SIT Minutes – March 12, 2014

Attendance: Mr. Smith, Mr. Bostian, Syndy Kevitz, Jennifer Waring,

Ashley Bryant, Brittany Gigliotti, Sarah Musten, Marla Bernard, Sandy Behrmann, Glenn Galloway, Margaret Cooley, Lori Tufts, Lin Spears, Sarah Brinson, Lisa Hawes

  • Final Review of Grading Practices – The following feedback was submitted to SIT and will be given to the board.

Grading Practices Feedback

  1. We are concerned with the two summative grades per week. Some teachers do daily work which is kept in a notebook with a table of contents. The notebooks are done by units, collected and graded as a cumulative grade for the unit or used to complete a summative unit assessment.
  1. Also, grading based only on work turned in seems unfair to the child who does all assignments and earns a B say while another who does three out of fifteen assignments, gets As on three completed assignments and would "earn" an A.
  1. We debated zeros…We question how we are preparing our students for the real world if zeroes are not allowed? If we do not teach them this lesson in the safe environment of school, then the lesson that reality will teach them when they get older will have far more severe consequences.
  2. Some believe zeros should exist for when nothing is turned in.
  3. Others believe a 50 or 69 should be the lowest grade entered which would allow a student a chance at passing.
  1. We discussed the accountability aspect for teachers; yet, where is the accountability for students and parents/guardians at the middle school level? We give late points for accountability. Allowing students to turn in work whenever they choose or by the end of the nine weeks prevents true mastery of skills and concepts from occurring.
  • Achievement Levels Information – There are now 5 levels measuring student achievement. The main difference is that level 3 now means sufficient instead of proficient to account for standard error deviation. A level 3 meets grade level requirements; however, it does not meet the College/Career Ready requirements and the students will have to retake these. Once more information is given, communication with parents will need to occur as to the impact this has on students.
  • Teacher Working Conditions Survey – Mr. Smith has handed out the forms with access codes to all certified staff. The survey should be completed by April 4th.
  • Staff/Parent Concerns –

-Staff Make-up Days: Monday, April 14th & Saturday, April 26th (See Mr. Smith to discuss other options.)

-All staff members are asked to be mindful of communicating with one another regarding holding students. Please make arrangements with colleagues ahead of time if you need to keep students after class.