Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 1, 1994 Page: 37
39 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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locked into the traditional 100-point grading system.
We were at a loss as to how to begin the transition
process. Our principal, Dr. Linda Reaves, suggested
a system in which assignment are worth a certain
number of points toward the 100-percent mark. These
are recorded on a sheet which lists all major assign-
ments for each six weeks' period.
The list includes several demon-
strations, along with a category for
"Daily Work and Quizzes" and
one for "Unit Tests".The first day of school, each stu-
dent was presented with a copy of
the junior English class booklet in
a loose-leaf binder. At first, their
reaction was one of dismay; our
students were not accustomed to
dealing with such a volume of ma-
terial in one mass... instead, it is
typically doled out in daily or even
six- week units.The title of this article is "No Sur- I
prises". Most people don't like surprises. With this
notebook, every activity the student is to perform
during the entire year is defined and explained. Some
exceptions are made in the use of daily assignments.
This placed the student performance exercises in a
different perspective... students were actually reading
ahead with something approaching curiosity rather
than facing each new unit with anxiety and maybe
even the sense of horror reserved for poisonous ser-
pents.I began to explain that the notebook was an evolving
document and that there would necessarily be some
changes as we went along. There have been some
alternations along the way and there will certainly be
modifications before the next year's edition if pub-
lished.
g I had been overly optimistic about
the number of assignments we
could cover in a given six-week's
period, possibly because the
Littleton model included all dem-
onstrations that a student would
perform during his/her high school
career. As a result of overzealous
, scheduling, I was often forced to
.. drop some of the assignments, thus
reducing the number of available
points to 80 or 90, rather than the
/ 100 planned.Another modification which must
Sbe made before next year is to
develop a reading list of various
authors and publications to include in the notebook.
This will encourage students to read independently
and not solely rely on teacher lecture. This will be a
real "plus" for both student and teacher. Freed from
extensive notetaking, the students should be able to
concentrate on what's going on in discussion.
Another benefit will be more productive parent/teacher
relations. Teachers constantly hear parents say,"Johnny
didn't know this assignment was coming," or "I don'tI --
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 1, 1994, periodical, 1994; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201678/m1/37/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Tarleton State University.