Laura McMahon is a middle-school teacher at Ivywood Classical Academy, a tuition-free public school located in Plymouth, Michigan. Ivywood Classical Academy is a Hillsdale College Member School.
How many students do you have?
In seventh grade I have 110 students. In eighth grade I have 45 students.
What do you teach?
I teach two sections of chemistry and two sections of middle school physics. I also have two sections of IEW composition. This is my second year to teach Structure and Style for Students. This year I teach both Year 2 Level B and Year 3 Level B. It's a lot! This is my first year using IEW® Gradebook.
What is your favorite part of IEW Gradebook?
I really enjoy having the checklist side by side with the student paper. IEW Gradebook links it so perfectly. It’s nice to have those side by side.
How do you receive and return student papers?
I find a lot of value in the handwritten cursive aspect of everything, so the students handwrite the KWOs and the rough drafts. We go through the lessons together in class and do peer editing so the students can receive edits and practice looking for errors. Students type their final drafts. This is also a great skill. They submit their final papers to the IEW Gradebook student portal.
How long did it take you and your students to get started with IEW Gradebook?
I went through the tutorial, which was really helpful. Learning how to use it was quite easy.
The first round of essays didn't go as smoothly as I would have hoped. But, I decided to do that one as practice for me and the students. After I understood where the mistakes were made, we improved for the next round. The second essay I assigned and graded was much easier. I was comfortable and confident with IEW Gradebook that quickly.
We're a low-tech school. When we first started this process, my students did not even know how to change the font size in a Google Doc. Submitting an essay into IEW Gradebook was quite a learning curve for them! It took about five class periods before they knew what to do. Now that we're halfway through the school year, they can easily go online and submit their final drafts.
How does IEW Gradebook save you time?
It has been absolutely phenomenal to gain hours of my time back every week. I have a family, and I'm working full-time. My kids are involved in sports and have homework, and there is dinner and household chores. Since I’ve begun using IEW Gradebook, I have extra hours to spend with my kids and my husband.
One of the biggest time savers is no longer hunting and searching for all of the dress-ups in all of the different paragraphs. Making sure that students are following the checklist and adhering to IEW’s standard is important for the development of their writing, and it is much easier for me to hold them accountable.
What’s the biggest challenge with using IEW Gradebook?
The biggest challenge for me was setting up student accounts in my classrooms. I can't wait next year to try the Bulk Upload feature!
What is your advice for teachers new to IEW Gradebook?
Any teacher who teaches with IEW should use it. Whether they have a self-contained class or five different classes, I would encourage all teachers to get it. I think it's a wonderful tool. Not only does it help you to learn the expectations of what is included in student compositions, but also it is a huge time saver. It is a beautiful addition to an already wonderful curriculum.
by Hannah Averitt
