Implementing Proficiency Based Grading Practices 6-12 (Additional sessions added!!)

Due to high demand, the Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment department is offering additional sessions of professional development for 6-12 teachers who are interested in implementing proficiency based grading practices for the 2015-16 school year. Participants will spend time exploring goal setting, assessment practices, Synergy functions and personal application. Multiple options for grade book set up will be explored, and current PPS proficiency practitioners (representing a variety of content areas) will be present to help support teachers. Participants will be paid for their time.

Date: June 16, 2015
Time: 1:00pm – 4:30pm
Registration: PPS Learning Campus
Location: Wy’East conference room on L1 at BESC, 501 N. Dixon Street
Questions? Contact: Amy Slaughter, aslaught@pps.net, 503.916.2000 x74250

Date: August 25, 2015
Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Registration: PPS Learning Campus
Location: Windows Cafeteria on the @nd floor at BESC, 501 N. Dixon Street
Questions? Contact: Amy Slaughter, aslaught@pps.net, 503.916.2000 x74250

Date: August 26, 2015
Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Registration: PPS Learning Campus
Location: Windows Cafeteria on the @nd floor at BESC, 501 N. Dixon Street
Questions? Contact: Amy Slaughter, aslaught@pps.net, 503.916.2000 x74250

6-12 Grading Practices Survey

Instruction, Curriculum & Assessment is asking for your feedback around your grading practices in order to shape recommendations for the 2015-16 school year. Please fill out this survey if you are currently using proficiency and/or standards based grading or if you are considering it for the future. We would really appreciate it if you could take just a few minutes. If you have additional questions, please email Susan Payne, spayne@pps.net or Amy Slaughter, aslaught@pps.net. Thank you so much for your voice and your time. 

Survey can also be found here:  http://goo.gl/forms/35k4wHh7YQ

Implementing Proficiency Based Grading Practices 6-12

The Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment department is offering professional development for teachers who are interested in implementing proficiency based grading practices for the 2015-16 school year. Participants will spend a half day on June 16, 2015 exploring goal setting, assessment practices, Synergy functions and personal application. Multiple options for grade book set up will be explored, and current PPS proficiency practitioners (representing a variety of content areas) will be present to help support teachers. Participants will be paid for their time.

Date: June 16, 2015
Time: 8:30am – 12:00pm
Registration: PPS Learning Campus
Location: Wy’East conference room on L1 at BESC, 501 N. Dixon Street
Questions? Contact: Amy Slaughter, aslaught@pps.net, 503.916.2000 x74250

6-12 Synergy: New Assignment Comments

New pre-generated comments are now available from the drop down menu when teachers enter assignment scores into Synergy. It is our hope that these comments will help in the communication of marks with students and families.
Revised (Re), Not Enough Evidence (Ne), and Did Not Participate (Dn) will be NEW options as show below.

Proficiency Practices: PSU Course for PPS Teachers

PPS is partnering with PSU and Diane Smith, the Teaching and Learning Initiative Director at the Business Education Compact, to offer a 3-credit course focused on Proficiency-based practices.  Whether you are relatively new to proficiency or looking to deepen your understanding, this course will provide opportunities to collaborate with other teachers in PPS, to share ideas and resources, and to apply your learning to your classroom practice.

The class will meet at the BESC two days a month from 5-8pm starting January 22, 2015 through May 19, 2015. All classes are held on Tuesdays, with the exception of the first meeting, which is on a Thursday. Credit will be awarded spring term, and PAT members can use their tuition reimbursement to pay for the course.  For more detailed information on the course content click here.

In PPS, teachers are encouraged to use best grading practices. A train-the-trainers model of professional development based on Ken O’Connor’s Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades began in middle schools and high schools last year. Grading Fixes Boot Camps for K-5 and K-8 schools will take place in the spring of 2015.  Proficiency-based practices extend beyond the realm of grading and incorporate shifts in approaches to curriculum, instruction and assessment. For more information about proficiency in PPS, see the Proficiency-Based Grading page on the PPS website.

If you are interested in enrolling in this course, please email Susan Payne at spayne@pps.net.