Standards-Based Report Cards

I was asked to post a blog about Standards-Based Report Cards. There is so much to talk about on this subject and I am pondering where to begin. I suppose I will begin with the definition of standards:

Standards: Standards are written descriptions of what a child should know or be able to do in a particular subject in a particular grade. For example, a third grade writing standard states: students will write in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive, and response to literature. (Third grade students love the word "genre" and like to say it over and over!) A high school Math I standard is that students will investigate properties of a geometric figure in the coordinate plane.

Teachers develop rubrics, similar to checklists, will all of the elements of the standards and they compare student work with the rubrics to determine if a student has mastered or learned the standard and to what level the student has learned the standard.

After this occurs, the teacher must determine how to communicate to the parents how well the child has learned. That is where standards-based report cards come in. The traditional report card and assessment reflects an average of the student's work over time. A standards-based report card should reflect how far along the continuum of mastery of the standard the student has come. The standards-based report card lists all of the standards for each subject taught. That is why it is lengthy and will take up many pages.

The problem that parents face with understanding the standards-based report card is that they are accustomed to seeing an A, B, or C or a percentage (90, 78, 88) as a grade for their child. Parents understand this grading system because it is familiar to them. With a standards-based report card, parents often ask the question: How well did my child learn the content? Did my child learn 70%, 80%, or 90%? Is my child at the top of his/her class, in the middle of the class, or at the bottom of the class? These questions that parents want answered make it difficult to implement true standards-based assessments.

In Muscogee County, all elementary schools are using standards-based report cards for grades K-3. The program was piloted for several years prior to going system-wide. We will continue to monitor the implementation of these communication tools with parents. Your input and comments are appreciated.

For more information on standards-based classrooms, Muscogee County School District has published a brochure entitled Understanding Standards-Based Report Cards.
This is a short explanation. There have been many books written on this subject that are available for parents and educators. Hope this explanation provides you with the beginning of the answers to your questions.