ForAllRubrics: Proficiency Badges Made Easy

ForAllRubrics has helped refocus students’ attention on proficiency and learning. Sure, there’s still a little grade grubbing here and there, but now instead of requests for extra credit, I get requests to redo and fix–to demonstrate proficiency! Now students talk in terms of Novice Mid and Intermediate Low instead of ABC or 9/10 or 70%, and they want to get badges for where they really feel they are performing!

Still, there’s been a bit of a learning curve, so allow me so share what didn’t work, what I’m going to do about it, and what YOU can do to get started in 10 steps!

REFLECTION (Pledgification saves the day!)
Part of my problem this semester was that I allowed self-evaluation and peer-evaulation before the kiddos had the option of pledging for a badge. They weren’t exactly qualified to evaluate their proficiency that early in the semester, so there were badges going out willy nilly.

I mean, the ACTFL can-dos are pretty straightforward, but kids who still say “qué es tu llamo” maybe shouldn’t be evaluating how consistently someone can ask questions, even if we’re assuming a sympathetic audience.

So next year, I may not have to keep a spreadsheet. When I go to the badges page, I will be able to see what they really have  earned at a glance…without interference from willy-nilly badges.

Also, pre-pledges, I set up assignments as “self evaluation,” “peer evaluation,” and “teacher evaluation.” What would have been more useful (post-pledgification) is to go ahead and make assignments as follows:

• Portfolio – 1st 6 weeks
• IPAs – 1st 6 weeks
• Portfolios – 2nd 6 weeks
• IPAs – 2nd 6 weeks
• Portfolio – 3rd 6 weeks
• IPAs – 3rd 6 weeks

10 STEPS FOR SUCCESS

1. Create a portfolio template. Or, you know, steal one of mine. I’ve got Google Sites with ACTFL Can-Dos and Linguafolio objectives as well as Livebinders with ACTFL Can-Dos. I might do something with Thinglink next year, too (post forthcoming).

2. Students create their own copies. Maybe let them personalize them a little bit, at least with their names, maybe a brief intro, photo, or vido.

3. Collect links to students’ portfolio copies: they’ll need help, and you’ll want to be able to see where they are even if they haven’t turned in their latest links yet. Google Sites are nice because if they’re submitted under assignments on Classroom, you get editing privileges AND you can see when they were edited. NOTE: some kiddos will end up creating multiple copies, and this one may end up being the “wrong” one–but at least you have something.

4. Set up your classes in ForAllRubrics. I recommend having a spreadsheet with their name, ID number, and email address ready to go for easy importing.

5. Copy applicable rubrics from the ForAllRubrics library. I’ve set up everything from Novice Mid through Intermediate Mid (sorry, I’ve never taught anything above Spanish III), and ForAllRubrics has been nice enough to gather them under a @SraSpanglish tab!

6. Share the collections with your classes. Go to Manage Collections under the Admin button at the top. I’ve grouped all rubrics under Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational.

7. Show students how to log in and pledge. I have mine go to Discover Badges, pick the badge, then copy the objectives, pick “consistently” or “sometimes,” and name some evidence they have–or will have–that would show each. Maybe you want them to include links, too, but I’ve been having mine submit them on Google Classroom so I can give them a grade out of an even 10 rather than random uneven quantities of 20, 40, or 70.

8. Create assignment names based on your grading period. I generally create assignment names as I grade–but I only need one assignment for portfolios

9. Evaluate pledges. Check, check, check!

10. Conference with students about what they need next. I’ve decided homework choices will no longer be weekly, but between IPAs (every 3 weeks or so), after I sit down with each student and pick a target area.