The Standards-Based Report Card

The Lexington Public Schools K‐5Lexington School Committee

April 24, 2012          

History of the Committee’s Work

• A 30 member committee convened in 2009 and has spent to date a total of 98 hours each to:

• Study the research • Collect & review documents from other districts• Identify the PRIORITY standards in each academic area

• Develop pro-social skills • Prepare for pilot implementation year scheduled for

2012-2013

• To more accurately and effectively communicate student progress to parents and students;

• To be clear and specific about the academic and pro-social standards i.e., what all students need to know and be able to do in each domain;

• To respond to the Massachusetts State Framework as indicated through the Common Core Curriculum Standards;

• To honor the request of “stakeholders” who have expressed that the current reporting tool is outdated.

WHY the Change?

What is a Standards-Based Report Card?

• Assesses student performance against a specific and observable grade set of skills;

• Measures each student against the identified grade level“end of year” standard;

• Does not measure how the student performs compared to other students.

How will the standards‐based report card look?

You will notice two categories:

1. Pro‐social Skills and Approaches to Learning

2. Academic Standards for each subject area

How Were the Academic Standards “selected”?

Essential standards representing what allstudents should know and be able to do wereidentified:

• in each academic area• at a specific grade level• with attention to vertical & horizontal coherence

Comparison – Mathematical PracticesOLD

Problem

Solving/Applications

NEWMakes sense of problems and perseveres in solving them

• Explains meaning of problem

• Looks for entry points

• Plans solution path

• Monitors and evaluates progress

• Checks answer with a 

different method

• Evaluates reasonableness

of answer

Comparison – Mathematics ‐ ContentOLD

Addition

Subtraction

NEWUses Place Value Understanding and Properties of Operations to add and subtract within 1000

• Uses strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction

• Uses diagrams or objects to explain why strategies work

• Answers correctly

• Explains answer in context

• Checks answer for accuracy

English Language Arts & Literacy ‐ ReadingOLD

ComprehensionNEW

Reads 3rd grade texts with

purpose and understanding

• Recounts stories, including fables, folktales and myths

• Determines the meanings of words and phrases in a text

• Determines the main idea of a text

• Reads and comprehends literature and informational texts, 

including Social Studies & 

Science texts

Literacy ‐WritingOLD

Written Expression

NEW

Writes opinion pieces

supporting a point of view 

with relevant reasons

• Introduces the topic or text, states an opinion, lists reasons

• Uses linking words or

phrases to connect 

ideas

Social StudiesOLD

Understanding time andchronology

NEW

(Under History and Cultural  Strand)Compares and contrasts life in18th century Lexington to thepresent day

• Uses time periods or dates correctly when describing (orally or in writing) historical events

• Observes and describes details in visual sources such as historical paintings, photographs, or illustrations

• Describes the different groups of people who have settled in Lexington since its founding

Science and Engineering/TechnologyOLD

Observing Science

NEW

Recognizes theRelationships betweenorganisms in a foodchain/web

• Differentiates between living and non‐living things

• Compares and contrasts individuals as well as groups of organisms

• Recognizes and describes the importance of healthy habitats

• Recognizes cause and effect• Recognizes that organisms are connected through complex food webs

How will student performance be measured?

There are two sets of performance indicators:

1. Numbers will be used for the pro‐social and learning approaches portion of the document

2. Letters will be used for the academic performance indicators

Pro-social Skills & Approaches to Learning

These skills will be measured numerically by the following indicators:

4 – Student CONSISTENTLY demonstrates this skill3 – Student demonstrates this skill MOST of the time2 – Student demonstrates this skill SOME of the time1 – Student requires on-going intervention to

develop this skill

ACADEMIC Performance Indicators

The academic indicators are assigned letters:

M – Indicates that the student consistently andindependently demonstrates Masteryof/Proficiency in the grade level standard

P – Indicates that the student is Progressingappropriately toward consistent and independentmastery of/proficiency in the grade level standard

Academic Performance Indicators

B – Indicates that the student is Beginning toprogress toward the grade level standard

N – Indicates that the student is Not Yetdemonstrating progress toward the grade level standard

/ – Standard Not Addressed at this time

Frequently Asked Questions?

• What will Lexington’s Standards-Based Report Card look like?

• Will the report card be a paper/penciltask?

• What training/education will be put in place for teachers and parents/guardians?

Implementation Plan

Teacher  Education & Training

• Education around the standards, both academic & prosocial

• Application of the Performance Indicators

• Technical training for entering information

• Handbook for reference

• On‐going feedback throughout the year

• Evaluation at end of year

Implementation Plan

Parent Education

•Forums (day & evening)

•Video for website

•Handbook

•End of Year Feedback and Evaluation

What “other” changes might I see?

There will now be TWO marking

periods instead of THREE with the 1st report

card being distributed on December 14, 2012

What will remain the same?

There will continue to be fall & spring

parent/teacher conferences

Committee MembersCarol PilarskiLouise LipsitzMarie‐Louise BeanMichele CarterPatty CascioRobyn Dowling‐GrantAmanda DoyleJen Dugan‐AgneDenise DundonIris GoldfarbSean HaganRyan HeedenJane HundleyJames Kane

Laura LeesJeff Leonard Lisa MaffeiKathy McCarthyKaren McCarthyLynne MurrayKatherine PyskatySusan SepeEamonn SheehanEllen SilbermanLauren StebbinsLeonard SwantonKirsten SweetKaren TripoliMary Yardley

QUESTIONS?