Dear 5th Grade Students and Families,
We’re excited to introduce Standards Based Report Cards in Grade 5 for this school year. Standards based grading systems provide students and families with in-depth feedback on your student’s progress in each academic content area. Unlike traditional grading systems where your student may receive an overall grade that represents assessments, homework, and classwork, a standards-based report card shares in greater detail how your student is performing against multiple learning targets and identifies specific areas of strength as well as opportunities for growth in each content area. We recognize that you may have some questions about standards-based grading. This document aims to act as a guide to support you and your student in understanding how grading and reporting will work in this system.
Why are we shifting to Standards Based Report Cards?
In an effort to support a positive transition to middle school for our Grade 5 students as they move to a new building and enter a new phase in their academic journey, we are choosing to carryover the approach to grading and providing feedback in line with the student experience in Grade 4. A standards-based approach to grading and reporting in Grade 5 will support students and families with understanding in depth where your student is doing well and where your student may need to improve across the Grade 5 State Curriculum Standards.
Understanding the Standards-Based Grade Scale
While a traditional grade scale is often a 100-point scale that calculates an overall average across all assignments with an intentional conversion to the letter grades A, B, C, D, and F, a standards-based grade scale focuses on reporting out on a student’s performance against an individual curriculum standard to provide specific feedback on what your student knows and understands.
In a standards-based reporting system, student performance is measured across a specific scale that identifies whether a student is meeting, performing beyond, or progressing toward each of the standards assessed for a given marking period. The grade scale we will use in Foxborough is as follows:
4 Demonstrates beyond the grade level standard at this time
3 Meets the grade level standard at this time
2 Progressing toward the grade level standard at this time
1 Presents an entry level understanding of the grade level standard at this time
Where do the standards on my student’s report card come from?
In standards-based grading, we do not report out on an overall grade and instead report out on student progress across individual learning targets. All learning targets are developed from the MA Curriculum Frameworks and referred to as “grade level standards” by your student’s teacher. Our learning targets in each content are intentionally written in student-friendly language so that students are able to lead conversations on their learning, set clear goals, and reflect on their progress.
How will my student’s grade for each standard be calculated?
While a traditional grade scale calculates an average, a standards-based grade scale takes into account the progression of learning for each individual student and embraces the idea that as students move through content in each reporting term, their level of understanding moves toward demonstrating mastery of the standard. For this reason, a standards-based grade scale places greater weight on student performance at the end of the term where a traditional scale would place equal weight throughout the term. Standards based grading is thus more representative of what a student knows and is able to do:
Who do I ask if I have more questions?
If you have questions about your student’s report card or current progress, you should contact your child’s teacher for more information on which learning targets are being assessed and what the expectation is for mastery for those learning targets.
Sincerely,
Grade 5 Standards Based Grading Working Group