Grading Guidelines

In kindergarten, students will be graded in two main areas: skills and conduct.

Music skills in kindergarten are organized into six main areas. They are expressed as "I can" statements from the perspective of the student.

• 1. I can keep a steady beat.

  2. I can show how to be respectful, responsible, and safe.

  3. I can demonstrate the four ways of using my voice.

  4. I can use my singing voice.

  5. I can identify the families of the orchestra.

  6. I can create music.

These skills will be worked on throughout the year with many formative assessments to help me know how your child is progressing. Monthly newsletters will keep you abreast of which areas we are focusing on for that month. Included in the newsletter will be fun activities to do at home that will reinforce these skills.

Students will receive an "S" once they have demonstrated security in a skill area. Students will receive a "D" if they are still developing in the skill area. A "B" denotes that a student is in the beginning stage of learning a skill.

Conduct includes respect and effort. My expectation is for the student to be respectful of . . .

• him/herself

• the other students in the class

  • the teacher

  • the instruments

  • manipulatives

Effort includes trying new things, singing out, making mistakes, and trying again. I do not expect children to be perfect. I do expect students to try their best.

If the student is respectful in all of the areas above on a consistent basis and is also putting forth their best effort consistently, the student will earn a "+".

If the student is respectful in some of the areas or needs some reminders to participate, the student will earn a ">".

If the student struggles to be respectful in some or all of the areas, or the student does not participate at all, the student will earn a "-".

Parent Note

If your daughter/son is leaning towards a "-" grade in music, I will be sure to contact you well enough in advance of report cards that we can create an action plan together in order to address your child's specific needs and hopefully improve the behavior and therefore raise the grade. Grades to me are a measuring stick, not a label for your child. I use grades as a tool to communicate a student's progress, but they are only one tool. As always, if I have not contacted you and you have a concern, please feel free to contact me.

In 1st grade, students will be graded in two main areas: Conduct and Skills.

Conduct in 1st grade will include both respectful behavior and effort. Students will receive an "S" for "satisfactory" if they are respectful and hard-working in music class. Students will receive an "N" if they are consistently disrespectful or do not put forth effort in class. If students are in danger of receiving an "N," I will do my best to contact you, the parent or guardian, with enough time that we can work together to help the student improve in music.

Skills in 1st grade will be based on the district-wide music curriculum and the common assessments that are used by all music teachers in STMA. In addition to these common assessments, I will utilize additional, smaller assessments throughout the year to make sure I am understanding each students' needs and progress. I will utilize this information to plan lessons and individualize instruction for students.