Elementary Progress Reports
Grade-level expectations and curriculum standards are aligned with state standards adopted by the Connecticut State Department of Education. South Windsor’s curriculum supports what the state expects students to know and be able to do at each grade level. There is a direct relationship between the school curriculum and the three elementary progress reports. As teachers evaluate student achievement at the end of each trimester, they will be referring to the grade-level benchmarks and/or expectations in each of the curriculum areas, and reviewing the degree to which each student achieves curriculum mastery from September through June.
Progress reports are directly linked to the curriculum at each grade level, and are intended to communicate a picture of how your child is performing in school in reference to grade-level benchmarks and expectations at that time. As children mature and progress from one grade level to the next, they are able to learn certain content and skills in a somewhat predictable manner. However, progress reports issued to students in grades K through 5 do not compare a child’s academic progress with other individual children or with the classroom as a group.
Information about student progress is provided to help parents/guardians partner with teachers on their child’s continued development and success. At the elementary level, there are three reporting periods (or “trimesters”). Concepts and skills in each subject will be rated using the following categories:
Below grade-level benchmark expectations (at this time)
Approaching grade-level benchmark expectations
Meets grade-level benchmark expectations
Exceeds grade-level expectations
Additionally, developing good habits, productive attitudes, and responsibility for one's decisions and actions is as important as mastering the basic skills and acquiring academic knowledge. Therefore, teachers also assess social development and work habits. They will use the following scale to evaluate each student on their social development and work habits to reflect how consistently and independently the student meets expectations:
S Satisfactory N Needs improvement U Unsatisfactory
Math and Literacy. The scoring practices for Math and Literacy specifically are intended provide clearer communication to parents regarding student expectations and progress. In trimesters one and two, your child’s progress will reflect their mastery of benchmark expectations rather than mastery of end-of-year grade level standards. In this way, teachers are able to share how students are progressing toward the grade level standards in relation to what is expected for that time of year. The third trimester allows teachers to report on mastery of the complete grade level standard.
To learn more about the benchmark expectations in the areas of Math and Literacy, click on one of the links below.