A Note on Scores

In these ever-changing times of adjusting and advancing in education, grades have come a long way since the model of letter grades. In our school and district, we are working toward evaluating learning through a growth model. By doing so, we hope to give you a picture of your child's overall progress toward mastery. Our grades are not determined by a single test or average of scores, rather an inclusive process of discussions, observations, interactions, papers, and tests. I am constantly monitoring what the kiddos are learning, if they are learning it, and what I need to do differently if they are struggling.

One tool that I am using for the first time this year is PowerSchool. Teachers, parents, and even students can access PowerSchool in order to see and communicate the completion of assignments and daily behaviors.

For BEHAVIOR grades, we are focusing on one learning behavior throughout the day. The students know what they are practicing, and I keep a daily record to monitor them. At the end of the day, they are writing the behavior and their projected score for the day in the planner. I then check the planner and write my evaluation. I have already seen growth in their responsibility as we isolate the learning behaviors.  The ways the we evaluate the behaviors are as follows:

G - Good, Great, Super! The kiddo's actions fully supported the learning behavior, and he or she was a true star in that area. Their learning was helped by their actions, and they went above and beyond in the focus area.

S - Satisfactory.  The behaviors for the day may have been needing some support or reminders, but they did not stop anyone's learning. It was a pretty average day.

N - Needs Improvement. I needed to give a lot of reminders, guidance, and support in order for the kiddo to manage throughout the day. The learning was interrupted in the classroom of either self or others because of this.

For ACADEMIC grades (as noted in PowerSchool with either English Language Arts or Math), the evaluations run from an early understanding in the area to complete mastery of that area. Evaluating daily work can be challenging as I take in a variety of considerations in order to determine a score. For the FINAL report grades each trimester, I need to have a multitude of examples with work showing a total understanding. As you look at PowerSchool and papers that come home, you will notice that I use a letter to indicate which level your child demonstrated his or her work. Please keep in mind that this is only one item that I am evaluating and not the complete learning. The letters that describe the learning process are:

P - Proficient, Mastery, Complete Understanding. The work shows correct thinking and ability to process problems. The work fulfills the third grade requirements.

NP - Nearing Proficiency, Almost. This indicates a partial mastery of an area. There may be some errors in the work, but the central concepts are correct.

E - Early Stages, Emergent Learner. The practices are still in the beginning stages of learning. They need quite a bit of support in order to answer questions or work problems. There are many errors.

Thank you again for your patience and efforts in understanding this. I get to meet one-on-one with you in early November, but I can also meet before or after school if you have any questions or concerns. Please just email me or call me to set up a time.

Thank you!
Mrs. Urbaniak