Standards Based Report Cards in the Sandwich Public Schools K-2 Presentation to School Committee 12/17/14 Following the 1st Term

Time line Spring 2013 – the Curriculum Coordinators are given permission/support from Dr. Canfield to revise the report cards, in response to repeated requests from teachers Fall 2014 – a group of teachers and administrators start to come together to research Report Cards in other districts. Considered multiple examples; helped to inform our priorities about what we wanted in our new Report Cards

Timeline, continued Throughout 2013-2014 Regular meetings Multiple drafts Notes and information shared with all staff; feedback collected Presentation to School Committee Interactive Meetings at Wing, Oak Ridge, Forestdale

What is a standards-based reporting system? The standards-based reporting system is different from a traditional A, B, C or 1, 2, 3 system. It is based on a specific set of standards that students need to meet for each grade level. Report card “grades” are not a comparison of one student to another but rather a way to measure how well students are progressing in grade-level standards. Some have compared it to a GPS - we are clearly showing the destination, and each student’s progress along the route.

What are standards? Educational standards are the learning goals for what students should know, understand and be able to do at each grade level. Educational standards help teachers ensure their students have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful, while also helping parents understand what is expected of their children. We are using the Massachusetts State Frameworks in ELA and Math; they are based on the Common Core State Standards. In Science, the Standards are in flux - Massachusetts is considering adoption of the nationally created Next Generation Science Standards. In 2014-2015, Sandwich is adopting the NGSS in Life Science; others will follow in a phased-in approach.

Why are we using a standards-based report card? Sandwich Public Schools made its last revision to the report card across K-8 15 years ago. Since that time, there have been changes in the district curriculum standards and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards/ Massachusetts Frameworks in 2011. There has also been significant and wide-reaching research about the most effective ways to assess student learning and to provide feedback to students and families.

New Report Cards for K-2 in 2014-2015 All teachers from a grade level across the district came together for a day to discuss the standards, to make further revisions and to come to common understandings. Teachers determined what Mastery/Progressing/Not Yet looked like for each standard at their level Continued thinking about the purpose of Report Cards: COMMUNICATION, NOT COMPENSATION Reflects Learning, not “Earning…”

The Launch Presented at all PTAs “Report Card Mondays” Article in Sandwich Learns Together Overview and Frequently Asked Questions & Answers included in Report Cards. Multiple Resources on District website: www.sandwichk12.org Parent- Teacher Conferences

Going Forward Continuing to add to website Collecting feedback from teachers Opportunities for teachers to do some work creating “grade books:” ways to capture student work Continuing to think about questions that have been raised – will debrief in the spring once teachers have used it for three terms… Grade 3-6 next year