(Caveat 1 -- When in hybrid or remote learning, there WILL be work done at home, but only the equivalent of what would typically be completed in class and on occasion a little bit extra to finish.)
(Caveat 2 -- In addition to the six core skills noted in the examples at the end, an additional category of "Additional Authentic Assessments" may be used at teacher discretion. Small-point assignments will not be accepted after the due date.)
G R A D I N G
WCHS History & Social Science Department
2. Learn a lot. Fresh focus is required every day on the new tasks and content.
3. Re-do stuff if you want. Repetition & 2nd chances!
4. Get reasonable grades. We’re ready to meet your needs, the different needs of the kid next to you, and yet different needs of the student next to them. Because your grade reflects your
real-time work on history skills without any bonus points for using the “right” kind of paper nor
deductions for not having the same cheesy humor as Mrs. C., it gives direct feedback on your learning. It’s easy to pass this class (more than do-able if you label yourself as “not a school kinda kid”) yet challenging to earn an “A” (relevant preparation if you see a lot of books in your future).
Your grade will be based on your most recent scores on your core history skills (80%) and a semester-end (January) or year-end cumulative (May/June) final exam (20%).
Sooo, let’s chat the low down . . .
“Wait! There’s no cushion?”
With a grade based on skills leveled for age-appropriate rigor, you’ll have a truer measure of your growth...no points for simply “completing” work pages or other things that make teachers feel good that the student is compliant but has no real bearing on what they are learning. No fluff, no filler, no penalties for irrelevant “rules.”
“Hey, I’m not a ‘C-student’!”
Your first works are practices and are only scored and posted so you have feedback on how to adjust and improve. I hold my students from eligibility reporting until we’ve had 3 scores, and a student with a consistent, decent work ethic has yet to fail even the early skills work! Once we get repeating, only the most recent score for each skill will be “live” in Powerschool, and so your overall grade should climb throughout the semester as you replace the old with the new. (This way students aren’t penalized for practices or for what they don’t yet know in the beginning. The previous performances will be visible, but no longer affect the grade.)
Of course, if your new score is lower than the old one, the grade goes down. A student complained that he didn’t like that the old scores went away, because “then I have to try every time.” Yes! (It’s great if you analyze well an article about the Founding Fathers’ debates about the separation of Church and State, but can you repeat that good performance later, having truly mastered the skill? And shouldn’t we dedicate equal focus to the acquisition of future amendments, the culture shift spurred by industrialization, and the Cold War?)
“I don’t know how to improve.”
You’ve gots ta talk with the teacher -- we’re pretty good at giving help! I’m in class with you, AND because you have nearly NO homework, that frees up way more than enough time to see me during Advisory for more, free personal coaching. I’m happy to do it! (They sort of pay me to do this stuff.) Don’t like a score and don’t want to wait until we repeat the skill as a class?
See me at any time to set up an individualized re-do! Not a prob. (We all have our “Ah-ha!” moments at different times. The new score will stick, whether it’s better or worse; so, prepare to perform...and I can help with that.)
“It’s not fair -- I did better than that kid!”
The criteria for hitting the “target” (90%=A) for each skill is generous enough that several students may hit it and get their “A” without their performances being identical. Focus on getting yourself to the target and celebrate when others do, too. If your concern is wanting more clarity on how you can shoot for a higher score, just strike up some chit-chat with me -- never a prob!
“It’s all just the teacher’s stupid opinion.”
Nope. When I score how accurately you identify an author’s claim, for example, I’m not looking for what I liked in the article, but assessing how accurately you identified what the AUTHOR is saying.
“But I don’t have a book.”
High school textbooks in the area of History are often pretty bad, as they’re not edited by historians. (Textbooks in other content areas are a different story -- better and even fantastic, as are the college-level history textbooks.) So, we will use sources direct from history experts and primary source material. (They will be posted in Google Classroom as we use them throughout the year; students who need extra time to work as well as interested parents can access them easily from home.)
In the military, on the job, in college -- we need to know how to dig in and get a job done correctly. The real world doesn’t offer much success by way of “effort points.” By continued effort, however, you can create your success by a willingness to tweak your technique, improve your understanding, and try until you get it right. I am here to help.
Examples & Stats
(Scores are from actual former students. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent.)
Hermione Granger
Reading Claim & Evidence 75, 95
A-V (film) Claim & Evidence 85, 90
Reading Context & Lens 90, 90
Socratic discussion 90, 90, 90
Research 90, 95, 90
Writing 75, 85
Final Exam 88
Semester Grade 90% A
Notes: Hermione was an “A-student” in history even though her first score of the semester was a 75% on a Reading Claim & Evidence. That score was temporary, honest feedback to her to know
how to improve; her second performance was an unusually high 95%. Her scores on Research
fluctuated within the A-range, and that is typical once at that level.
Harry Potter
Reading Claim & Evidence 75, 75
A-V (film) Claim & Evidence 75, 85
Reading Context & Lens 67, 70
Socratic discussion 95, 95, 75
Research 67, 0, 67
Writing 70, 85
Final Exam 76
Semester Grade 76% C
Notes: Harry earned a “C” for the class, starting with a few “Cs” and a couple of high “Ds,” improving on three skills. His poor effort on Research prevented him from improving this score, and also caused him to tank on the the last Socratic discussion.
Ronald Weasley
Reading Claim & Evidence 67, 70
A-V (film) Claim & Evidence 70, 85
Reading Context & Lens 75, 85
Socratic discussion 75, 0, 0
Research 0, 0, 33
Writing 0, 70
Final Exam 62
Semester Grade 58% F
Notes: Ron put in effort some days, but on too many other days he simply did not; his mum will be sending to him a howler with the next day’s owl post. His final exam was a passing score, but that test is multiple-choice over the content information learned, and so it complements rather than replaces the skills performances. Professor McGonagall recommends tutoring with Snape.
THE STATISTICS____________________________________
The most common average grade distribution over the past several semesters has been approximately 9 As, 33 Bs, 15 Cs, 10 Ds, and 3 Fs for the combined sections of a course of ~70 total students.
“It’s not fair -- I did better than that kid!”
The criteria for hitting the “target” (90%=A) for each skill is generous enough that several students may hit it and get their “A” without their performances being identical. Focus on getting yourself to the target and celebrate when others do, too. If your concern is wanting more clarity on how you can shoot for a higher score, just strike up some chit-chat with me -- never a prob!
“It’s all just the teacher’s stupid opinion.”
Nope. When I score how accurately you identify an author’s claim, for example, I’m not looking for what I liked in the article, but assessing how accurately you identified what the AUTHOR is saying.
“But I don’t have a book.”
High school textbooks in the area of History are often pretty bad, as they’re not edited by historians. (Textbooks in other content areas are a different story -- better and even fantastic, as are the college-level history textbooks.) So, we will use sources direct from history experts and primary source material. (They will be posted in Google Classroom as we use them throughout the year; students who need extra time to work as well as interested parents can access them easily from home.)
In the military, on the job, in college -- we need to know how to dig in and get a job done correctly. The real world doesn’t offer much success by way of “effort points.” By continued effort, however, you can create your success by a willingness to tweak your technique, improve your understanding, and try until you get it right. I am here to help.
Examples & Stats
(Scores are from actual former students. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent.)
Hermione Granger
Reading Claim & Evidence 75, 95
A-V (film) Claim & Evidence 85, 90
Reading Context & Lens 90, 90
Socratic discussion 90, 90, 90
Research 90, 95, 90
Writing 75, 85
Final Exam 88
Semester Grade 90% A
Notes: Hermione was an “A-student” in history even though her first score of the semester was a 75% on a Reading Claim & Evidence. That score was temporary, honest feedback to her to know
how to improve; her second performance was an unusually high 95%. Her scores on Research
fluctuated within the A-range, and that is typical once at that level.
Harry Potter
Reading Claim & Evidence 75, 75
A-V (film) Claim & Evidence 75, 85
Reading Context & Lens 67, 70
Socratic discussion 95, 95, 75
Research 67, 0, 67
Writing 70, 85
Final Exam 76
Semester Grade 76% C
Notes: Harry earned a “C” for the class, starting with a few “Cs” and a couple of high “Ds,” improving on three skills. His poor effort on Research prevented him from improving this score, and also caused him to tank on the the last Socratic discussion.
Ronald Weasley
Reading Claim & Evidence 67, 70
A-V (film) Claim & Evidence 70, 85
Reading Context & Lens 75, 85
Socratic discussion 75, 0, 0
Research 0, 0, 33
Writing 0, 70
Final Exam 62
Semester Grade 58% F
Notes: Ron put in effort some days, but on too many other days he simply did not; his mum will be sending to him a howler with the next day’s owl post. His final exam was a passing score, but that test is multiple-choice over the content information learned, and so it complements rather than replaces the skills performances. Professor McGonagall recommends tutoring with Snape.
THE STATISTICS____________________________________
The most common average grade distribution over the past several semesters has been approximately 9 As, 33 Bs, 15 Cs, 10 Ds, and 3 Fs for the combined sections of a course of ~70 total students.
