An Ongoing Dialog . . .

Dear Families,

I had the pleasure this week to meet with a number of parents from the fifth grade on Tuesday morning to talk about how to make sense of our progress reports and how to prepare for family conferences (I’ll have more to say about family conferences in a subsequent post and be on the lookout next week for an email from your child’s advisor about how to sign up for a conference). An underlying theme to our conversation was the importance of making sure that you have the information  you need to talk with your child about her/his school experience in meaningful ways. To this end, we actively encourage you to reach out to your child’s teachers before the conferences to get a sense of how things are going. This can be accomplished by a quick phone call or email; the follow up by teachers will likely provide you with important information about the class and your child’s progress.

As I mentioned at curriculum night, we are also adjusting the schedule on the two conference days (November 6th and 13th) to create time so that all teachers can be available to meet with families. While we expect all families to participate in a Family Conference with your child’s advisor,  these brief conversations with subject area teachers will be optional. We suspect that families will chose to meet with some, but not all teachers in order to have questions answered, learn more about the program, or just to say hello. However you choose to use this time, we think it will be an important programmatic addition to help you develop the most complete picture of your child’s school experience.

I’ve included below an explanation of some of the expectations that we have for middle school students that drive their everyday work and that are assessed on our progress reports across all subjects. I encourage you to look over these expectations and to use them as a jumping off point for a conversation with your child about what they see as areas of strength and challenge and how they impact on her/his daily work.

Middle School Report to Families: Explanation of Common Skills and Expectations
In the paragraphs below you will find descriptions of the common skills and expectations found on the progress grid section of the Middle School Report to Families.  These categories are on each progress report and students are evaluated against a set of criteria agreed upon by the entire Middle School faculty.  These criteria are described below.

Homework:

• Timely completion: A student who excels in this area submits work when it is due. In order to do this, she records assignments properly in her assignment book and seeks out support from peers and/or the teacher when she has questions. If she encounters a problem that may result in work not being handed in on time, she proactively seeks out the teacher to address the situation and come up with a plan. On occasion, work is handed in in advance of its due date without the quality of the work being compromised. If the teacher asks the student to use the extra time to review the work and see if there is anything else to add, she willingly does so.
• Quality: When submitting homework, the student who excels in this area is sure to address all aspects of the assignment. Work is neat, legible and well organized. He proofreads and reviews his work to make sure that it fully answers the questions and includes all of the required steps. The work includes not only specific answers, but also provides ample evidence of his underlying thinking The work will also often make connections to other relevant concepts and content being studied, but not necessarily required to be addressed in the assignment.

Classwork:

• Quality: While this category includes a wide range of assignment types (including written, oral and hands-on work), the student who excels in this area works with precision and attention to detail. Her written work is neat, legible, well-organized and comprehensive with respect to the content being addressed. Oral comments reflect a depth of thinking and engagement with the topic at hand. Hands-on work reflects careful planning and an attention to detail. Whatever the format, her work provides a clear record of her individual thinking and the ideas being shared in class. She is able to use the products of this work at other times to extend and deepen her understanding of the topic.
• Attention and focus: A student who excels in this area is prepared for class and makes the transition from one room to another efficiently and independently.  He gets to class on time and settles down quickly and quietly in his seat and is ready to work.   The student has his texts, notebook, assignment book, paper and pencil, and any other necessary materials ready for immediate use. Homework is ready for collection or for class use. When working on a task, the student who excels in this area remains engaged and active throughout the activity at hand. She will be able to delve into his work while working alone or in a group and will work hard to stay focused in a variety of different learning environments. The student also follows routine directions for everyday classroom practice and directions for specific projects and activities.  These directions may be written, oral, or demonstrated. She not only follows directions, but also asks for clarification when needed.
• Independent work: When working independently a student who excels in this area takes ownership of his work.  He is serious and self-motivated.  While being supportive of the independent work of others, he respectfully asks his peers for help when needed.  This student is able to generate and develop his own ideas and is familiar with the available resources to bring those ideas to fruition.  Strong independent work requires perseverance, follow-through and the ability to pace oneself throughout, which this student demonstrates on a regular basis.
• Group work: A student who excels in this area collaborates and works cooperatively with others. She listens to and respects colleagues and is responsible for an even distribution of tasks. She is willing to take leadership or supportive roles as decided upon by the entire group.  She will provide for an inclusive environment and work towards a completed product in the time allotted.  Although, the entire group is responsible for the progress of a group-oriented activity, the excelling student is proactive in requesting assistance when needed.
• Discussion: A student who excels in this area contributes relevant ideas, questions and information during discussion.  He is able to communicate his thoughts clearly and concisely.  His contributions stay on the topic while enhancing and widening the scope of the discussion. He is equally adept at being an active listener. He is alert as others speak and does not interrupt.

Conduct:

• Respects adults: A student who excels in this area demonstrates appropriate tone, language, and demeanor when interacting with adults. She responds promptly and respectfully to teacher requests and directions.  She questions the teacher at the appropriate time and in a constructive and respectful way.
• Respects peers: A student who excels in this area uses appropriate tone, language, and demeanor when interacting with his peers.  He displays a sensitivity to the feelings and needs of other students in the class, and he respects his classmates’ property and work.  He responds to peers’ academic work and ideas in a constructive and respectful manner.  He does not use insults or “put-downs”.
• Respects classroom environment and norms: A student who excels in this area actively participates in creating and maintaining a positive and productive learning environment.  She respects all agreed upon routines and practices established in the classroom. She respects common space, peer space, and teacher space. She uses classroom supplies and materials in a respectful manner and assists in classroom set-up and clean-up. She keeps her desk, locker, and personal materials neat and orderly and her materials are in their appropriate places.  She understands and follows classroom routines that may vary from teacher to teacher.  The student follows proper format for assignments including a proper heading and presents her work neatly.  She copies homework accurately in her assignment book and uses this book as a reference.  She is able to manage her time so that he completes both short and long-term assignments in a timely fashion.

Keep on talking!

Be well,
Mark