How We Report

For the 2022-23 school year, Prairie Spirit School Division has made some changes to the way we grade and report academic achievement and learning behaviours. See below for full details!

Quick Notes:

• Students in grades 1-9 receive academic achievement marks using terms (not numbers).

• Students in grades 10-12 receive academic achievement marks using percentages.

• PSSD reports learning behaviours using frequency terms (not numbers) for all grades from 1 to 12.

Academic Achievement

In PSSD, as with all schools in Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan curriculum guides learning and details the topics and skills to be taught and learned in each subject at each grade level. Each curriculum is a collection of outcomes, which are statements that describe what a student should know and be able to do by the end of a course. These outcomes are further defined by indicators, which are sets of statements that show the depth and breadth of the skills and knowledge a student should be able to do in order to fully meet an outcome. In PSSD, a student's academic achievement is the degree to which students meet the outcomes of a course. 

Academic achievement is reported at certain intervals throughout the year through progress reports/report cards. The scales used to report academic achievement differ at different grade levels. Generally in PSSD, academic achievement is reported in grades 1-9 using a level-system, where as academic achievement in grades 10-12 is reported using percentage scores.   

Kindergarten Reporting

Reporting in Kindergarten is done through a comment-based progress report. (No grades of any kind.) For students receiving instruction in English, there are four domains that are reported on, with the associated sub-domains:

• Socio-Emotional Development

  • • Self-concept, self-image

    • Self-confidence

    • Self-control

    • Interaction with others

    • Social problem-solving

• Physical Development

  • • Large muscle growth, balance, climbing

    • Fine motor and perceptual skills

    • Personal health and safety

• Intellectual Development

  • • Imagine and participates in "what if" play

    • Understand difference between fantasy and reality

    • Create and invent

    • Understand quantity and space

    • Conceptual thinking

• Spirit/Well Being

  • • Naturally curious about the world

    • Observe and interact with their surroundings

    • Wonder and questions

For student receiving instruction in French Immersion, one extra domain is reported on, again with the associated sub-domains: 

• French Identity

  • • Identifies as a French Immersion learner

    • Negotiates meaning of ideas and understand information

    • Expresses needs and wants

Academic Achievement: Grades 1-9

In grades 1-9, academic achievement is reported to parents using alpha codes (as opposed to numbers) that indicate levels of proficiency. The scale shown in the handout below has four levels of that show to what degree a student has met the outcome of a course, and two levels that indicate if a student has not met any part of the outcome or was not assessed on the outcome. Students working on outcomes outside of grade level have this noted using an asterisk (ex: PR*). See below for more details. 

Academic Achievement: Grades 10-12

In grades 10-12, academic achievement is reported to parents using the percentage scale. With that said, some parents may notice that teachers score individual assignments or outcomes using levels and then convert those levels to percentages. The following handout explains the advantages of using levels to assess student work and shows the scale that is used in conjunction with those levels. 

Learning Behaviours

Aside from academic proficiency, learning behaviours are also scored in PSSD. The grades assigned to learning behaviours in PSSD are frequency-based. The learning behaviours have been written so that they are observable characteristics, and the grades indicate how frequently these characteristics have been observed. There are different learning behaviours for elementary and high school students, but the grading scale remains the same across all grade levels. These frequency scores are summarized in the diagram below:

As mentioned, there are different behaviours scored at different grade levels.

Elementary students receive behaviour grades on eight characteristics, organized into four categories (note, category headings do NOT receive a behaviour score, only the characteristics do):

Lifelong Learner (LL)

1. • Sets goals and uses feedback for improvement

   • Perseveres when challenged and seeks assistance when needed

Sense of Self and Community (SSC)

• Demonstrates an inclusive attitude towards people and is respectful of property

• Takes responsibility for and manages own behaviour

 Engaged Citizen (EC)

• Engages in classroom activities

• Contributes positively to the classroom and school community

 Work Habits (WH)

• Displays positive and productive work ethic

• Demonstrates organizational skills, including completing work on time as requested

High school students receive three behaviour grades:

Engagement (contributes, takes initiative, seeks and acts upon feedback)

Respect (inclusive attitude towards others, respectful of property, follows directions)

Responsibility (submits work on time, arrives prepared, honours commitments)

 As mentioned previously, all scores are frequency based for all learning behaviours.

Progress Reports

There is a difference in how progress is reported for elementary and high school students. Progress for middle school students will vary depending on whether or not the class configuration is set up as a homeroom (one teacher instructs the vast majority of the courses for a set of students). The characteristics for each format of reporting is listed below:

Elementary Progress Reports

Progress reports include the following:

• ELA and Math will report academic achievement by strand. (This is a continuation of existing practice.)

  • • Strands for ELA: Compose and Create, Comprehend and Respond, Assess and Reflect

    • Strands for Math: Number, Patterns and Relationships, Shape and Space, Statistics and Probability

• All other subjects will report an overall score per subject. (This is a change from past practice.)

• Comments will be included for ELA, Math, and one other general comment box.

• Behaviour scores are reported once per homeroom (not per subject).

• Attendance will be reported once per homeroom.

  • Students working on outcomes outside of grade level will have this noted with an asterisk (*)

High School Progress Reports

Progress reports will continue to include the following:

• One overall percentage score per subject

• Behaviour scores per subject

• Comment per subject

• Attendance per subject