WELCOME TO BACK TO SCHOOL
NIGHT 2014
C H A N G I N G T H E WAY W E T H I N K A B O U T G R O W I N G
FOCUS FOR 2014-2015
Implementation of the Common
Core State Standards
Transition to a new Report Card
format
Growth Mindset
TRANSITION TO NEW REPORT CARD FORMAT
District-wide grade level teams, along with guidance and support
from school and district administrators, have developed
standards-based Common Core report cards for kindergarten
through grade six.
This year, we will continue to use grades to measure student
achievement. This will be an O, S, and N grade in grades 1-3 and
A, B, C, D, and F grades in grades 4-6.
Beginning next year, the new report card will use numerical
indicators of student performance to indicate your child’s
progress on the grade level standard.
It is important to note that the report card is only one part of an
effective reporting system for student progress.
MINDSET
As we implement the Common Core
this year, our school will be
emphasizing and teaching about
having a growth mindset because we
believe that this is foundational to
helping our students to have the
motivation to persist in the face of setbacks and difficult challenges.
THE RESEARCH
World-renowned Stanford University
psychologist, Carol Dweck, discovered the
concept of mindset after decades of
research on achievement and success.
This is a simple concept that when
understood has a huge impact on how
people of all ages respond to failure and
difficulty.
WHAT IS A GROWTH MINDSET?
In a growth mindset, students believe that
their most basic abilities, talents, and
intelligence can be improved upon and
increased through consistent effort and
perseverance through challenging tasks. In
other words, the key to success in any
endeavor is hard work because it pushes our
malleable brain to grow and develop to meet
the challenge.
WHAT IS A FIXED MINDSET?
A fixed mindset is the belief that traits like
intelligence are “fixed” or “static” and
determined at birth. This leads to a corollary
belief that talent alone leads to success and
that it should be effortless. These beliefs tend
to cause people to give up early when they
meet with failure in a particular subject or
sport or any other aspect of their lives.
AFTER SETBACK (QUOTES FROM STUDENTS)
Fixed Mindset:
“I’d spend less time on this subject from now on.”
“I would try not to take this subject ever again.”
“I would try to cheat on the next test.”
Growth Mindset:
“I would work harder in this class from now on.”
“I would spend more time studying for the tests.”
Blackwell, Trzesniewski and Dweck, 2007
THE POWER OF PRAISE
Dr. Dweck’s decades of research reveal that
one of the most important things we can do
with children to promote a growth mindset is
to praise them for the effort and persistence
they demonstrate to accomplish a task—
especially a task that forces them to stretch
and grow through dedicated work and practice
and which may initially lead to failure and setbacks.
MESSAGES ABOUT WHAT WE
VALUE
Intelligence Praise: “Wow, that’s a really
good score. You must be smart at this.”
Effort (Process) Praise: “Wow, that’s a
really good score. You must have tried
really hard.”
YESTERDAY’S PRAISE:
“Look, you got an A without
really working. You’re really good at
math!”
“You did that so quickly and easily.
That’s impressive!”
TOMORROW’S PRAISE:
“You got an A without working. An A is
nice, but you must not be learning
much.”
“You did that so quickly and easily. I’m
sorry I wasted your time. Let’s do
something you can learn from.”
THE POWER OF YET
I’m not good at _____...
I can’t do ______...
I tried but it didn’t work…
SUMMARY
Embrace learning and growth
Understand the role of effort in creating talent
Maintain confidence and effectiveness in the
face challenges and setbacks
…and it can be taught.
MINDSET SAYINGS
Effort is Everything.
Perfect doesn’t live here.
Fast is not an option.
Learning means taking risks.
Learning changes my brain.
I’m in charge of my own intelligence.