Category: English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

All necessary posts for the English Regents Prep class being taught for the 2016-2017 school year.

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Regents Prep: 5 to Go

  By English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

P1 Update

You are scheduled to meet five more times before the end of the year. You fall into one of the following three groups.

Juniors taking the exam on June 12

You are most likely preparing for this exam in your core English class. You should, therefore, coordinate with me to make sure we reinforce that work with appropriate elements from the practice exam assigned in mid-May. You should also read the following post:

Gamesmanship: Regents Exam (CC ELA)

The weird picture is of a blobfish. It’s part of an equally weird metaphor about the pressure of high-stakes tests. Anyway, the post crunches the numbers for the Regents Exam, offering you a look at what you’d need on each section to pass or score distinction.

Seniors taking the exam on June 12

You need to complete the practice exam assigned to you as soon as possible. We’ll review your performance as you go. Like the juniors, you might benefit from reading that post on gamesmanship. You might have different goals in terms of the score, but you all need to pass.

Students not taking the English Regents Exam

You stayed on the roster to prepare for another exam. Use the next five meetings to do practice tests through Castle Learning, seek tutoring, which I will help you set up; or to quiz yourself, if the exam is content driven. I’ll be here to help.

Ask any questions about the exam below.

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Regents Prep: 30 to Go

  By English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

Exam Date: June 12, 2018

You are just about 30 days from the Regents Exam.  Castle Learning now has five new prep assignments:

  • 8/16 Practice: Part 1 – Passage A
  • 8/16 Practice: Part 1 – Passage B
  • 8/16 Practice: Part 1 – Passage C
  • 8/16 Practice: Part 2
  • 8/16 Practice: Part 3

This practice all comes from the exam given in August of 2016. Follow the directions carefully. For each assignment, there is now also a CR — constructed response — asking you to be metacognitive about your choices and performance.

Here is the set of five assignments with multiple-choice count and constructed-response count indicated:

These new metacognitive constructed responses are essential. They allow us to apply your performance over the next 30 days to the actual Regents Exam, regardless of your efforts up to now.

For each reading passage, the metacognitive prompt in Castle Learning is this:

Use teacher feedback, your peers, and the correct answers that are provided by Castle Learning to engineer an understanding of how these questions and answer choices work. Write metacognitively about the passage, the questions, and your problem-solving efforts.

And for both writing responses, the metacognitive prompt in Castle Learning is this:

Identify and analyze several writing choices you made in this response. You can focus on your use of detail, your arrangement, your central meaning, or your rhetorical manipulation of grammar and style.

All five assignments will be open from May 14 at 7:00 AM until June 11 at 11:59 PM. Castle Learning will track your time spent on task using 180 seconds as the timeout period, and I will use class time to conference with you about your progress.

Any work previously assigned that was not completed by last week’s deadlines may be completed at your discretion. The list:

  • Part 1: June ’15 Exam (Castle Learning)
  • Required Analysis: June ’15 Exam, Part 1 (Google Classroom)
  • Part 1: June ’14 Exam (Castle Learning)
  • Required Analysis: June ’14 Exam, Part 1 (Google Classroom)
  • Part 2: June ’14 Exam (Castle Learning)
  • Part 3: June ’14 Exam (Castle Learning)

Finishing a missing assignment will also obviously help you prepare for the Regents Exam. Only the assignments assigned on May 14, however, will further contribute to whether or not you pass or fail this course.

Ask questions in class or in the comment section of this post.

Click for the full strip.

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Regents Prep: Last Quarter

  By English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

The following spreadsheet is organized by student number. Find your row, and then consider each of the following data points:

  1. Your in-class focus during recent periods, evaluated on a 0-3 scale.
  2. An in-class self-assessment that was due on March 23 or March 26, depending on your schedule, and which was evaluated on the same 0-3 scale.
  3. Two Castle Learning assignments, evaluated on the same 0-3 scale.
  4. A score from this sheet, indicating whether you are currently passing or failing the quarter.

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FP1-P-F-Update-032718.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=500px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

 

Notes on Data

That spreadsheet is a copy of the one I use for in-class feedback and redirection. Because you either pass or fail this course, you do not need to see those numbers; instead, you need that in-class feedback and redirection, most of which comes down to the simple completion of assignments.

In the hope that it helps, however, I am giving you these notes. Here is what a number from 0-3 indicates, roughly speaking:

In a course where you pass or fail, the line is right in the middle, hence this version of the universal profiles used in Room 210. You can actually quantify that line, if you read carefully:

When your flaws outnumber your successes, you fail. In an exam-driven course, this is about as straightforward as it gets. The expectations:

  1. Complete any assigned practice sections during class.
  2. Complete any assigned metacognition during class.
  3. Meet with your teacher during class.
  4. Repeat.

If you don’t complete the first step, you can’t complete the rest. When you complete the first step at a very low level, you can’t complete the rest. And you only need class time to do this, hence the “during class” in that list.

Individualized Work

About half of the current roster has stayed in this course despite passing the ELA Regents Exam in January. That’s fine. These students use the time to work on core English assignments, to prep for the writing portions of other exams, or to help their peers with this exam.

The original purpose of the course continues with the rest of the roster: You are assigned practice exams, usually through Castle Learning; you analyze your performance, using my feedback and the automatic feedback given by Castle Learning; and then we meet to review the results.

Regardless, this is far less about exams and English work than it is about choice and responsibility. If you make good choices, you pass this course. If you make good choices, you will pass pretty much any exam you have to take this year.

Starting with Wednesday, March 28, you will meet five times before the end of Q3. Two those meetings will happen before our shortened spring break, and four of them will happen after it.

Today, I will enter a provisional pass/fail note in Infinite Campus. Use the spreadsheet in this post to make sense of that feedback. Then talk to me in class over the next two days about your performance.

Starting on Wednesday, April 4, and continuing until Friday, April 13, you must orient your perspective and expectations for Q4. Look to this list:

  • You must have a plan for how to use your time in class.
  • You must set goals for yourself.
  • You must meet those goals.
  • You must demonstrate focus in class.

You have two weeks to salvage Q3, if you are failing. Starting with Q4, it will not matter if you are taking the Regents Exam in June or not; you must meet these requirements, and we will document every choice you make.

If you are taking the Regents Exam in June, start by printing a report from Castle Learning. You must be able to analyze that report. You must be able to bring questions and observations about that report to any meetings with me.

Ask questions about any of these expectations in class or in the comment section below.

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Regents Prep: Updates

  By English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

P1: Second Semester Updates

We are now settled into the second semester. Let’s talk about what that means.

For returning students, we will focus on Part 1 of the exam to get your multiple-choice scores where they need to be. The protocol will be the same for every assignment, whether it is assigned individually or to everyone:

  1. Take the practice test through Castle Learning.
  2. Get the correct answers and an explanation for each answer through Castle Learning.
  3. Write metacognitively about each question, answer, concept, etc., and submit that writing through Google Classroom.
  4. Conference with me about the results.

Look to Google Classroom for formal assignments and updates. We will return to timed writing in April or May, depending on the need.

For returning students who passed the Regents Exam in January, we will use this class either as an academic lab or as prep for another Regents Exam. I’ll talk to you individually about your needs. You can also opt out of this class now and move into a study hall, if you choose.

If we receive new students, they will be given a full practice exam to take through Castle Learning. As soon as they finish, I will meet with them to analyze the results and devise an individual course of study for the next few months.

For everyone, regardless of focus, this remains a pass/fail course that uses profiles to assess your performance:

We’ll rely primarily on in-class discussion to track progress toward one half or the other of that handout. I will also communicate progress through progress reports and the column in Infinite Campus labeled GAPQ3C (for third quarter) and GAPQ4C (for fourth quarter).

Remember that this classroom is a makerspace, which means it is about experimenting in order to solve an authentic problem. That applies to Regents Exam prep, too. We are looking for solutions to the problem of passing an exam.

That makerspace philosophy is also how we will use the space to hack other aspects of school for those of you who passed the exam and choose to remain on the roster. It will also help returning students universalize some of our test prep.

You can ask questions in the comments section here. I’ll respond so that everyone can read the answers.

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Regents Prep: Rubicon+

  By English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

Current Assignments

We’ve spent the last month working carefully in class on the June ’17 ELA Regents Exam. As we head into the winter break, you should revisit this post, and then you should focus on these assignments:

  1. Typed Revision of Part 2 of June ’17 Exam | Instructions are on Google Classroom.
  2. Text-Based Analysis (Part 3 of June ’17 Exam) | Instructions are on Google Classroom.

You must complete both of these assignments before January 2, unless you and I work out an alternative deadline. See below for penalty information.

Rubicon: Pass/Fail

The point of no return is sometimes called “crossing the Rubicon.” This course is now, as you know, pass/fail. Your Rubicon is the moment when you cross into failure for the quarter. Here is a direct link to the assessment profiles we are using:

This is normally an obvious determination that uses Occam’s logic or the duck test. Starting now, however, every time you break the rules of the classroom, including the requirement to focus on coursework at all times, those failures will be recorded and shared with parents, counselors, administrations, etc., in order to help you assume responsibility as you prepare for the exam.

You will be tracked on my end through a form that looks like this:

I select the date, choose a name from a dropdown menu, and note the unacceptable behavior. Examples include:

  1. doing homework for another class
  2. playing games
  3. sending text messages
  4. watching videos
  5. sleeping
  6. gossiping
  7. checking social media accounts
  8. wandering the hallways

There will be contemporaneous notes for your progress, and those notes can be given to any stakeholder, from parents to counselors, in order to help you. Separate notes are kept for missing assignments, incomplete work, and so on.

If you have questions, ask them in class. You may also comment below and/or send an email.

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Regents Prep: Pass/Fail

  By English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

Assessment Shift: Q2 ff.

Your Q1 grades are online. These grades were developed from the assessment model outlined in your syllabus, which means that they reflect a GAP score earned every three weeks.

The decision has now been made to treat this course as Pass/Fail. This changes nothing about my expectations, your goals, our work, etc., but it does change how you are assessed. For Q1, any GAP score average below 65 is failing; anything 65 or above is passing.

For Q2, we will use this:

That is an edit of the grade abatement profiles given in your syllabus. Now, instead of receiving a score, you will either pass or fail, based on your entire body of work throughout the quarter. It is no longer a mathematical average. Do not use the original corresponding scores.

This is a significant shift, but you will still receive the same level of feedback. You will still use the calendar uploaded here:

Every three weeks, we will talk about your progress. You may receive written feedback through Infinite Campus. You won’t receive a score, however, and it is your responsibility to monitor your progress, ask for help, meet your goals, and so on.

You will receive a copy of the new handout the next time you meet with me this week. We will review it then.

One additional note: Everything you do must now run through me. I’ll keep your folders until you request them, and I’ll collect them at the end of each period. You will be in assigned seats and groups. I’ll request a plan each day from you, and we’ll use that daily goal-setting to drive our work.

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Regents Prep: Q1 Review

  By English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

Note to RE11 and AP11 students: This isn’t your corner of the classroom. Pay attention to the breadcrumbs at the top of each post, or click only on your class when you access the site.

The first post written specifically for students in English Regents Prep asked you to consider a lot:

A Horse to Water

This one will be much shorter.

Practice Exam, SRI, and Adjustments

Your scores on the Aug. ’17 ELA Regents Exam are posted here by student number:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F11%2FPractice-Exam-Data-Aug.-17-ELA.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=1360px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

 

You can also use this direct link to the Drive document. The numbers are accurate and updated as of roughly 10AM on Friday, November 3.

Logins and passwords for the SRI were posted to Google Classroom on October 29. The test takes 10-20 minutes for most people. As of 10AM this morning, November 3, 21 of 37 students have not taken the test.

You must generate data for us to do data analysis. To put it more simply: If you don’t do the work, there’s no more work to do. And that lack of investment, hard work, amenability, etc., leads inexorably to a lower profile score:

Grade Abatement Profiles with Universal Skills/Traits

You were given that information back in September. It’s available on Google Classroom, as well. You should review it as necessary. Your scores for Q1 will be finalized before Monday. For a calendar of all previous and upcoming scoring periods, click here: https://goo.gl/rEyFE4. This calendar has been updated in Google Classroom, too.

Ask questions about any of this in the comment section below.

A Horse to Water

  By English Regents Prep (2017-2018)

Click the image for an explanation of the idiom, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”

NOTE: This is a post for students in P1 Regents English Prep only. If you’re in RE11 or AP11 and you’re reading this, you’re going to be very confused by the end of it.

I’m moving instructional posts for our Regents English Prep class from Google Classroom to this website, because I need more space to talk to you. For now, the comment section will be locked; if you have questions or concerns, send me an email, or use the comment section of Google Classroom.

Read this post carefully. A photocopy will be made for you, but the purpose of using this website is to give you anytime/anywhere access to instruction. The word for this is interstitial: occupying the space between other structures. Read when you can, as often as you can.

Practice Exam Adjustments

Back on September 10, you began the Aug. ’17 Regents Exam:

Aug. ’17 Regents Exam – Google Drive

Practice materials for the Aug. ’17 ELA Regents Exam. Includes scored exemplars, multiple-choice answers, and printable rubrics.

My original intention was to divide and conquer. You would complete each part, receive a score, and then analyze your performance. I hoped to return your scores with each assignment. There has been so much missing work, however, that we need to adjust. Look carefully at the spreadsheet below:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F10%2FCopy-of-Aug.-17-Regents-Exam-Responses.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=600px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

 

You can also load this document in a separate window by clicking here. You will need your student number to locate the row with your scores for each part of the exam. Note the use of weighted scores for Part 2 and Part 3, plus the conversion chart that produces the final scale score.

If you see blank boxes, I do not have those pieces from you. You need to go to Google Classroom, find the assignment for each part of the practice exam, and then complete it. I will do what I can to save us time — by going through and counting up your multiple-choice score, for instance — but the quickest way to see your predicted score is to submit your work digitally.

Skinner Boxes

Once we have a score for your exam, I will work with you on a regimen that gets you ready for the real thing. We will start with a test called the SRI. It measures a few key aspects of your reading abilities, and we can use it to assign you articles and even books that will improve your close reading skills. Then we will study test-taking strategies, multiple-choice strategies, etc, in small groups and individually.

These first two months have always been about establishing that kind of baseline. As the cliché goes, this is a marathon, not a sprint, and your grade will continue to reflect this. Grade abatement makes this clear, but I can make it clearer still: Do every formal assignment, and when you’re done, ask for something else to do; stay busy during every class; take another crack at a timed essay or multiple choice passage every few weeks or so; and then, barring disaster, you will see a 95 or 100 in Infinite Campus.

Here is the grade abatement handout:

Grade Abatement Profiles with Universal Skills/Traits

And here is a guide to how critical in-class focus and feedback are to your success:

These are posted around the room, as well. The main requirement for success is productivity during the class period, as you can see. There shouldn’t be much need for homework.

Now, a few notes on how you are currently performing:

First, students who scored an 80 or higher on the Aug. ’17 exam probably do not need the focused test prep of this course. If you are in this group, I have already reached out to your guidance counselor to start the conversation about remaining in here. I will reach out to you and your parents next. The goal is to give you the resources you need in an environment that helps you, and someone with a 94 on a practice exam is likely to be frustrated by the requirements of this class.

That group is relatively small, though. The second group is a little larger, and includes students who are working hard but still struggling to finish the practice exam. This group can take its time, and I’ll help you work on strategies as you finish. If you finished and scored low, you have plenty of time to improve. The goal is the real exam in January and/or June. We’ll focus on self-efficacy, self-awareness, and all sort of non-academic skills and traits that will help you.

The last group has a different concern: You aren’t doing the work, and you aren’t trying to do the work. If you know that is the case, and no penalty or benefit has changed your mind, you need to be honest about that with yourself, your parents, and your guidance counselor. Everyone who cares about your success hopes you make a different decision, but we can’t force you. You’re far too old for us to have a bring-a-horse-to-water debate.

Remember that almost all of you in this third group are taking an English class other than this one, and in that class, you will do a significant amount of Regents Exam prep. All English classes, regardless of the amount of explicit test prep assigned, teach the skills and traits you need for the ELA Regents. And in those other classes, you will be forced to make better choices. You need the credit to graduate.

This course is not required for graduation, and it will only help you if you invest in it. It cannot be a study hall. Treat it that way, and you may be forced to explain yourself repeatedly to administration, counselors, parents, etc.; you definitely will fail; and there won’t be any increase in your ability to do well on the real exam, whenever you take it.

In other words, for those of you in this third group, this is one of the only opportunities in high school you have to stop being a rat in a Skinner box. You can leave the cage, if you absolutely know that you won’t do the work. Again, the people who care about you hope you make a different choice, but we also hope that you see the need for the classroom environment to be conducive to the second group mentioned above — the students who need help.

To recap:

  1. If you scored high on the practice exam, you won’t benefit from staying in here. This is Group #1.
  2. If you are struggling to perform well, but working hard, this is the course for you. This is Group #2.
  3. If you refuse to do the work, you won’t benefit from staying in here. This is Group #3.

Figure out where you are, talk to me about your next steps, and let’s make some important decisions together.