How to Interpret the K-6 Report Card
Overview:
Grades for students enrolled in the City of St. Charles School District will be based on achievement of District-wide/State content standards, which specify what students should know and be able to do. Standards will be the same across schools and classrooms teaching the same courses in the City of St. Charles School District. These grading premises and practices are intended to ensure students have the knowledge and skills necessary for the next level of a course, the next grade or readiness for college or the workforce.
Purpose and Intended Use:
Standardized grading practices provide specific clear learning goals for students, parents, teachers and administrators of what a student must know and be able to do to master the content of a course. They allow teachers to be consistent with common best practices from grading based on educational research. Most importantly, they provide tremendous clarity for students and families as to what the grading criteria and expectations are between and amongst teachers, courses, and schools.
Coursework Types:
Some coursework may be expected to be completed during class time or outside of school.
Practice assignments are brief. They are done to learn a new skill or to gain initial content knowledge, (e.g., student responses on white boards, a valid sampling of math problems, keyboarding exercises, diagramming sentences, checking and recording resting heart rate). Practice assignments are not generally graded for accuracy (descriptive feedback will be provided in class) and are not a part of the grade. Practice work is at the student’s instructional level. Practice work may be assigned as class work or homework.
Formative assessments/assignments are done for learning. They are minor assignments, (e.g., a three paragraph essay, written responses to guiding questions over an assigned reading, completion of a comparison contrast matrix). Formative assignments are graded for accuracy and descriptive feedback is provided. Formative work is at the student’s instructional level.
Summative assessments/assignments are major end of learning unit tests or projects, (e.g., a research paper, an oral report with a power point, science fair project). Summative assignments are graded for accuracy. Summative assignments assess the student’s progress on grade level standards.
Proficiency Scales:
Proficiency scales are standardized at the district level for each course and they are broadly written to allow teachers to use the same scale for multiple assignments/projects. Teachers will use proficiency scales for every learning goal/content standard. Proficiency scales should be available to students and parents by posting them in the classroom and publishing them in a course syllabus or on the teacher’s website.
Scores/Grades:
Scores are proficiency levels on an individual assignment or assessment. A grade is the final, overall score for the course.
In grades K-8, individual assignment or assessment scores will be updated regularly in Tyler SIS-K12. Letter grades are not awarded for individual assignments or assessments. In grades K-8, student work will be marked with a score of 4/advanced; 3/proficient (at grade level); 2/basic; 1/below basic.
STANDARDS-BASED REPORT CARD RUBRIC FOR GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHT:
Non-academic Factors:
Effort, work habits, attendance and behavior are tracked separately from progress on academic standards.