Elementary Progress Report Proposal

May 2013

Process• 18 months of committee work.• 3 representatives from each elementary

school (at the start at least).• Spirited debates!• Looked at progress reports from many other

systems – incorporated the best features.• Building/grade level reviews.• Field tested with selected parents – Feb. 2013

Why Change• Current progress reports are time consuming

for teachers and can be interpreted many ways.

• Needed more precise, detailed information for parents. Provides explicit information about the standards for that quarter.

• Proposal is standards based and aligned with new ACPS curriculum.

• Ability (in future) to connect with electronic grade book with progress report.

• Move to PowerSchool provides for improve application to support progress reports.

Current Progress Report

Proposed Progress Report

Insert new progress report copy

Major Components• Instructional Reading Level • Reading: Word Analysis; Comprehension • Writing: Composition and Mechanics • Instructional Math Level • Math: Number Sense; Computation and

Estimation; Measurement and Geometry; Probability, Statistics, Patterns, and Algebra.

• Science• Social Studies

Major Components • Art• Music • Physical Education• Life, Work, and Citizenship Skills • Text boxes for each content area if needed.

Marking System Subject Areas

4: Shows advanced understanding…..consistently applying them independently and creatively.

3: Shows proficient understanding…..frequently applying them independently.

2: Shows basic understanding…..occasionally applying them independently.

1: Show need for significant support…..infrequently or never applying them independently.

Life, Work, and Citizenship Skills • Consistently• Occasionally • Does Not

Marking System Quarterly marking indicates student’s proficiency

with standards at that point in time. (Not a quarter wide average.)

Student achievement in reading and math is marked against their instructional level to acknowledge the progress of all students.

Policy IKC -1: Grading

• Current Policy Requires Letter Grade at Elementary Level

• Request Change to Numbers– Better Communication with ELL

parents. – Provides an opportunity to more

clearly define what the mark means. – Facilitates better communication on

a student’s academic level. – Mirrors the Transfer Task rubric

Field Test

Probe Agree or Strongly

Agree S: The standards based progress report provides me with more information regarding what my child has learned or needs to learn in each subject than the current ACPS progress report.

77%

S: I find the information on the progress report to be about right.

50%

S: I find the information on the standards based progress report to be helpful in discussing my child’s progress with his/her teacher(s).

70%

S; I think the Life, Work, and Citizenship Skills area of the report is relevant information in helping me understand my child’s progress.

78%

S: I understand the scoring rubric for the new progress report.

72%

Support for Teachers• Professional learning for teachers prior to

beginning of SY2013 to facilitate grade book set-up.

• Professional learning shortly before using the online system to facilitate entry of scores on 1st quarter progress reports.

• Support available through grade level curriculum groups or at a building level.

• Extending the grading window.

Support for Parents• Letter to parents with basic overview after

board approval and again in the fall. • FACE Centers will provide parent workshops on

understanding the new progress report.• Schools will be provide with materials for

doing a parent workshop on site if desired. • Website: basic information, sample, and FAQs.• Parent conferences are scheduled at the same

time that the new progress report will be used.