|
Social Circle Primary changes grading system
Published October 25, 2009
There may still be reading, writing and arithmetic, but the alphabet soup used to grade it all will change a bit.
Social Circle Primary School is unveiling a new report card system this year, a pilot program that will replace the traditional A, B, C and Fs with a rubric of needs improvement, progressing, meets and exceeding.
“There will be no letter grades on the new report card,” said Ronda Estes, principal at Social Circle Primary. “Does an 89 mean your child can read?”
The new report card system has already been in use among last year’s kindergartners, now first graders, so only the second graders will see a change in grading from last year. The standards-based grading, designed to complement the new state curriculum, is designed to better inform parents how their children are doing and what areas need improvement.
“We don’t want to provide parents with false information,” Estes said. “There will be no guessing at what should be taught. It will be right there on the report card.”
Under the new grading system, the meets designation will correspond to a 100 on the old numerical scale. To earn the exceeds designation, students will have to display an understanding of the material beyond their grade level.
“When I first arrived at the primary school, I insisted we post not just the standards for the grade level but for the next grade level,” Estes said. “We know where we’re headed.”
Estes said the new report card was necessary to fully convey the level of a child’s achievement, with breakdowns by content areas and comments on which areas need improvement. Yet the pilot program, which is planned to eventually expand to all the schools, is only just starting to redesign the traditional report card.
“We will continue to tweak the report card,” Estes said. “We’re going in the right direction. This is what we need to do.”
In addition, with the new system, the honor roll ceremonies will end, replaced with honoring students who meet and exceed standards, as well as other awards for achievement.
“Every child deserves an award in something,” Estes said.
With the new report card system in place, Estes said it will better evaluate students and give struggling students a better chance to succeed.
“How many children have dropped out not because of ability but because of grading?” Estes asked. “Every child should receive a rigorous curriculum and this will help us achieve that.”
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print
|
