5 Solve simple proportions within context


http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/MathCore.pdf