I went to a professional development session on standards-based grading the other day, and here are the main ideas. Formative assessments (practices) should not be factored into grades. This menas homework and classwork is not graded. Only summative assessments should be recorded into grades. Only course requirements and final assessments ...

I thought I’d post some updates on the goings on I’ve discussed previously. When my class created bulletin boards about the 1920s for The Great Gatsby, things did not go exactly as planned. Being literal-minded students, almost everyone basically created the exact same research piece–exactly as I had written up the assignment. A ...

Is it possible to create a culture of failure? My school is currently being asked to discover why the Freshman failure rate is so high. 1/3 of the Freshmen failed a class during their first semester in high school, and statistically speaking 30% of Freshmen who fail a course in their first high school year do [...]

I get to start some great units to begin the new year: Am. Lit.: Ray Bradbury stories and science fiction Soph. Honors: The Princess Bride College in the H.S.: The Red Badge of Courage Mythology: Norse mythology It's going to be a fun finish to the semester! Plus, I only have six students (out of over 150) who I worry won't pass. All can, but ...