Hi all!
Thank you again for taking the time to twirl my curiosity!
My school is extremely standardized (or at least in the department I work in). Every teacher must give the same summative assessments, no exceptions. We are allowed to teach however we want to teach, and do any activities we choose (though there are suggested activities on the unit plans and such), but the summatives must stay. Sometimes I give my kids five summatives a week, or I'm giving them two tests in one class. We structure our bigger summatives on Friday, so teachers can mark it over the weekend.
May I also mention the category weights, colours, and names (all to the very hypen, colon, and capital letter) all need to be the same in our gradebooks? My school is extremely academic (I think)? Or is standardization a common practise in international teaching?
Thanks in advance
How standardized is your school?
Re: How standardized is your school?
Wow....that sounds brutal. At my current school, we are given a copy of the relevant academic standards that we need to meet at the end of the year. How we do that and how we grade is up to us. The vast majority of the grade in my classes is summative and based on AP-style tests. Other teachers use a modified standards-based system and do project-based assessments, as well as grade on participation and homework.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: How standardized is your school?
Hi Klooste,
I am at an IB school and we use UOI in PYP, Inquiry and student-centered project based learning in MYP, and then the rather more prescribed curriculum in IB DP. There does not need to be overlap in summative assessments between teachers at the same level, except in material (they collaborate). How they teach and assess the material is up to them.
Shad
I am at an IB school and we use UOI in PYP, Inquiry and student-centered project based learning in MYP, and then the rather more prescribed curriculum in IB DP. There does not need to be overlap in summative assessments between teachers at the same level, except in material (they collaborate). How they teach and assess the material is up to them.
Shad
Response
::looking around for Sid::
It depends, how long is a piece of string? ::Totemo Kawaii::
There are different curriculum and different approaches to those curriculum. There are also a lot of factors effecting the flexibility of meds and peds. A large school thats top heavy on admin may be very prescribed, a small primary school managed by the owner, may just let you do what you want. The majority of ISs are private/independent schools, relatively free of mandated assessment requirements, but you may have an admin that has a fetish for assessments and find your self doing a daily formative assessment and a weekly summative assessment.
Most upper secondary schools have an external assessment program in their curriculum, IGCSE, A levels, DIP, AP all have global exam structures, you need to perform to set international international standards to receive an exit level credential. These programs are usually short, 1-2 years. These teachers go through the syllabus/course guide as efficiently as possible, with breaks, and review you get about 10 months worth of instruction. Teachers make and break their careers at the top schools on their students performance in those programs. It pretty structured and prescribed.
In the IB DIP (Diploma, upper secondary years 11 & 12) you find the most prescribed component of the IB curriculum, students in addition to portfolio requirement (Essay) do CAS and TOK (Philosophy by a very rough definition) and take their exit level exams. Regardless of what system you teach (IB, AP, IGCSE, A levels), the content is pretty similar across curriculum. An AP teacher may need to learn some terminology but biology is biology.
PYP (Primary Years Program, elementary school years 1-5) is also very prescribed but in a different way, in involves a lot of prep and integration; teachers who are trained and experience in stranded subjects (teaching a 40 minute lesson on numbers) find the thematic integration during units of inquiry (UOI/UI) to be challenging. One of the first themes is "Who We Are", and how do you integrate math in defining your "self", and work that into an integrated lesson with your other subjects, (it still stuns novice PYP teachers).
MYP (Middle Years Program, lower secondary years 6-10) is the least prescribed but in the past MYP was like Jello it could take what ever form you wanted it too be. At least there is more direction (50 hours of instruction in 8 subjects per year). Most MYP teachers taught what they know. If they were a science teacher into botany they taught a lot of botany. Lit. teachers who were into the Bard taught a lot of Shakespeare. Still 50 hours is a third to a quarter of a year.
In addition all IB programs have a portfolio requirement for each student each year. The portfolio results in a culminating event at each stage, in PYP its called Exhibition, in MYP its called Project, and in DIP its called Essay.
It depends, how long is a piece of string? ::Totemo Kawaii::
There are different curriculum and different approaches to those curriculum. There are also a lot of factors effecting the flexibility of meds and peds. A large school thats top heavy on admin may be very prescribed, a small primary school managed by the owner, may just let you do what you want. The majority of ISs are private/independent schools, relatively free of mandated assessment requirements, but you may have an admin that has a fetish for assessments and find your self doing a daily formative assessment and a weekly summative assessment.
Most upper secondary schools have an external assessment program in their curriculum, IGCSE, A levels, DIP, AP all have global exam structures, you need to perform to set international international standards to receive an exit level credential. These programs are usually short, 1-2 years. These teachers go through the syllabus/course guide as efficiently as possible, with breaks, and review you get about 10 months worth of instruction. Teachers make and break their careers at the top schools on their students performance in those programs. It pretty structured and prescribed.
In the IB DIP (Diploma, upper secondary years 11 & 12) you find the most prescribed component of the IB curriculum, students in addition to portfolio requirement (Essay) do CAS and TOK (Philosophy by a very rough definition) and take their exit level exams. Regardless of what system you teach (IB, AP, IGCSE, A levels), the content is pretty similar across curriculum. An AP teacher may need to learn some terminology but biology is biology.
PYP (Primary Years Program, elementary school years 1-5) is also very prescribed but in a different way, in involves a lot of prep and integration; teachers who are trained and experience in stranded subjects (teaching a 40 minute lesson on numbers) find the thematic integration during units of inquiry (UOI/UI) to be challenging. One of the first themes is "Who We Are", and how do you integrate math in defining your "self", and work that into an integrated lesson with your other subjects, (it still stuns novice PYP teachers).
MYP (Middle Years Program, lower secondary years 6-10) is the least prescribed but in the past MYP was like Jello it could take what ever form you wanted it too be. At least there is more direction (50 hours of instruction in 8 subjects per year). Most MYP teachers taught what they know. If they were a science teacher into botany they taught a lot of botany. Lit. teachers who were into the Bard taught a lot of Shakespeare. Still 50 hours is a third to a quarter of a year.
In addition all IB programs have a portfolio requirement for each student each year. The portfolio results in a culminating event at each stage, in PYP its called Exhibition, in MYP its called Project, and in DIP its called Essay.
Re: How standardized is your school?
If all teachers of a grade level/subject are meant to be teaching the same skills/content/knowledge/understanding, doesn't it make sense that summative assessments would be the same across the classes? After all, it takes time and skill to develop a good assessment which properly targets the required standards. Easier to do that in teams than as individuals. And if you have already developed a good one, and so has the teacher down the hall, why not make both available to both classes, and call it differentiation? If both are sound, aligned assessments, why shouldn't students pick which one they'll use to demonstrate their mastery?
As for making you use the same color-codes in your gradebooks, that seems silly to me. Having an aligned assessment/grading policy doesn't. Why should students in Mrs. R's grade 7 English class be assessed and graded differently than the students in Mr. Q's grade 7 English class, when they are meant to be mastering the same standards, and their final report cards purport to show how each student did in comparison to the same standards (and for some of us, in comparison to other students), and when pedagogy tells us that there are better ways and worse ways to go about assessment and grading?
If teachers claim to be making their assessment and grading decisions based on best educational practice, shouldn't that mean that there is a right answer, or at least a better answer, that we can all strive towards, rather than x+1 answers in a group of x teachers? If we work together, we do better for the kids.
As for making you use the same color-codes in your gradebooks, that seems silly to me. Having an aligned assessment/grading policy doesn't. Why should students in Mrs. R's grade 7 English class be assessed and graded differently than the students in Mr. Q's grade 7 English class, when they are meant to be mastering the same standards, and their final report cards purport to show how each student did in comparison to the same standards (and for some of us, in comparison to other students), and when pedagogy tells us that there are better ways and worse ways to go about assessment and grading?
If teachers claim to be making their assessment and grading decisions based on best educational practice, shouldn't that mean that there is a right answer, or at least a better answer, that we can all strive towards, rather than x+1 answers in a group of x teachers? If we work together, we do better for the kids.
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chilagringa
- Posts: 335
- Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:19 pm
Re: How standardized is your school?
That only works if the standardized assessments are actually sound / based on best practices. I was recently at a public school where everything was standardized, but often the required projects were really dubious and not really tied to curricular goals. Some newer teachers (myself included) wanted to do things differently (you know, educationally sound) but were not allowed.
Collaboration is great, because then I can work with other teachers to make better assessments. But standardization? No. I want the freedom to try to do what's best for my students.
Collaboration is great, because then I can work with other teachers to make better assessments. But standardization? No. I want the freedom to try to do what's best for my students.
Re: How standardized is your school?
I'm completely on board with your first paragraph. Mandating bad practice is ridiculous and frustrating, and way too common. No, of course I can't support that.
But I can't agree with your second paragraph. Standardization isn't bad just because some do it badly. It has the potential to be great, and way better than individuals going it alone. The best for our students is to share our expertise and get better and better.
But I can't agree with your second paragraph. Standardization isn't bad just because some do it badly. It has the potential to be great, and way better than individuals going it alone. The best for our students is to share our expertise and get better and better.
Discussion
Standardization is a very good characteristic of assessment, it allows professionals to reduce and defend against administration and scoring bias.
Standardization has nothing to do with instrument reliability or validity, it relates only to a standard administration and scoring. You can have bad tests with low validity and they are still standardized. Collaboration has little too do with standardization. You can have groups create good and bad instruments that are standardized or not, it doesnt change the quality of assessment. Working with others does not prohibit standardizing your instruments. A group/team can create a really valid and reliable instrument and then standardize it or not.
Standardization has nothing to do with instrument reliability or validity, it relates only to a standard administration and scoring. You can have bad tests with low validity and they are still standardized. Collaboration has little too do with standardization. You can have groups create good and bad instruments that are standardized or not, it doesnt change the quality of assessment. Working with others does not prohibit standardizing your instruments. A group/team can create a really valid and reliable instrument and then standardize it or not.
Re: How standardized is your school?
Interesting banter from both sides; I love when I get a discussion going in my classroom, and now I've sparked one on a forum!
Sid: you make very valid points about standardization. I am not disagreeing with you, but I think another important point has been raised: it depends on how one applies standardization.
Would I be too much of a bother to give details about how my school approaches standardization (at least in my department)? Now I'm starting to sweat because my boss may see this post... I should probably change my forum name here soon! Oh well, here it goes:
Basically, my school teaches to the provincial exam (diploma exams, SATS, or what ever else you may call it), and our students score pretty damn high (at least in math and science). In English, however, our students score 54% average on the final exam, but thats because our students are mostly English second language learners. We just plop a test in front of our students every week, mark 10 mistakes (as mandated by the standardization of my department), slap a grade on it, and move on to the next paper. It gets tiring after awhile when you are marking hundreds of essays written in a second language. its also very tiring to handout and mark assignments that you don't enjoy yourself.
I feel like the school has got the magic formula: pass the kids through the system, so they can go abroad to different universities. Are the students getting a decent education? I don't know. Would I put my son or daughter in my own school? Absolutely not. I want a school that encourages creativity.
I guess what I'm asking is this: are most international schools follow this approach? Do you top dogs, in tier 1 places, teach to the test in order for your students to be successful? Is it absolutely imperative to follow this "magic formula (as coined above)in order to pass ESL kids in an international school?
appreciate your comments!
Sid: you make very valid points about standardization. I am not disagreeing with you, but I think another important point has been raised: it depends on how one applies standardization.
Would I be too much of a bother to give details about how my school approaches standardization (at least in my department)? Now I'm starting to sweat because my boss may see this post... I should probably change my forum name here soon! Oh well, here it goes:
Basically, my school teaches to the provincial exam (diploma exams, SATS, or what ever else you may call it), and our students score pretty damn high (at least in math and science). In English, however, our students score 54% average on the final exam, but thats because our students are mostly English second language learners. We just plop a test in front of our students every week, mark 10 mistakes (as mandated by the standardization of my department), slap a grade on it, and move on to the next paper. It gets tiring after awhile when you are marking hundreds of essays written in a second language. its also very tiring to handout and mark assignments that you don't enjoy yourself.
I feel like the school has got the magic formula: pass the kids through the system, so they can go abroad to different universities. Are the students getting a decent education? I don't know. Would I put my son or daughter in my own school? Absolutely not. I want a school that encourages creativity.
I guess what I'm asking is this: are most international schools follow this approach? Do you top dogs, in tier 1 places, teach to the test in order for your students to be successful? Is it absolutely imperative to follow this "magic formula (as coined above)in order to pass ESL kids in an international school?
appreciate your comments!
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: How standardized is your school?
Klooste,
at the top tier schools "the test" is the IB diploma exams or the AP exams, or for the Brits the A levels and A*. It is not so much you teach to the test, but you need to cover a set curriculum. How you cover it is up to you - but if the IB is using a range of books for English HL, then you need to make sure you are choosing from that range of books. It is a fairly extensive list.
But there is no - plunk a test in front of a student, mark it, plunk a test in front of a student, mark it, plunk a test in front of a student, mark it involved at any school I've been at. The last two schools I was at gave mocks in December/January (one mock exam per IB subject) which reflected the exams from previous years so students could have the exam experience to prepare them. These exams counted in their assessments.
I would never teach at a school which was a testing mill - I want to teach, not administer tests ad nauseous, pro forma.
Sounds like you need to do your two years and get to another school.
just my 2 cents,
shad
at the top tier schools "the test" is the IB diploma exams or the AP exams, or for the Brits the A levels and A*. It is not so much you teach to the test, but you need to cover a set curriculum. How you cover it is up to you - but if the IB is using a range of books for English HL, then you need to make sure you are choosing from that range of books. It is a fairly extensive list.
But there is no - plunk a test in front of a student, mark it, plunk a test in front of a student, mark it, plunk a test in front of a student, mark it involved at any school I've been at. The last two schools I was at gave mocks in December/January (one mock exam per IB subject) which reflected the exams from previous years so students could have the exam experience to prepare them. These exams counted in their assessments.
I would never teach at a school which was a testing mill - I want to teach, not administer tests ad nauseous, pro forma.
Sounds like you need to do your two years and get to another school.
just my 2 cents,
shad
Re: How standardized is your school?
>
> Sounds like you need to do your two years and get to another school.
>
> just my 2 cents,
>
> shad
My plan exactly, but the question is can I get into a decent international school (IB even) with two years xp at a second tierish international school?
I do teach at my school as well, in that I try to foster a student entered approach to learning in my classroom when I'm not plunking tests.
If I can't find another "mill," I'll be forced to keep sawing my current lumber! Though I can "carve" a very very fine test, let me tell ya! ;)
> Sounds like you need to do your two years and get to another school.
>
> just my 2 cents,
>
> shad
My plan exactly, but the question is can I get into a decent international school (IB even) with two years xp at a second tierish international school?
I do teach at my school as well, in that I try to foster a student entered approach to learning in my classroom when I'm not plunking tests.
If I can't find another "mill," I'll be forced to keep sawing my current lumber! Though I can "carve" a very very fine test, let me tell ya! ;)
Re: How standardized is your school?
we collaborate to create common assessments (within grade level) at my current school. each teacher will give the same summative assessment for each student. we also come up with prompts, unit plans, and lesson plans so that we are teaching the same material in roughly the same order.
in order to cross-mark effectively and draw conclusions, find solutions, improve the curriculum, a certain level of standardization should be implemented, imo. of course, we all do formative assessments a little differently, but in general we agree to have our classroom teaching points adhere to the standards that our curriculum is based on, so even our formatives are somewhat similar.
there is a little freedom in some projects or special assignments we create, and btw i can only speak for PYP, but in general you want the kids to have the same education, so standardization is kind of necessary.
we have processes and procedures in place however, for different abilities and learning styles. so, sometimes students can perform a skill in the same way another student can. we differentiate and find other ways for them to show knowledge.
hope that helps.
v.
in order to cross-mark effectively and draw conclusions, find solutions, improve the curriculum, a certain level of standardization should be implemented, imo. of course, we all do formative assessments a little differently, but in general we agree to have our classroom teaching points adhere to the standards that our curriculum is based on, so even our formatives are somewhat similar.
there is a little freedom in some projects or special assignments we create, and btw i can only speak for PYP, but in general you want the kids to have the same education, so standardization is kind of necessary.
we have processes and procedures in place however, for different abilities and learning styles. so, sometimes students can perform a skill in the same way another student can. we differentiate and find other ways for them to show knowledge.
hope that helps.
v.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: How standardized is your school?
Klooste,
Doing two years and recruiting, yes you can find a better school out there than a Chinese test mill. Be open to where you go, realize that there are quite a few decent schools out there (despite what others might tell you), and do your homework. You are at the first rung on the ladder, so the only way is up!
shad
Doing two years and recruiting, yes you can find a better school out there than a Chinese test mill. Be open to where you go, realize that there are quite a few decent schools out there (despite what others might tell you), and do your homework. You are at the first rung on the ladder, so the only way is up!
shad
Response
@klooste
Ask away!
I disagree with SJ, the quantity of assessment at schools undergoing authorization/accreditation can be very test heavy if that happens to be the administrators fetish. Ive seen ISs that have a daily formative and weekly summative assessment.
Schools do teach to the test, you have a fixed curriculum, and syllabus/guideline you have to get through and IB and IGCSE gives you 2 years to do it but with review its about one year of actual instructional time. AP and A levels/A* are each a year (about 200 days of instructional time). Thats not a lot of time.
Whats decent to you, in general a 2nd tier school is common for an entry level IT. What you do will depend on the stage of curriculum development and the priorities of that administration. Ask about it during the interview.
Schools broadly differ, prescribed curriculum programs like PYP and DIP are pretty inflexible. DIP has its course guideline and most PYP schools have a very set structure for UI and stranded subjects. Its pretty common for different forms of the same class to be following the same lesson plans. IGCSE and AP are really no different. Lower secondary is where you have the most freedom and
If you want flexibility in IB either go into MYP or find a small school that has only one form of each class. If your the only PYP teacher at your grade your going to pretty much be a department of one, and likely free to do what you want (within reason).
Ask away!
I disagree with SJ, the quantity of assessment at schools undergoing authorization/accreditation can be very test heavy if that happens to be the administrators fetish. Ive seen ISs that have a daily formative and weekly summative assessment.
Schools do teach to the test, you have a fixed curriculum, and syllabus/guideline you have to get through and IB and IGCSE gives you 2 years to do it but with review its about one year of actual instructional time. AP and A levels/A* are each a year (about 200 days of instructional time). Thats not a lot of time.
Whats decent to you, in general a 2nd tier school is common for an entry level IT. What you do will depend on the stage of curriculum development and the priorities of that administration. Ask about it during the interview.
Schools broadly differ, prescribed curriculum programs like PYP and DIP are pretty inflexible. DIP has its course guideline and most PYP schools have a very set structure for UI and stranded subjects. Its pretty common for different forms of the same class to be following the same lesson plans. IGCSE and AP are really no different. Lower secondary is where you have the most freedom and
If you want flexibility in IB either go into MYP or find a small school that has only one form of each class. If your the only PYP teacher at your grade your going to pretty much be a department of one, and likely free to do what you want (within reason).