By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
No longer will traditional grading be used in primary education throughout the Lake Orion district.
Teachers from grades kindergarten through fifth will now utilize Standard Based Grading to assess student mastery of statewide standards, ridding the customary letter-grade system.
The switch first occurred in kindergarten through third grade classrooms at the start of the current year, and will expand to all elementary classrooms for the 2015-16 school year.
The new grading system cost the district $0.
How it works
Alternatively to earning an ‘A?, ‘B?, or ‘C?, students will be rated on a four-point scale with an extensive report card twice a year. Before, parents received four report cards.
In lieu of the additional two report cards, parents will have the opportunity to meet with teachers face to face twice a year, instead of one parent-teacher conference, to discuss student learning.
Now students will strive to master state standards by earning a 4, 3, 2 or 1.
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer believes this system is hands-down a better way of reporting student progress.
‘What we’ve found is that teachers know their students so much better because they’re having to report on each one of those standards,? she said. ‘In the end, you know your student inside and out.?
Each content area’reading, math, science, social studies, writing, etc.’will no longer receive an overall grade, but instead be rated for each independent standard. The goal is to break down each standard for parents to see what students are expected to learn in each grade level.
For example, instead of a fourth grade student receiving a ‘C? in math, he/she will obtain a 4, 3, 2 or 1 for 16 independent standards.
A ?4? means the student has met the standard; a ?3? means the student has shown consistent progress towards meeting the standard; a ?2? shows inconsistent progress towards the standard; and a ?1? reflects an area of concern.
A new way of thinking
The goal for every student will be to master each standard throughout the school year, not to earn a one-time grade, which can be discouraging for some students.
‘Typically with education we unpack that standard. With grades and traditional models there was resistance and avoidance. The new system allows us to say ‘we’re not giving up on you, you have until the end of the year to master this,? Stadium Drive Elementary Principal Rob Murray said.
Mercer said by changing the ‘traditional mindset of being so grade specific? teachers will be able to better target weaknesses and strengths.
‘It makes sense that you’re not summarizing a kid with one letter grade. If in math, you’re a ‘B?, what does that even mean? You may be great at addition, but struggle with fractions. You would never know that on a traditional report card. Our end goal is to provide more information to parents.?
The switch to standard based grading was not required by the state, however, it assesses state standards provided within the framework of the Common Core of what students are expected to know.
‘If a child isn’t getting to that mastery by marking period two, the teacher’s job is to get them there in marking period three,? Missy Butki, district math coordinator, said. ‘If you have a student that couldn’t get a 4 they will better know what they need to work on in the summer.?
The new report card will provide targeted information not only to teachers and parents, but additional support systems that can be used for struggling students.
‘Now, working at home with your child, or if you’re going to tutoring, you can take the report card and say this is what my kid needs help in,? Mercer said.
Parents will also receive a lengthy report under the modified comments section for each student, requiring twice as much content as years prior.
Middle school report cards, she continued, are not as specific, and do not pinpoint any of the standards.
The district is working on implementing a hybrid form of the Standard Based Grading system for grades six through eight, using both letter grades and the number system, for the 2016-17 school year.