Family Standards Based Report Cards FAQs
Family Standards-Based Report Cards FAQs
Learning is a journey. Students learn and grow at different rates. The standards-based report card
identifies where your child currently is on his or her educational path so that you, as parents, can work
together with teachers to support your child in meeting annual learning goals.
What is a standards-based report card?
A standards-based reporting system is designed to inform parents/guardians about their children’s
progress toward specific learning standards set forth by the Massachusetts’s Department of Education
and adopted by the district. In a standards based system the score represents what is learned – where
the student is in relation to the expectation or standard.
A standards-based report card:
to demonstrate in relation to established state standards
● helps teachers and students focus on identified end-of-year expectations from the very
beginning of the year, giving students a direction for their learning
● aligns instruction, assessment, and grading with standards
● creates a higher level of consistency and continuity in assessing among teachers and across
grade levels
How will my child be graded?
Achievement Descriptors:
4 = Student has exceeded the end of year grade-level expectations consistently and independently.
3 = Student has reached or mastered grade-level expectations consistently and independently at this
point in time.
2 = Student is working towards proficiency with steady progress toward the grade-level expectation.
1 = Student is working towards proficiency with limited progress toward the grade-level expectation.
NA = Not assessed at this time
Why would my child receive a NA?
has a NA, it simply indicates that your child did not receive an assessment, or there was not enough data
to accurately report progress on that standard for the grading period. (See the performance descriptors
above).
What if my child receives all 2’s, does this mean they are failing?
towards proficiency. Even top students can earn a 2, which can be a shock for some families. It’s
important to know that early scores are not averaged into the final grade—so once your child masters
the concept, his/her final grade shows that.
How will I know if my child is “on target”?
indicates that a student is achieving at the appropriate level of expectations for that grade at the time of
the reporting period. The standards-based report card measures how well an individual child is doing in
relation to the grade-level standards, not the work of other children.
How will my child receive a 4?
expectations taught for a specific standard and that the child has a much deeper understanding of the
standard, the ability to apply that knowledge, make connections, and extend learning beyond the
targeted goal. If your child earned A’s on traditional report cards, they may have received them for
meeting teacher requirements, not necessarily for exceeding grade-level expectations taught for that
standard.
Do the performance descriptors on the report card correlate with letter grades?
standards. 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 the teacher’s expectations,
how they performed on assignments and tests, and how much effort the teacher believes they put in.
Letter grades do not tell parents which skills their children have mastered or whether they are working
at grade level.
How does standards-based grading affect student motivation?
When students can clearly see the learning target for each activity and connect class activities to actions
that are within their control, motivation improves. In other words, when students can see that the level
and amount of work they contribute to the learning target is directly related to the outcome, they will
be empowered and encouraged to work hard.
Why the change to the Social Development section?
detailed description of their social emotional learning. A child’s ability to regulate their emotions and
behavior, make responsible decisions, and form positive relationships with their peers and adults are
key factors in supporting their ability to learn. Providing students with a safe and structured learning
environment with clear expectations and positive reinforcement contributes to their social emotional
development. With this updated social and emotional competencies section of the report card, there
will no longer be “EFFORT” grades.