Scoring guide, Miracle Fish; Outdoor School wrap up

As promised to several of you last week, here is scoring information for the Analysis of The Miracle Fish, Activity 72.  To earn a "3"/ PR (proficient up to 100%), a student's work must include:
1.  a decision (a position of yes or no re "the Nile Perch should have been introduced.")
2.  at least two pieces of evidence in support of the decision.
3. a description of one trade-off of the decision.
I'm sorry I didn't publish this over the weekend.  I was out of town and had internet access problems.

Last week students finished their online research for Activity 73, Introduced Species.  Students are to keep their notes, which are on a special form designed for the Activity.  I hope to use this information in a future lesson.  On Thursday, we did a wrap-up activity to connect information learned during the four Outdoor School field studies of plants, water, soil and animals.  You may ask your child to show you her/ his web, linking the key vocabulary s/he wrote for each field study.

Midterm progress report grades

...have been entered.  Please note there are two grades at this time.  The first grade is for turning in the parent signature page of the "first day letter."  This is the letter I passed out at open house.  The next day, I invited students to take a copy home if they knew their parents didn't come to open house.  Many students have not turned in the last page, the parent signature page.  I will pass out more copies of the letter on Thursday, so students have another opportunity to alert their parents to my policies.

The second grade is weighted twice as heavy as the first as it is for academic work.  This grade is for an assessment; the Analysis section of Activity 72, The Miracle Fish.  If you are interested in more information about this activity, ask your child to explain it and to show you her/ his work in the Lab Notebook.  Students also have an opportunity to redo this work and turn it in again for regrading.  I will do some "regrading" next week.  The reading for this activity is available online through the student text at: sepuplhs.org/middle.html.  When you logon to the website the username is: science.  The password is: inspires.  This information should be written on the inside front cover of your child's lab notebook.  The questions that I checked from this analysis involve critical thinking skills and integrating background knowledge with information from the text.

We are finishing up a short online research project on invasive species found in Western Oregon.  Next, we will work with how organisms are classified (grouped).

Almost all of us had a great time at Outdoor School and students learned a lot about themselves, about living with others, and about ecology in Western Oregon.  Today, I sent home Outdoor School field notebooks, soil profile samples and "critter catch watercolors" from the water field studies.  I believe one class will receive theirs tomorrow to take home.  I will soon show a brief slideshow to periods 1 & 2, using photos taken with my phone during our times at Howard Outdoor School.

I continue to enjoy working with your children, giving them some background in Ecology.  The next unit we will work with will be "Body Works", about the human body.  Ciao for now!

STANDARDS-BASED GRADES, EDBOX

ABOUT EDBOX, GRADES & MY CLASSES

If you have questions about EdBox, please read this link:  IT Resources for Parents/ Students .   Reading the information at this link should provide you with a great deal of help if you are experiencing difficulties understanding all that you see in EdBox. Concentrate especially on the Parent/ Student Reference Guide and the Frequently Asked Questions.  I'm sorry that  I'm not in a position to offer assistance in using the software.   If you need more orientation to the EdBox tool, you can do it yourself by reading the information at these links or, you can attend a training provided by the IT Department.  Exploring the website may provide you with information about any trainings that are available.
ALSO:
Here are some answers from IT's frequently asked questions link and other information found on the IT website:

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs), INFORMATION ABOUT ENTERING GRADES, & GRADING SYMBOLS USED BY MS. PINEGAR
What if I have a question about the grades I see in the EdBox Viewer?
The EdBox Viewer is not meant to replace communication among parents, teachers, and students. If you have a question about the grades and assignments, please discuss first with your child. Encourage your child to speak with the teacher themselves for grade resolution. If questions remain, please contact the teacher.

When can I expect grades to be posted?
Grades will be visible in the EdBox Viewer upon the teacher entering grades into the Gradebook. Please allow teachers turnaround time to enter grades. Keep in mind that additional time should be provided in the case of research papers and other special projects, which may take longer for teachers to grade.
As you look at the list of assignments in the Parent Viewer:
OVERDUE ASSIGNMENTS are assignments for which scores have not yet been entered by the teacher. These assignments may be pending grading, haven’t been entered into the system yet, or were not submitted to the teacher.
ASSIGNMENTS IN THE MIDDLE are those due today.
ASSIGNMENTS IN THE LAST SECTION are due on future dates.

 Please note: It is at the teachers’ discretion as to when and how s/he enters assignment information.
Some teachers may choose to communicate upcoming assignments by entering the
assignment description and due date into the gradebook before the assignment is
due. Others may only enter the assignment information after the assignment has
been graded when they are ready to enter the scores. Teachers may also use a com-
bination of these two approaches, depending on the content area and teachers’ pref-
erence.
Missing assignments may be calculated by teachers in a variety of ways. Please check with your child or the teacher for the policy specific to each class.
What do X and Z represent?
Two codes may be used in place of a letter grade: X and Z.
An “X” indicates that the student has been excused from the assignment. The “X” calculates just like a blank grade; it does not count towards the student’s grade in any way.
A “Z” indicates that the assignment is missing. The “Z” calculates in the same way as a zero (0).

AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST - WHAT DO EX, PR, DV, and DN MEAN, ANYWAY?  Please go to this link for information:
4 pt. proficiency-based rubric There you will find information on our standards based scoring for science and on the schoolwide effort grades at Hosford.