Castaic Union School District continues to advance the hearts and minds of students, and we know that parents and families are our most valuable partners. This resource provides families with information about the elementary report card.
The elementary report card reflects your child’s performance on specific standards and skills that students are expected to learn during each trimester. Standards-based grading helps ensure that student grades are meaningful, accurate, consistent, and supportive of learning. The report card performance levels reflect how your child is performing at designated times throughout the year, based on what has been taught to date.
Please watch the video and read the Report Card Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below for more information.
Report cards are shared three times a year, which are associated with each trimester grading period,
1st Trimester report cards shared on Friday, November 17, 2023
2nd Trimester report cards shared on Friday, March 15, 2024
3rd Trimester report card shared on Friday, May 31, 2024
All report cards will be accessible through the Aeries Parent Portal on the dates listed above. If you need assistance accessing your child’s report card, please contact the main office of your child’s school.
Please note: Parent Conferences are October 12th and 13th, 2023
ELEMENTARY CARD FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
The following questions and responses may be helpful as you review the report card with your child/ren. Thank you for all you do to support your child's learning.
HOW ARE THE REPORT CARDS MARKED?
Performance levels describe your child's performance on each academic standard or skill compared to grade-level expectations at designated times throughout the school year. The levels will help you and your student understand the skills your student has demonstrated, and the skills he or she has not yet mastered.
Teachers consider the multiple pieces of evidence they have collected throughout the trimester that show what a student has learned. Using that information, teachers determine if students are meeting the standards (3), progressing toward meeting the standards (2), or showing limited understanding of the standards (1) in all academic areas.
WHAT DO THE PERFORMANCE LEVELS MEAN FOR ACADEMIC GRADES?
3
2
1
Meets grade level concepts and skills taught this trimester.
Work is proficient, consistent, and accurate. A student working at a 3 level displays high quality, performs with accuracy, applies the learning correctly, and/or meets expectations for the grade level standard.
Progressing toward understanding grade level concepts and skills taught this trimester.
Work may be inconsistent. A student working at a 2 level displays basic quality, performs with inconsistent accuracy, applies the learning at a basic level, and/or approaches the grade level standard but only at the simplest level of content, task, or skill. Additional support may be needed for students performing at this level.
Shows limited understanding of grade level concepts and skills taught this trimester.
Work at this level is limited or there is insufficient evidence of learning. A student working at a 1 level displays limited quality, performs with little evidence of understanding or limited accuracy, and/or applies learning at a minimal level. Work at this level does not meet expectations for the grade level standard. Additional support is needed for students performing at this level.
MY CHILD ACHIEVED A 3 IN THE FIRST AND/OR SECOND TRIMESTER. DOES THIS MEAN HE OR SHE HAS MET GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS FOR THE END OF THE YEAR?
Grade level standards are marked based on what has been taught and assessed so far. When a student earns a 3 on the first trimester report card, it does not mean that the student has learned all he or she needs to learn for the entire year. It means that, based on what has been taught and assessed so far, the student has demonstrated grade-level skills. Many subject areas build upon skills throughout the year; as a result, your child’s mark will reflect the progression of skills. We would expect the student to master end-of-year grade-level standards if his or her skills continue to progress.
DO THE PERFORMANCE LEVELS DIRECTLY TRANSLATE INTO PERCENTAGES? No. The performance levels do not directly translate into a percentage. For example, a mark of a 3 does not equate to 75%. Instead, a 3 indicates the student is meeting the grade level expectations at the end of the grading period or trimester.
WHAT DOES AN ASTERISK (*) MEAN?
An asterisk (*) means the grade level standard was not assessed during this trimester.
ARE ALL GRADE LEVEL CALIFORNIA STATE STANDARDS LISTED ON THE NEW REPORT CARD?
No. The report card lists only the district-identified high priority standards. While students are taught all grade level standards, a priority standard is a standard that is essential for a student’s success at the grade level and beyond. Supporting standards are integrated into mastery of the priority standards.
WHAT OTHER WAYS CAN I SEE MY CHILD’S PROGRESS?
Please keep in mind that report cards are just one way that teachers share information with you about your child's progress. Parent-Teacher conferences, notes, email, and phone calls are other ways for you to learn how your child is progressing in school. If you have any questions about the report card or your child's performance, please contact your child's teacher.
MY CHILD WORKS WITH OTHER TEACHERS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. HOW IS THAT WORK REFLECTED IN THIS REPORT CARD?
Classroom teachers will complete report cards for students in their class. They will confer with other teachers who work with your child to make sure the marks on the report card accurately reflect student learning.
WHY ISN’T THERE AN OVERALL GRADE ON THE K-6 REPORT CARDS?
On traditional report cards, each subject is reported with an overall grade.. Standards-based report cards have been designed to report progress towards achievement of individual California State Standards. In the past, a student may have received a ‘C’ in mathematics based on earning an ‘A’ in one skill and an ‘F’ in another. The overall grade of a ‘C’ averaged multiple standards into one grade which could mask the student’s areas of strength and weakness. On a standards-based report card, the overall grades have been removed. Students will receive a performance level for each specific standard, which gives more detailed information about how a student is performing.