Research Project Finally Chosen!!!!!

I have found it so very hard to settle on a research project. Nothing I explored felt right. In part, I felt I was just jumping into a project in order to get the assignments completed and get a good grade in EDLD 5301. Secondly, I felt they were not really good projects for the long haul. Then this week I was in an ITRT (Instructional Technology Resource Teacher) meeting and they were discussing their progress in getting teachers to use standards-based grading. They were discouraged because most of the teachers were not interested and were not participating. The group discussed the benefits of the grading system and how it would help with the county’s new requirements for data gathering, help in targeting individualized remediation, and several other benefits. I was intrigued. Yes, I had been to a presentation, but since it was not required, I promptly tossed it into my idea bag and forgot about it. As I listened I immediately began to wonder if standards-based grading would make an appropriate action research project. I knew very little regarding the topic, but if the benefits to using the software and grading in that fashion were to be believed, I could see how doing so would lead to school improvement.

At this meeting was a representative from central office. He said that he wanted the ITRT personnel to keep encouraging the teachers because eventually the implementation of  standards-based grading was going to be mandated, but they weren’t going to bring the hammer down this year. After this statement I knew this had to be my project – especially since it would have an impact on me in my classroom and my school. Llistening to the group helped me to identify these questions for my inquiry:

1. How did standards-based grading differ from the way we were keeping grades now for middle school math recordkeeping?
2. How hard would it be to either include standards-based grading for middle school math, or switch to only this type of grading system?
3. Is our grading program (PowerSchool) set up for standards-based grading with the new Virginia Math SOL objectives instituted last year?
4. What type of teacher training would be required?
5. What types of reports can be generated using standards-based grading?
6. Can, and if so, how will standards-based grading improve teacher performance in teaching middle school math?
7. What type of impact on student performance in middle school math can come from standards-based grading?