"I Can" Statements
The purpose of grades at NFVCSD is to communicate what students know and can do.
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"Explaining the intended learning in student-friendly terms at the outset of a lesson is the first step in helping students know where they are going...
Students cannot assess their own learning or set goals to work toward without a clear vision of the intended learning. When they do try to assess their own achievement without understanding the learning targets they have been working toward, their conclusions are vague and unhelpful. (Stiggens 58-59)
"I Can" Statements...
are simple statements written by the teacher based on learning objectives from the curriculum.
are written in student-friendly language.
break down lofty standards into learning targets students can read and understand.
identify specific learning for each lesson.
may include more than one "I Can" statement for each common core standard.
break down the steps students need to master to meet expectations of the standard.
help students become more responsible for their work and more reflective of their learning.
set the expectation that students will be graded according to their proficiency at meeting the criteria of the standard.
Maximize effectiveness of "I can" statements:
Make them specific yet not restrictive. (Know, Understand, Do)
Communicate goals to students and parents. (Post, Discuss, Reference)
Make connections to previous and future learning.
Engage students in writing personal "I can" statements.
"DoK." YouTube. NYC DOE Promising Practice
Plus, 03 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 June 2016.
Example "I can" statements:
3rd Grade Reading Standard RL.3.6
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.
I can define point of view.
I can determine the point of view of the narrator or characters of a story.
I can tell my own point of view from that of the narrator or characters of a story.
I can explain how my point of view is similar to or different from a narrator or character in a story.
3rd Grade Mathematics Standard 3.OA.8
Solve two-step problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding. *This standard is limited to problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers; students should know how to perform operations in the conventional order when there are no parentheses to specify a particular order (Order of Operations).
I can solve problems using the order of operations.
I can identify different strategies for estimating.
I can construct an equation with a letter standing for the unknown quantity.
I can solve two-step word problems using the four operations.
I can justify my answer using estimation strategies and mental computation.
9th-10th Grade Reading Standard RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
I can define theme.
I can read a text and be able to identify the author’s purpose.
I can find appropriate quotations and references from the entire work that show how the theme emerges and is refined.
I can determine a theme and explain its development throughout the text using specific details.
I can understand the difference between writing objectively and subjectively.
I can read a text and objectively summarize the storyline.
Resource: Stiggins, Richard J. Classroom Assessment For Student Learning. Portland, OR: Assessment Training Institute, 2004. Print.
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