Wayland Middle School
November Newsletter
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
11/20
- 1/2 Day, 12:20 Release, No Lunch
11/25
- WMS / WHS Fall Jazz Night (at the Middle School 7:30 PM)
11/27
- 1/2 Day, 12:20 Release, Thanksgiving Recess Begins
11/28 & 11/29
- No School, Thanksgiving Recess
12/5
- WMS / WHS Winter Band Concert (at the High School, 7:30 PM)
12/11
- WMS / WHS Winter Choral Concert (at the High School, 7:30 PM)
12/17
- WMS / WHS Winter Orchestra Concert (at the High School, 7:30 PM)
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Standards Based Assessment
If you have ever lived through a kitchen renovation, you know transition can be messy. You have a grand vision of how your new kitchen will look. Fresh tile will replace well-worn flooring. Granite countertops will be installed and sparkling stainless steel faces of new appliances will glisten in the sunlight. The path towards a magazine-worthy final product however, can at times feel like a hot mess. You grow tired of arguing with your partner over cupboard hardware and lighting fixtures. You can’t find your ladle that you don’t want to use anyway, because you are maxed out on eating crockpot meals. Sawdust has invaded nooks and crannies that you didn’t even know existed in your home. The process to get to the ultimate goal can feel overwhelming, but you are confident it will all be worth it in the end.
A kitchen renovation seems like an apt metaphor for our complex, multi-year transition to schoolwide, standards-based reporting, which we committed to last year in our efforts to elevate achievement. Our finished kitchen, so to speak, will allow us to assess student work against agreed upon power standards in each subject area. This gives us the ability to offer more specific, actionable feedback about students’ academic growth and performance. Ultimately, we want students to use standards and formative assessment feedback to take ownership over their learning. To do this we need to gut our grading kitchen and build it back up together.
You may question why we feel the need to “renovate our kitchen” - or our grading system - at all. That A-F system we grew up with feels comfortable and familiar, just like that trusty refrigerator we’ve had since the 70’s (even though it is no longer energy efficient). As the trend towards standard-based reporting has swept the nation, we’ve become convinced that the traditional averaging is not the answer. Taking a whole bunch of data together from the beginning, middle, and end of the learning process and averaging it together doesn’t offer an accurate picture of learning outcomes. In a traditional grading system a “B” could mean many things. It could mean a student knows the material but has poor work completion. Or, that same “B” could mean that content knowledge is fragile, but the student is conscientious and hardworking. We don’t want to communicate fuzzy feedback that averages a range of factors like grades on tests, quizzes, projects, participation, effort and homework altogether. Instead, we are moving towards a system that reflects the underlying purpose of grades –
a source of non-judgmental feedback about progress towards well-defined learning goals
. In standards-based assessment, grades are based on the most consistent evidence of what we want students to know and be able to do. Teachers look for the pattern of achievement, including trends, weighing most recent achievement more heavily. We aim to have our grading system reflect whether or not, at the end of learning’s journey, students have met each standard.
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Getting to that renovated kitchen takes time and is messy. So far our process mirrors gutting our proverbial kitchen, and we are now examining its underlying structures. Just like choosing just the right lighting fixtures and cupboard hardware, we are seeking to clearly define the power standards in each discipline. We can’t give feedback on everything students do in the classroom, so what makes the cut in each discipline is subject to debate. In grade-level, subject-specific teams we are deliberating in an effort to come to consensus around the 10-12 power standards in each discipline to assess around over the course of the year. We also want the vertical progress through the grades to tell a cohesive 3-year story. As we select the standards, we need to agree upon what performance on common assessments looks like to show mastery of content and skills. We also need to debate what performance looks like that exceeds the standards. It is an invigorating, yet challenging process.
FInally, we must consider what the ultimate report looks like when we share it with parents. Do we share it out quarterly as we have done historically, or does each discipline report out at natural ending points within the curriculum? As we are mid-process in our transition to standards-based reporting, our eSchool communication tool feels clunky. Once all disciplines have agreed upon what final report cards should look like, we can customize our eSchool report card tool into a sleeker format (as it requires a significant financial investment - we only want to do it once). Until that time, it feels like we are testing paint colors on our walls. Teachers are trying different ways (or experimenting with hues so to speak) to use eSchool in ways that most clearly communicate progress towards standards. At times we feel the sawdust is everywhere. Given this, if at any point you have questions about your child’s academic progress, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.
I am confident that our ultimate reporting tool will reflect a well-thought out design that captures what is most important in math, English, science, social studies, etc. In the meantime, I ask for your patience. Please pardon our appearance while we are under construction.
Respectfully,
Betsy Gavron
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More details of our philosophy of and rationale for standards-based reporting:
1 - Standards-based reporting is built on the philosophy of a growth mindset. This philosophy asserts that intelligence can be developed.
- Embraces challenges
- Sees effort/struggle as part of the process - normal
- Persists in the face of setbacks
- When failing, analyzes decisions and actions, revises efforts and tries again
2 -
Standards-based reporting recognizes that grades should first and foremost be a tool for communication, not a form of compensation. Grades are not rewards but instead a feedback tool that allows us to capture the jaggedness of learning profiles. Through it, we specifically identify skills and content areas that have been mastered as well as areas that require more instruction and practice.
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Power standards to report against should be consistent across the grade and subject. Everyone is working towards the same clearly defined targets, regardless of the teacher. What mastery looks like should be calibrated in our grade level professional learning communities.
4 -
Students’ and teachers’ conversations should be focused on learning, rather than focused on grades. Under a standards-based reporting system, discussions shift to mastering a standard rather than earning (back) points on a test, quiz or project. The focus is on what is learned rather than work completion.
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Gift Your Child: Last Call!
We are still running below Prior Year in our
only
fundraiser,
Gift Your Child
! We need 50 more donations to meet Prior Year. Grant Applications from WMS Staff are arriving and we don’t want to turn down these great ideas!
Don’t forget to request an employer match!
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WMS PTO
Gift Your Child
Donations in Action:
Profile of the Week -
Everyone Benefits!
You, your child and our WMS Staff is
sure to have benefited
from WMS PTO Funds. Your
Gift Your Child
donations:
- Support students by funding everything from school essentials to expanding beyond the academics to innovative ideas
- Support the parent community with parenting workshops and enhancing the school environment
- Support staff with appreciation events and fulfilling their grant requests to enhance their teaching toolkit
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Middle and More Coffees (parent seminars)
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MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey
Discussion of Key Themes in the 2018 MetroWest Health Survey
Jason Vorhooskey (Wayland Cares), Betsy Gavron, Richard Whitehead (Director of Student Services)
November 18, 9 - 10 am
We will dive deeper into the major insights from the MWAHS, including the negative trend in various mental health statistics, as well as information on substance use, bullying, cyberbullying, online behaviors and protective factors.
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7th Grade Holiday Helpers
Sign Up to Volunteer
November 25
For over 20 years, WMS 7th graders have engaged in a service project to donate Thanksgiving meals to families in Wayland to connect to our local community. We are looking for volunteers to help homerooms assemble the baskets.
Sign up here
.
No worries if you can't stay the whole time slot - any help is appreciated!
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Staff Appreciation Holiday Dessert Bar
Sign Up to Bring a Treat!
Thurs, November 21, Drop Off 8:30-10 am
We are arranging a Holiday Dessert Bar to delight the staff! Make a homemade treat or something unique to your family or heritage. Write a note to share what the treat is and what it means to you.
Sign up here.
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Cultural Enrichment Event
IllStyle & Peace Productions
Last week, WMS PTO brought in acclaimed Philadelphia-based ensemble, Illstyle and Peace which traces hip hop dance styles from the late 70’s through today and teaches positive messages. Their show, "Become Your Dreams," celebrates the art and movement of hip hop and includes a funky blend of locking, breaking, popping, tap and house dancing, vocal percussions, D.J.ing, and modern and traditional dance forms.
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PTO Thanks….
6th Grade Parent Reps and Parent Donors
who contributed to a dinner for staff and an ice cream / popsicle treat for 6th grade students at Math Night. Also, thank you to parent reps Nadine Hill, Cheryl Leider, Amanda Melander and Kelly Wheeler for organizing both!
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Artist: CeCe L'Esperance
Grade: 7
Medium: Sculpy, acrylic, cellophane, magnets
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Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?
WMS Winter Musical: FROZEN Jr.
Info/Learn the Songs Meeting - 11/12, 3:25 - 5:00
Auditions - 11/13 - 11/19, sign up for an audition slot
Our winter theatre season kicks off next week with auditions for Frozen Jr! Students are encouraged to attend the info meeting to get a rehearsal calendar, learn the expectations of being in a theatre ensemble, and learn songs they will sing at auditions. Audition slots will be posted in the music hallway on 11/6, and students can sign-up there for their audition day! Show dates are 2/5 - 2/8, 2020!
Please contact Kelly Lopez with any questions at katherine_lopez@wayland.k12.ma.us
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All are Invited - Pause Francaise
Wednesday, November 13, 3 - 3:30 pm
WMS Cafeteria
Enjoy French music, culture and food! See the hard work of French students displaying their research projects on French-speaking countries and the regions of France. (
Program Flyer
)
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Applying to Private School?
While we hope you are enjoying your experiences with Wayland Public Schools, we also know that some families will choose to apply to private schools as an alternative educational option. Please be sure to carefully follow the process outlined
HERE
to ensure a timely, quality processing of your child’s application to private school.
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Miss Something from a WMS Morning Minute or Newsletter?
Links to past issues of the Morning Minute and Monthly Newsletters
can be found on our website under the "News" tab, or
click here
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Wayland Middle School
Phone: 508.358.3801 Fax: 508.358.3802
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