Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the rationale for revising the report card?
A. The purpose is to improve communication and provide additional feedback for parents, students, and teachers. The RoSP includes more information about student learning and reports how the student is progressing toward grade level goals. The district’s new reporting method reflects PA Core standards, current research, and effective instructional strategies.
Q. What are the benefits of the RoSP?
- Clear and concise learning goals
- Clarity of expectations for meeting grade level learning targets (standards)
- Specific feedback
- Aligned assessments
- Grades based on proficiency (level of understanding)
- Academic considerations and support
- Social and emotional considerations and support
Q. What was the process for updating the report card?
A. The district began this process during the 2017-2018 school year by forming a committee of teachers and administrators to review research around grading systems. The committee identified the most important learning targets (standards) aligned to the PA Core Standards and our district curriculum. Administrators, teachers, and parents meet periodically to provide feedback to the committee. The district technology department was also involved and incorporated the new format into our online portal system.
Q. What are Essential Standards?
A. Essential standards are the most important learning targets of the PA Core Standards and district curriculum. Essential standards represent what all students are expected to know and be able to do at the conclusion of the school year. These priority standards contain important concepts that will be used in multiple disciplines and content areas.
Q. How does standards-based grading differ from traditional grading?
A. Standards-based grading measures student understanding over time. This system focuses on student achievement and growth by collecting and analyzing evidence to assess the student’s learning against a standard. The RoSP measures student understanding over time (even after whole-group assessment) and separates academic performance from work habits and behaviors.
Q. What is a proficiency scale and how will it be used in reporting progress?
A. Proficiency scales articulate learning progressions for each essential standard. Learning progressions are beneficial because they describe how student understanding of a topic develops over time. The proficiency scales along with a consistent grading language for all subjects in all grades represent a student’s progression in the learning continuum (Beginning, Progressing, Meeting, Exceeding). Therefore, student progress on each standard is specific and based on learning.
Q. How will student learning be recorded and communicated?
A. If the evidence of student learning assesses only part(s) of the standard (a concept or skill that the student must meet to demonstrate proficiency), the evidence will be classified as skill(s). Should the evidence of student learning encompass all skills within a standard (the entire standard), it will be classified as a standard. Therefore, if a learning task or assessment addresses only one skill/component of the Essential Standard (end of year learning target) and it is classified as such in the gradebook, the student may earn a Meeting rating for the assignment, assessment, etc. A student may earn Meeting on several smaller work samples and still receive Progressing as the overall rating for the trimester.
Q. How will learning be reported for students who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)?
A. For students with an IEP, accommodations and modifications will be accessible to students as they demonstrate their learning. Teachers will take into consideration all available supports when reporting student progress.
Timeline for Implementation
2018-2019: Kindergarten
2019-2020: Grade 1
2020-2021: Grades 2
2021-2022: Grades 3-4
2022-2023: Grades 5
Transition to Traditional Grading Scale
Students will transition to a traditional grading scale in grade 6. The traditional grading system provides feedback to students through a singular letter grade, while the Report of Student Progress measures students’ progress toward mastering specific learning targets (Essential Standards). In grade 6, however, evidence of student learning will continue to be categorized by Essential Standards and Skills, similar to the framework in kindergarten through grade 5.
