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CURRICULUM CORNER New Report Cards Align with State Testing System |
Trina Hall, Curriculum Director
June, 2005
Report Cards will have a new look for next year in grades kindergarten through sixth grade. The new system is aligned with the state requirements in reading, writing, and math. As one board member said, “The current grading system of A-F does not give parents enough information on how their children are progressing on the new State adopted requirements.”
The Board of Directors wanted a reporting system that could tell parents how children are progressing on the new State Grade Level Expectations (GLE—Glee’s). A district committee was formed and designed a report card that will inform parents how their child is progressing toward the Glee’s. A parent guide is provided so that parents can now know what each child is expected to know and be able to do in each grade. The report card was tried out by a few teachers this school year, and parents were asked for input.
Parent support for the new system was very supportive. Many positive comments were received such as, “The whole report card is easy to understand. It gives you a clear picture of how your child is doing and very descriptive. The teacher said it changes with each grade as to what the kids are doing, that will be nice.”
The new report card is also aligned with the state testing system. This is important because beginning next year, students in grades 3—8 and 10th will be given the state required Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Tenth grade students must pass the WASL in order to graduate from high school. The district believes the new reporting system will help keep parents informed on how their children are progressing on the required knowledge to pass the 10th grade WASL.
