MSAD #11 has been working over the last few years to develop a standards-based report card, which is common throughout the schools. This is in line with an effort across the United States to keep better track of what students know in relation to the state standards. Below are some answers to commonly asked questions about a Standards-based Report Card.

Currently, we have implemented this type of report card in grades K-8. We are still working and piloting a model that will work 9-12.

What are state standards?

Every state has adopted its own list of the skills that students should learn at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. These lists are the state content and learning standards. Here are some examples:

* In Arizona, fifth-graders are expected to be able to compare whole numbers, fractions and decimals. For example, fifth-graders should be able to determine that 0.6 is larger than one half.

* In California, first-graders should be able to read common, irregular words like the, have, said, come, give and of.

* In Nebraska, twelfth-graders should have an understanding of the structure of the atom, and be able to describe different types of nuclear reactions.

* In Maine, sixth graders find the least common multiple and greatest common factor of two numbers.

Teachers are responsible for teaching the skills for their students' grade level, although standards do not say how teachers should teach.

What should I do if my child's school is switching to a standards-based report card?

Ask lots of questions!

If there is anything about the report card that you don't understand or that is confusing, ask your child's teacher to explain. If you are not sure if your child is doing well, ask the teacher to explain the system. For example, if your child is not proficient in some skills, ask the teacher if you should be concerned about your child’s progress. Is your child on track to be proficient by the end of the year?

Be sure you find out whether your child is completing assignments and developing good work habits. There is a section on the MSAD #11 report card to describe student's work habits. Academic marks on a standards-based report card do not reflect a child's effort, attitude or work habits. It is important for parents to be sure they have a complete picture of their child's learning. Some children may be able to show mastery of the standards in the lower grades without good work habits, but that will get more difficult as they progress through the grades. If there is a problem with attitude, effort or study skills, parents need to be able to intervene as early as possible.

Take advantage of the extra information.

Standards-based report cards give you more detailed information about how your child is doing in each subject. You can use this information to help your child. Choose a skill you're concerned about and ask the teacher how you can help your child with it at home. You can also ask the teacher what he/she can do to help your child at school.

Let your child's teacher and principal know what you think of the new report card.

Because report cards are designed to communicate with parents, they need to be easy to understand and helpful to parents. If you have any suggestions or concerns about your school's report card, share them with the teacher and principal. Your comments may help improve it.

What is a standards-based report card?

A standards-based report card lists the most important skills students should learn in each subject at a particular grade level. For example, in writing, a second-grade report card might list these skills:

* Writes in complete sentences
* Uses capital letters, periods, question marks and quotation marks correctly
* Uses the writing process (prewriting, first draft, revision, and final draft)
* Writes a friendly letter with a greeting, body and conclusion
* Knows the purpose and use of a dictionary, thesaurus and atlas

Instead of letter grades, students receive marks that show how well they have mastered the skills. The marks show whether the student exceeded, met, partially met, or did not meet each standard. Students usually get separate marks for effort and work habits, which are important for parents to keep tabs on even if these characteristics aren't included in the assessment of the student's academic skills.

What about A's, B's, and C's? This is what I am used to and colleges are used to?

MSAD #11 will still give the traditionally used 100 point scale grade for the overall grade in grades 3-12. So, it might say Mathematics - 93 - A. The subheadings underneath Math will be standards that are graded on a 4 point scale of DNM - Does Not Meet, PM - Partially Meets, M - Meets, and E - Exceeds. We have a Mastery and Grading Policy that correlates the two scales.
Please see this link. MSAD #11 Mastery and Grading Policy

The goal is to give students, parents, and colleges more information, not less.

How are standards-based report cards different from traditional report cards?

On many traditional report cards, students receive one grade for reading, one for math, one for science and so on. On a standards-based report card, each of these subject areas is divided into a list of standards that students are responsible for learning. Students receive a separate mark for each standard.

The marks on a standards-based report card are different from traditional letter grades. Letter grades are often calculated by combining how well the student met his particular teacher's expectations, how he performed on assignments and tests, and how much effort the teacher believes he put in. Letter grades do not tell parents which skills their children have mastered or whether they are working at grade level. Because one fourth-grade teacher might be reviewing basic multiplication facts, while another is teaching multiplication of two- or three-digit numbers, getting an A in each of these classes would mean very different things. The parent of a child in these classes would not know if the child were learning what he should be to meet the state standards.

Standards-based report cards should provide more consistency between teachers than traditional report cards, because all students are evaluated on the same grade-appropriate skills. Parents can see exactly which skills and knowledge their children have learned. The marks on a standards-based report card show only how well the child has mastered the grade-level standards, and do not include effort, attitude or work habits, which are marked separately.

Why are some districts switching to standards-based report cards?

Students are the biggest winners when standards-based report cards are used. These report cards give students specific information about how they're doing and pinpoint where they need to improve. This approach can carry over to classroom assignments, too, as the report card influences the way teachers assess student learning throughout the year. Teachers work together to describe clearly what student work that meets the standards looks like. Teachers share these expectations with students, often posting them on the classroom wall. Now when students get an assignment they know exactly what they have to do to be proficient or advanced. That's a big change from the way assignments used to be given and graded. If you get a 90%, it doesn't tell you much about where to go from there.

The new report card is part of an effort to close the gap in achievement among different groups of students. Because concrete skills and knowledge are listed on the report card, it is one way to help monitor whether all students are being exposed to the same curriculum and learning the skills they should learn in each grade. Standards-based report cards also make the standards very clear to parents. Parents should know exactly what their students should be able to do.

How will standards-based report cards affect my child?

Kids will get rich if they get $5 for each good grade on a standards-based report card, because students receive many more marks than on a traditional report card.

Another big change for students is understanding the concept of "advanced" or "exceeding standards." Advanced is not necessarily the equivalent of an A on a traditional report card. For example, if a fifth-grader received A's on every math test during the semester, she would probably receive an A on a traditional report card. If those math tests measured only the concepts fifth graders are expected to master, those A's would be the equivalent of "proficient" on a standards-based report card; the student is doing what he should be doing, but not necessarily more.

This means teachers need to provide opportunities for students to show they can exceed what is expected and be truly advanced. Standards-based report cards can encourage teachers to make sure their lessons offer students chances to go beyond "grade level."

Standards-based report cards provide the added benefit of keeping teachers and parents focused on student learning goals from the very beginning of the year. This gives students a chance to get help where it is most needed, sooner rather than later.

Are there problems with standards-based report cards?

As with any new program, students and parents should also expect some glitches and changes in the first few years. Standards-based report cards are challenging for teachers as they deal with technical difficulties at the same time they are working to align their teaching and assessment with the new report cards. Patience and understanding from parents and students go a long way when schools are working out bugs in a new program.