That said, I've been working on trying something a little bit different this year. Now, the fact that I am starting at a new school and that I already have plenty on my plate has given me a bit of pause. However, what would be a better time for starting something new than when I'm starting something new?
Bear in mind that I am still working out the kinks. The basic premise is that each quarter will be worth a set number of points (like a thousand). Major assignments and tests alone make up most of that total, and they will all be quite rigorous. Students can then do a variety of assignments to help build up their grade to where they want it to be, perhaps even making up for poor test scores. Taking world history as an example, they can create maps, notes, timelines, alternate histories, critical reviews, biographies, or artwork that somehow demonstrates what they are supposed to learn about a region and time period. Once they get to 600 points, they have passed the quarter (with a D), 700 points to get to a C, 800 points to get to a B, 900 points to get to an A.
Additionally, students can earn "badges" as rewards for meeting certain benchmarks. These benchmarks accumulate throughout the school year. For example, simply completing a map at the minimum requirements (C level grade) earns a bronze cartographer badge. One B level or two C level maps earns a silver. One A level, two B level, or 4 C level (or one B and two Cs) maps earns a gold. Two As for a platinum. Three As for a diamond. Four As for a "Master Cartographer" badge.
Types of badges for world history currently include: Cartographer (as mentioned for making maps), Alternativist (for giving a detailed "what if" version of history compared to actuality), Time(line) Traveler (for creating timelines), Critic (for explaining and justifying mistakes in history and how they cold have been avoided), Research (for finding records relevant to the time period), Artist (for creating pieces of art that are inspired by the time period), Biographer (for focusing on a specific individual and justifying that person's inclusion in history), and Stenographer (for taking detailed notes). There is also the Erudite badge for doing well on the tests.
There are two aspects that I would like to expand upon. One, I would like to go digital at some point so that the badges are something that they can post to social media if they wish (and so I have electronic records). Two, I would like to somehow incorporate this into a larger game, like "The Game" I used in my AP world classes. Currently, my brain is not quite wrapping around how I would do that. In the case of digital badges, I need to work more with different sites (like Mozilla's Open Badges) to see if they would meet my needs without being too labor intensive on my or my students' parts.