As Ripon Area School District continues to improve teaching and learning for all students, we are undergoing a few revisions to our standards based report card at Barlow Park and Journey Charter Elementary Schools. These revisions reflect our commitment to ensuring that all students are successful at meeting end-of-year grade-level Common Core State Standards. As families of Barlow Park and Journey Charter Elementary Schools, you may have witnessed the changes in grading to end of year standards on your children’s report card last year.
Since the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010, more rigorous standards for what every child should know and be able to do in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science have been identified. Ripon Area School District Educators have spent the last two years analyzing and prioritizing these standards and developing student learning targets for each. These learning targets, also referred to as “I can” statements, are posted in classrooms and reviewed daily with students in an effort to clearly communicate expectations for student learning. Teachers are working together to develop common assessments to ensure that what is being measured within the assessments actually measures the standards or learning targets being addressed.
By aligning curriculum, assessments, and student report cards to these standards, teachers are able to measure student learning against consistent, established criteria. This is different from traditional assessment and reporting, which gives a single letter or number grade for broad subject categories. A standards-based report card puts the emphasis on learning, rather than on a comparison between and among students.
Our standards-based report card in grades 4PS-8 gives us a tool to accurately communicate to families the proficiency levels and progress their child is making toward learning the standards. The report card also provides information about students’ performance on skills and concepts in Social Studies, Art, Music, and Physical Education, as well as successful learning behaviors and effort throughout the year. Additionally, our report card provides specific feedback on progress toward these standards so students, families, and teachers can work together to set meaningful goals for improvement.
This year, you will notice several revisions to our standards-based report card at our elementary and middle schools. These revisions reflect our commitment to ensuring that all students are successful at meeting end-of-year grade-level Common Core State Standards.
We have established Academic Performance Level for Standards based on the following criteria:
1 Beginning |
2 Developing |
3 Proficient |
4 Advanced |
Works below grade level standard |
Begins to independently use grade level skill |
Meets end-of-year grade level standard |
Exceeds grade level standard |
Needs continued support |
Skill not yet mastered |
Understands and applies grade level concepts |
Consistently applies grade level concept appropriately |
Area of concern |
Inconsistent in application of skill |
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The academic performance levels at the K-8 schools will continue to use a 4-point scale, including whole and .5 increments to indicate marking-period levels of performance toward the standards. The .5 increments will indicate “Approaching …” each of the whole point levels: The academic performance levels at the elementary schools will reflect the following:
Academic Performance Level for Standard Grades K-5
Advanced: 4.0
Approaching Advanced: 3.5
Proficient: 3.0
Approaching Proficient: 2.5
Developing: 2.0
Emerging: 1.5
Beginning: 1.0
Not Being Assessed at This Time: *
Understanding the Academic Performance Level Key for Standards Proficiency
Barlow Park and Journey Charter Elementary Schools will continue to report on a trimester basis. Our 4K teachers will also be reporting on a trimester schedule versus the previous semester reporting terms. During the initial reporting periods, students are evaluated based on their progress toward end-of-year standards. In other words, students who receive a mark of “2” or “3” for the first two trimesters at the elementary school level are making consistent and adequate progress toward achieving end-of-year standards. In the final reporting period, the report card marks reflect a student’s actual achievement of the cumulative skills, strategies, and concepts identified in the content standards.
Previously, students were receiving grades based on trimester expectations rather than end-of-year expectations. It was more likely to see a score of “3” during the first two trimesters based on these expectations. Standards-based grading is intended to measure student performance accordingly to year-end goals. Students work throughout the year to achieve these end-of-year goals or standards. Standards that have not yet been introduced to students within a particular grading period are referenced with a (*). Marks of “3” and “2” BOTH indicate that a student is working within the expectations of his/her grade level. The difference is the level of independence and support with which the student works. On a standards-based report card, a mark of “3” is the expected goal for students, which indicates that the student is meeting the requirements of the academic standards for his/her grade level. Marks of “4” and/or “1” indicate student performance is significantly above or significantly below grade-level expectations and requires dialogue with the teacher. There is no correlation between the numeric marking system and the traditional letter grade - “ABCDF” system.
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