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Uncategorized | Comments OffBeing S.M.A.R.T. about Goals and Data
For years, Leonard Middle School teachers have used individual students’ data, as well as trends in a grade level, to drive our instruction and curriculum. We’re getting pretty savvy at noticing trends in strengths and weaknesses in our data sent by the NECAP and the NWEA. The NECAP is the state test administered annually to all schools in Maine, and the NWEA is a test that LMS gives 3 times a year to monitor growth in math and language arts.
Now we are bringing this data to the kids. Black Bear team students are setting their own S.M.A.R.T. goals, which are considered Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. By comparing scores they have from their standardized tests, online programs, and the curriculum from this fall, students are manipulating their personal data to set individual goals to improve any skills they are weak in and strengthen areas where they are already confident.
As students are about to take the NWEA for their mid-year data, they will also be receiving their results from this year’s NECAP. Students will re-visit goals set in the fall to consider a) have the goals been met, b) do some goals still need work and adjustment, and c) any new goals that should be set. These goals will be reflected upon in May before the last round of NWEAs to assure that students, not just teachers, are concretely able to measure their annual growth.
Uncategorized | Comments OffHomework Policy and Incentive
Homework will be assigned to students on Monday (due Wednesday) and Wednesday (due Friday) of each week. This allows two nights for students to complete work, as well as opportunity to meet with me should they need additional help. School policy states that homework shall not count for more than 15% of a student’s grade and that all work must be passed in. I do strongly emphasize the importance of their efforts on homework. Therefore, I have created a “Homework Incentive” to help boost student’s on-time and completed assignments.
Homework that is on time, completed, and set up properly will be allotted a sticker (to be placed on an index card to accumulate). Students must be present in the room at the time of sticker distribution. As students accumulate 10 stickers, they are given a homework pass that will excuse them from one future math homework assignment. Homework passes must be surrendered at that time, but students are issued an automatic 100% on that assignment. There are no expiration dates on passes. Even better: every 15 stickers earned will warrant a quiz pass. This works just like the homework pass, but this time they get out of a quiz. (Please note there is a review quiz every Friday.) Students may not trade a quiz pass for a homework pass. Stickers and passes are both students’ responsibilities to keep track of.
Uncategorized | Comments OffWhat You can Expect to Learn
Over the course of the past several years, the fabulous math teachers at Leonard Middle School have sat down together to ask the questions, “what do students need to know, and when?” There are several avenues that parents and students may find answers to these questions and all our students can expect to learn and master this year.
First, we have aligned “secure goals” with our math program, MathThematics, at Leonard Middle School. Secure goals are the skills we expect students to master, or be phenomenal with, by the end of a certain unit or grade. *Our first quiz of the year reviewed math topics that should have been mastered in the 6th grade. We will be building and expanding on this content, as our math course is a spiraling program. This means that topics are introduced, reinforced, mastered, and revisited over the three year course in grades 6 through 8.
No Child Left Behind has mandated Grade Level Expectations for each of the subjects. To access this information, please scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the link for mathematics. There is a down loadable form for the 2007 GLE for mathematics. In accordance with NCLB mandates, students take the New England Compacts (NECAPS) in October of each year on their previous year’s instruction. To find out what students will be tested on, please download the PDF of NECAP Standards.
We are also using the new Maine Learning Results. Please be aware that these are by “grade span” which is designated as grades 5-8.
Uncategorized | Comments OffSupplies You’ll Need in 7th Grade
Greetings to in-coming Scorpion students and families. On Step-Up-Day, you received a list of supplies that you will need for all four of your classes: language arts, math, social studies, and science. In case you lost this list, here is a total of all the supplies you will need for your seventh grade year. (Preparation does account for a percentage of your grade in each class.)
- Mechanical pencils (all subjects)
- Filler lead and erasers for the pencils (all subjects)
- 1 box of colored pencils (science)
- 1 pack of index cards of any color or size (language arts)
- 1 binder of at least 2″ width to be shared between language arts and math
- 1 binder (1″ should suffice) to be swapped between social studies and science
- 1 package of 5 separators with tabs (for social studies/science binder)
- Yellow highlighter (science and language arts)
- 2 large book covers (math and social studies)
- 3 packages of college ruled lined paper (to be shared between all subjects)