 WEDJ SCHOOL REPORT CARD The William E. Doar, Jr. School for the Performing Arts 2012 Report Card Revision Team: Ms. Almonte, Ms. Bradshaw, Ms. Cadag, Ms. Nugent, Dr. Smith, Ms. Vernaiz,

REASONS FOR CHANGES: 1.To be clear about what exactly students know 2.To demonstrate how students can work at their own pace 3.To provide a fairer system of grading – students can achieve 100% when they demonstrate quality work at grade level 4.Set standards that will lead to higher student achievement and test scores.

Clear about WHAT exactly students know  #1 Listing 1,2,3,4 beside a subject without any breakdown of how the number was arrived at did not make clear what was known - only that the student was strong or deficient in a subject.

Students can work at their own pace  #2 New report gives students and families an idea of how students are working on: ① foundational targets (needed to master grade level skills) ② grade level targets ③ or exactly what grade level targets are being started or mastered above grade level.)

FAIR AND RELIABLE SYSTEM OF GRADING  3. Students in grades 3 through 8 can achieve an “A” or “B” in grade level work if they demonstrate 80% or higher mastery.  In the former system the highest a student could achieve at grade level was 75%, even if they demonstrated 100% understanding at grade level.  Students were not taught “above grade” level work, yet some were given “random” 4’s for it. If we had so many 4’s in our system, why did they not line up with DC-CAS results that were overall quite poor? A: It was unreliable and gave folks a FALSE sense of security.

SET STANDARDS - for HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT  #4.  Making it clear what the most rigorous standards are to the student and families helps everyone know exactly what is expected

EXAMPLES of EDUBabble…  Taking the jargon out of the Common Core Literacy/RL/7  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

WHY the “I”?  Incompletes mean that grades attained are less than 80% currently.  Students may need more time to complete work.  Students may need to revise work to reach that 80% standard of quality work.  Revision is the habit of great academic achievers.  Building in revision so no learning is left behind. Each year the gap of “what is not known” does not need to grow deeper and deeper)  Grade 8 – we do have grades to submit for applications, but we are giving students as much time as we can before calculating that GPA. An “I” means we are giving them that chance right now – to turn around their scores.

**GRADE 8 Parents: Calculating the GPA  To calculate your GPA, change each A, B, C, D or F to to the decimal point value.  Add them up.  Then divide by the total.  A = 4  B = 3  I = C, D or F (*check with teacher for current grade)  C = 2  D = 1  F = 0

WHY “S” and “M”?  Early learners need time before something they “S” (Started) can be mastered  Rather than move on with partial understandings we keep track of what was not mastered and use multiple ways of learning and supports to get ALL our students to Mastery of all they need in each grade.  Parents who know something is “started” can also target their support at home.

GROWING PAINS  Glitches are still being worked on (please me anything you see that doesn’t make sense or if you have further questions after you get home and study this new tool)  Goal is to smooth out the timing of getting all our grades in, so we can clean up the reports in time for future parent-teacher interviews.  The Goal Setting Activity is NEW – Parents receive the reports at the time of the interview – so parents and teachers can plan together for next steps.

Parent Survey  Please keep an eye out on the school website to provide feedback about the new reports and other activities so far at the school.  Your input is needed and appreciated!