Reconfiguration Status Report

April 2012

Introduction

This report is intended to provide further detail on Reconfiguration at Canterbury and to augment the November 2011 and January 2012 reports. This report includes,  

1. Grading Policy

1. General
2. Honor Roll
3. Grading Policies for Middle School

2. Reconfiguration Updates

1. Parent Portal
2. Language Selection
3. 5th and 6th Grade Schedule and Gender Classes
4. Big Brother/Big Sister
5. Dress Like a Middle Schooler

3. Important 2012-2013 Dates

1. 5th and 6th Grade Orientations
2. Sports Tryouts for 6th - 8th Grades
3. Trips

Grading Policy for the Middle School

GENERAL

Some basic questions arose throughout our preparations for Reconfiguration as it related to grading. Below are some quick bullet points outlining some fundamental decisions we have made regarding grading in the middle school.

1. All grades, 5th through 8th, will use letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) for trimester and final grades.
2. These letter grades will be based on the current 10 point scale used in the middle school.
3. Teachers will use rubrics to outline expectations on all major assessments.

THE HONOR ROLL

These grading policy discussions were born out of conversations that began in the Reconfiguration Committee about Honor Roll and its role at Canterbury. These conversations coalesced into three main questions: First, is the name Honor Roll the best moniker for something that is purely a recognition of grades? Second, is the Honor Roll standard high enough? Third, is Honor Roll developmentally appropriate at the middle school level?

As a group, we decided that the label Honor Roll did, in fact, conjure up ideals that were more than just about grades alone. For this reason, we have changed the name to Head’s List. This title will make it easier to understand that this recognition is solely for grades.

The cornerstone of the middle school vision is academic excellence. As such, we decided to create a high standard for our Head’s List. Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, students must earn a 90% average with no subject grade lower than an 87%.

In the middle school we value students who work hard each trimester and demonstrate strong academic work. Over the years, however, we have kept up with the research and have found that an Honor Roll can deter achievement and cause anxiety for younger students because “honor roll at this level has less meaning, given the vastly different developmental levels of kids—someone who's well into abstract thought will be working at a totally different level than someone else who isn't there yet, no matter how motivated and hard-working both kids are.”^[1] 

In the 5th and 6th grade, our goal is to cultivate an intrinsic love of learning. With that foundation firmly in place, we expect that our 7th and 8th graders will understand the Head’s List as a recognition of achievement rather than a goal in and of itself.  Therefore, we have decided to limit Head’s List to 7th and 8th grades.

POLICIES

Furthermore, throughout this year, the middle school and 5th grade teachers have been discussing the need for an approach to grading that acknowledges the need for 1) a logical progression of difficulty as it pertains to how much we weight summative assessments, formative assessments, and student responsibility and 2) the need for consistent policies when it comes to re-tests, late or missing work, and extra credit. Below is an outline of the new grading policy in the middle school:

Grading (Grades 5-6)

• 50% Summative Assessments: Major tests, projects, and other holistic assessments, for example, an end of unit test

• 30% Formative Assessments: Daily/Class work for a grade, quizzes, homework accuracy (anything checked for some sort of grade)
• 20% Student Responsibility: class participation, homework completion, notebook completion

Grading (Grades 7-8)

• 50% Summative Assessments: Major tests, projects, and other holistic assessments
• 40% Formative Assessments: Daily/Class work for a grade, quizzes, homework accuracy (anything checked for some sort of grade)
• 10% Student Responsibility: class participation, homework completion, notebook completion

Re-takes: Quizzes (Grades 5 - 8)

• One re-take allowed per quiz
• Final grade will be the highest of the two grades, not to exceed 75%
• Student receiving a 69% or below is eligible for re-take
• Must come for extra help session to be eligible for re-take

• Student responsibility to schedule and take within one week
• Teacher responsible to remind student of re-take policy

Re-takes: Tests (Grades 5-8)

• None allowed

Late Work (Grades 5-8)

• 10 points off assignment per day
• Student has one week from due date to turn in assignment
• After one week from due date, the assignment receives a 0
• Teacher responsible to remind student of missing work and late policy on the due date  

Absent Work (Grades 5-8)

• On a case-by-case basis

Extra Credit

• No extra credit questions on assessments or extra credit assignments
• Extra help sessions will provide the extra preparation

Reconfiguration Plan Updates

As you know, the November and January reports contained a lot of information about what would be happening throughout the 2012-2013 school year. This section will provide an update on the implementation of those plans.

PARENT PORTAL

Starting August 1, Canterbury will be moving its database systems over to Blackbaud. This provides us with a Parent Portal for all families that will allow an individualized look at your child’s school experience including some grades, as well as classes, homework, and extracurricular schedules. Please stay tuned for more details regarding this transition.

LANGUAGE SELECTION

As I mentioned in my January report, we will be implementing a new language sequence with the incoming 5th grade, which has them completing Spanish I or Latin I by the end of their 6th grade

year and Spanish II or Latin II by the end of their 8th grade year. Additionally, students will have the option of taking an NCAIS online class in some other foreign language in their 7th and 8th grade years.

The selection process for 4th and 5th graders will begin during the week of April 30, when Janet Mintz and Paul Sinal will visit the classes to present about each language.  The selection sheet will be handed out on May 11 and the due date will be May 18. Because we are committed to classes that are balanced in enrollment, we can enroll only a certain number of students in each class, and class enrollment will be determined on a first come, first served basis as the preference forms below are returned. In turn, if you have a strong preference for one language, please return the form below as quickly as possible. Students who do not return forms will have a language selected for them. While we try our best to honor preferences, please understand that class size and other variables may affect our ability to honor everyone’s first choice.

5TH/6TH GRADE SCHEDULE AND GENDER BASED CLASSES

One of the exciting things to come out of Reconfiguration is the opportunity to put into action research we’ve been studying over the last year. Specifically, we met with Dr. Leonard Sax this year who spoke about differences in gender and learning. In the 5th and 6th grade 2012-2013 schedule, we have an opportunity to implement gender based classes in Art and PE. The benefits of these gender based classes include utilizing different approaches to learning, allowing gender-specific health discussions, and providing a change of the social landscape.

BIG BROTHER/BIG SISTER

We have partnered 4th and 7th graders together for a Big Brother/Big Sister program which will kick off this spring with a Scavenger Hunt on May 16. Together the groups will work to find clues about the middle school and then we will conclude their time together with an ice cream social. Additionally, we will ask the 7th graders to come back and be a part of the August orientation for 5th graders. Finally, we will plan numerous activities for the groups to come together throughout next year.

MIDDLE SCHOOL DRESS CODE

In the November Reconfiguration report, I mentioned that the 4th and 5th grade would be allowed to dress like middle schoolers when we came to the end of the year. Well, we are here and the 5th grade will be allowed to come to school in middle school dress upon returning from spring break through the end of the year. Fourth grade will be allowed to wear middle school dress beginning May 21 through the end of the year.

Important 2012-2013 Dates

5TH AND 6TH GRADE ORIENTATIONS

Both the incoming 5th and 6th grades will have an orientation before the beginning of school. This orientation is an opportunity to see the buildings, reconnect with friends, meet advisors, and get a sense of what the school day will feel like when they arrive on campus for the start of the year. The day will begin around 8:30am and last until approximately 3:15pm.  Sixth graders may also have sports tryouts which begin earlier this year due to the later start date of school. The August dates for orientation are below:

• 5th Grade: August 20, 2012 from 8:30am - 3:15pm
• 6th Grade: August 21, 2012 from 8:30am - 3:15pm

FALL SPORTS TRYOUT DATES

As I mentioned above, fall sports will kickoff earlier this upcoming school year than in years past due to the later start date of school (August 29, 2012). Tryouts will begin Tuesday, August 21 and conclude Thursday, August 23. The first day of practice with your child’s fall team will take place Friday, August 24. Please stay tuned to the Athletics Calendar and your email for more details from Justin Zappia.

TRIPS

Between September 5, 2012 and September 7, 2012 the 5th grade will be staying overnight at Trinity Center, the 6th grade will be staying overnight at Kanuga, and the 8th grade will be away at Wilderness Adventure. The 7th grade will have an opportunity to engage in local service learning projects related to the Millennium Development Goal Project during those same dates.

I am very excited for what this Reconfiguration will mean for the middle school. It has already provided a context for meaningful and substantial conversations about what we do and how we do it, and what has come out of those conversations will benefit your child’s educational experience tremendously. Enjoy your spring, and summer is just around the corner!

David Skeen

Middle School Director

Canterbury School

April 2012