Encourage Academic Habits and Reflection with Scholarship Standards

Many teachers who use standards based grading only count content (and maybe math practices) into the final grade. I think it’s important to think about effort and behavior, but in a way that makes sense with standards-based grading. I also wanted to personalize it to meet my student’s needs. I created a rubric that has 10 goals. Each quarter, students choose three goals, and reflect on each of their goals every class in a google form. At the end of each quarter, we meet and they can change their goals.

This gets translated into their scholarship grade. So, students are essentially grading themselves. There are students who need to be reminded they were late to class, or disorganized, but if you're paying attention, most students are honest.

Below is the worksheet that I give students. Here is an electronic version you could print. We typically start there, and then move to a google form once students are comfortable. You can actually have google send these reflections home to parents. Check out Marissa Walczak's post about it here.

However, don't feel that electronic is the only way to go. Normal paper works great, and if students keep a math journal, this can easily be integrated in.

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Scholarship Goal Setting Document

The best way to improve in any field is to reflect in order to analyze your practice, find room for growth, and determine the most efficient way to improve. Math class is no different! Please read the goals below and identify three that you think that will help you grow the most. If you feel there are more than three you want to focus on, choose goals closer to the top of the list.

Each class, you will reflect on your three goals with a google form. You will be asked to rate yourself using the language found in the rubric below. At the end of the reflection, you will think about what you can do to improve on your goals. These reflections will be used as part of your scholarship grade, and I will conference with you periodically about your reflection and growth. If you feel that you are having difficulty with your goals, or believe you have mastered one or more of your goals, please meet with me to discuss changing your goals before the next unit.

Goal	Not There… Yet! (0 points)	Getting There (½ point)	Met Goal (1 point)
Punctual	I was more than a minute late to class, including getting my materials	I was less than a minute late to class, including getting my materials	I was on time to class and started the warm up immediately.
Prepared	The teacher needed to remind me to go get my materials	I asked the teacher to get my materials or provide extra materials	I had all of my materials at the start of class, including video notes and homework
Focused	I was not focused, even after redirection from the teacher	I needed some redirection from the teacher	I was focused without redirection from the teacher
Transitions	I needed to be reminded how to transition from one activity to the next	I transitioned from one activity to the next with some talking or distraction	I transitioned from one activity to the next without any talking or distraction
Organized	I was unable to find all of my materials	It took me a few seconds to find some of my materials, and I needed to be reminded to use them	I was able to find all my materials easily and use my tools (notes, calculator, whiteboard) strategically
Self-Starter	I needed to be reminded to start a problem	I started a problem, but needed reminding when it became too difficult	I started problems quickly and persevered through difficult problems
Participate	I did not participate in class	I participated in class by talking to the teacher directly	I participated in class by responding to my classmates using talk moves
Precision	I did not use precise language today	I attempted to use precise mathematical language, but was sometimes inaccurate	I explained my ideas using precise mathematical language, both when writing and when speaking
Peer Tutor	I did not help others today	I helped others by reminding them of the steps needed to solve a problem	I helped others by explaining an idea conceptually and letting them solve the problem
Role Model	I was not a role model today	I served as a role model by demonstrating BARK	I served as a role model by encouraging others to act with belief, awareness, respect, and kindness