Standards Based Learning – Beginning the year

After much preparation, we began the year with SBL.  I created a detailed newsletter using Piktochart, then recorded a video as I discussed how SBL will work in my classroom so parents could hear instead of just read it.  We set up our gradebook with standards, flipped our classroom, designed projects to assist learning, gave choices in the learning process & created awesome data tracking (Alice Keeler to the rescue) for ourselves and for the students.  Then we gave our first assessment.  OUCH! Students freaked out, parents freaked out, teachers stressed out… “How can I raise my grade?”  “What can I do to get an A?”

We are trying to make parents and students understand that the scores aren’t permanent. We are teaching on mastery ALL SEMESTER LONG.  They will have many opportunities to work on skills they are struggling with. We have time to work 1:1 with students within the class day.  We are trying to convince them this is a good thing.  Our next assessment is this week.  I hope students and parents will see the scores replaced with higher marks as their students begin to master the content.

It’s been a rocky start, but I’m still very excited SBL.  I think the student and parent focus will change to learning and not just “doing” as they begin to see the value of this process. Until then, I have more emails to return…