Teacher. Author. Creator. Speaker. Mom.
Our first semester ended last week. I have been working on grades, both standards scores and letter grades, for the past 3 days. Pondering. Wondering. Pulling my hair out as I try to figure out which box to place my students in as we try to assess the growth that has happened. In the end… Continue reading How to Make Grades About Students Again
“Mom, you have to see this…?” Thea hands me her science project, her very first in in 1st grade, and she is so excited she has a hard time standing still. “I have to do this thing and I get to choose and I know I want to do coyotes and a video so we… Continue reading Some Ideas for Personalizing Learning in the Younger Grades
I thought teaching 7th graders would mean that they had a cool distance to school. That they knew that the grades we give reflect the work they do. That a report card is not meant as a slap in the face, but rather a tool to be used as they grow toward their goal. I… Continue reading What My Students Told Me – Students Take on Grades
I was exhausted to say the least. Voice raw, thoughts muddled, and a lead brain. I felt like I had worked days without sleep as I dragged myself home. All day Thursday, I conferred with almost all of my students. 100+ kids and I sat down, one on one, and spoke about scores, grades, goals,… Continue reading “What Are You Proud Of?” – Using Letter Grades For Good
I have had a problem with letters grades for a few years now. I used to write about it all of the time, and then stopped because I felt like all of the words had been written. But now, I am back facing having to give letter grades for the semester as my district transitions… Continue reading Before You Give Letter Grades, Please Ask Your Students
One of my biggest “crazy ideas” I knew I wanted to try when I switched from the elementary classroom to the middle school was to continue blogging with students. Nowhere else had I seen the same impact of just what empowering my students to find a voice to the world could do for them than… Continue reading How is Student Blogging Different in the Middle School Grades
Pernille Ripp 