There have been many changes in the middle school over the past two years with the conversion to block scheduling, the creation of Panther Time, and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. The demands of the Common Core and the new Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) force us to change the way we assess students. Our teachers have been challenged to accurately measure student learning with their grading practices. To measure this learning, we have implemented the use of Formative Instructional Practices (FIP).

FIP is a researched-based system that is proven to improve student performance by continually assessing students’ understanding of learning targets. The results of these formative assessments are for the teacher’s knowledge of students and is used to guide future instruction. There is much less emphasis on homework grades, completion grades, and participation points. Grades are to measure what students have actually learned and not whether they are “good students” who pay attention in class, do their homework, etc.

Click here for a FIP Introduction Video.

Most of our grades will come from summative assessments (tests and quizzes). This means that there will be fewer grades in the gradebook. In the “old days” teachers were required to have so many grades in the gradebook each quarter. This is no longer the case. As a result, grades may drop, until students can adjust.