What'd You Do With My Post-It!?

Here are the notes from the “Elephant in the Room” activity regarding our rubric work.  These notes have also been emailed to our Network coach, Jenny Pieratt.  She is reviewing them and will be building a strategy with Peter & Christie regarding next steps this afternoon (Friday, 9/7).    

Concerns documented on post its:

“Poorly articulated context/history...are we reinventing the New Tech Network Rubric wheel?”

“I’d like the Tech & Info rubric to be more specific and aligned across the columns.  I’d also like to be sure we retain flexibility in these areas: allowing teachers to spread their own point values across columns, encouraging teachers to modify language to fit specific assignments.”

“That I’m only allowed to talk about rubrics.”

“While well intentioned, our push for school-wide rubrics is destined to become another impossible to implement task loaded onto already over-burdened teachers.  There is not enough time in the day as it is, so this initiative is doomed to fail and the rubrics will die in an archive.”

“Inordinate amount of collaboration time spend on rubrics last semester when we have many pressing priorities/needs that could be addressed in this time.”

“Let’s pilot what we have, revisit in spring. They (rubrics) still feel too complicated & unnecessarily rigorous.  We need to calibrate with student models (their work).”

“I heard a lot of different challenges faced but not much about the rubrics.  On the contrary, I heard that they are so easy to use, that it is a wonder why anyone has any problem at all!”

“Why did we spend our time deciding what to include & then allow additions & deletions?”

“Finish Process!!  If rubric is not ‘approved’...tough!  Go with what we have and come back to it in May.  Allow sm group to complete ‘touch ups’ if needed.  But please move on.”

“Can we move forward w/labeling, numbering, and weighting?  Not sure I see value in going backwards.”

“How can we determine when students will learn which parts of the rubric?  If the goal is for students to learn the entire rubric throughout their time here.”

“How do we make sure that all students are exposed to and gain ability in each rubric category and each rubric item?”

“I don’t know where to find the final revision of the rubrics.” ← Final rubrics can be found in staff handbook under “Assessment and Learning Outcomes”.

“We are working to create a common rubric, but we are working from varied philosophies, consequently, the tension between quantification and qualification is muddling the purpose and value (e.g. number ranges make students aim for a score rather than rich learning).”

“Not done - headers and number values.  Accountability for using them.  Fitting the subject matter.  Needed clearer understanding.”

“Give teachers more support in the implementation process.”

“Con: People’s fear of change.  Pro: Lots of work has been done to create these with lots of opportunity for input - both quantitative and qualitative.  You create your own curricular rubric - lets try them see what issues come up & reevaluate after a semester.”  

“Lack up buy in on the work that we already did.”

“Worried about lack of follow through on consensus agreements.”