Grading Policies w/ Think Through Math

So this weeks MS Sunday Funday is over grading policies so I thought this would be a great time to incorporate Think Through Math, because I have become totally obsessed with it. So this blog will be about my grading policies with Think Through Math.  If you have not heard about it you can watch this video: TTM Student Video and this one too: Teacher/Parent Video. I know that the state of Texas purchased the program so it is free of charge for us, but it is a national program available in all states--not sure if there is a fee. 

TTM is the best RTI and enrichment online program that I have come across in a long time!! It is super awesome because it can be used with the lowest of low and the kids that need that extra challenge.

Here are some things that I love about it:

• Student created avatar
• Students can donate to charities 
• Can make class motivators/incentives to work towards
• Remediates gaps in education
• Real life teachers available to help via chat
• Parents can create accounts
• Collects data for RTI
• Students LIKE doing it!
• Super awesome customer service 

Advanced Classes

I started requiring my PACE classes (advanced) to do 3 hours a week of TTM. I have enrolled them in the "algebra readiness" pathway to get them on working on solidifying their foundation for algebra since they will be taking it next year.  It's really cool to see how into the program that the kids get. They can see their classmates on there and can compete for points. The really cool thing is that they can "donate" their points to real life charities as actual $$. I'm not sure of the logistics or where the real money comes from, but the kids love it.

RTI

I feel like no one has really come up with a good, solid RTI program that is consistent from district to district, let alone nationally. I really think because of budget cuts our kids in the middle suffer the most. So much more should be focused on RTI programs for middle school than I have seen from the 2 districts that I have been in. We all have those kiddos that come to us from out of district or state that have been moved around so many times that they have never really had the chance to learn consistently from one teacher or even one curriculum so they have SOOOO many gaps. What normally happens with these less fortune kids is that they sink in our classes and never really have the chance to catch up, they become behavior problems, or they totally shut down. With TTM I have come up with a "grading system" that is specific to TTM and these students. I have 3 of these students this year that I have put on the program instead of having them do on level stuff they have clearly shown they are not quite yet capable of doing.  I'm so excited to give them the chance to be successful and feel good/confident about math. Their faces light up when they earn a certificate and see their points adding up. These kids have NEVER passed math or earned grades to feel proud of and this is giving them the chance. Without TTM I wouldn't have the opportunity to do get them working on straight remediation.

On-Level Classes

This year, I have some of my on-level 7th grade students doing this because they finish their work quickly or I want them to be able to get some extra challenge. Next year, I will do the same 3 hour requirement as I do for my PACE students.  You can create pathways that align to what you are covering in class so the kids that needs the lesson covered in a different way that you may have done is available.

Grading

As far as grading goes, it is different depending on what type of class they are in and whether they are RTI.  Currently, I am counting it in a 15% category in the gradebook for a weekly 100 if they obtain at least 3 hours.  I want to find a way to give extra credit to those who go above and beyond the 3 hours. I have had some students do like 10-12 hours. If you assign a pathway, then you can just require them to complete the pathway that is assigned each week. That may be a better way of grading, but since I am doing the algebra readiness for my advanced class, I haven't tried the pathway/wk thing yet. This will be something I can try next year or with my on level classes. 

Categories for PACE (class that I am using TTM for):

• 5% homework/classwork
• 15% TTM
• 80% assessments

Rubric for my RTI students:

Total lessons + Total questions answered + Certificates (10 points) + Attitude + Effort = Daily Grade

I add Monday-Friday daily grades to come up with a "major" grade based on how many points they have earned.  (I will put a link to a PDF version of the rubric I have when I get back to school)

There are averages for each objective they complete in the pathway that can be used as grades too, but I have been basing the grade more so off of their completion. Once I become more familiarized with the program, I think I will start using the averages on their post-quizzes for the grades somehow. 

All in all...

TTM's development team is constantly working on ways to improve it.  They have superior customer service representatives that are available to chat with whenever you have a question that you need answered. I use the live chat option almost daily. They always offer to pass on suggestions to their development team. I hope that you guys get a chance to look into it because it is AWESOME!!!!!!!! 

HERE IS ANOTHER VIDEO RIGHT FROM THE MOUTHS OF REAL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS.