1. Standards-Based Report Card Update
Presented to the Montville Township Board of Education
September 25, 2018
Elise Miller, Supervisor of Elementary Education
Andrea Woodring, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction

2. History of Standards-Based Report Cards (SBRC) in Montville Township Elementary Schools
Beginning in the school year, the district moved to a SBRC in grades K – 5
The report cards were distributed quarterly (four marking periods)
In grades K – 2, students received a progress indicator towards meeting the standard and an effort grade
In grades 3 – 5, students received a progress indicator towards meeting the standard, an effort grade, and a traditional letter grade

3. Key Elements of REVISED Report Cards
Reports cards will be issued three times a year (trimesters)
There will be a phase-out period of letter grades in grades 3 – 5
2018 – 2019 School Year – Grade 3
2019 – 2020 School Year – Grade 4
2020 – 2021 School Year – Grade 5

4. What is a Standards-Based Report Card (SBRC)?
A SBRC is designed to inform parents about their child’s progress toward achieving specific learning standards and skills.
New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) establish challenging performance expectations for all students at each grade level. They describe what students should KNOW and be able to DO. They serve as a basis for the district’s curriculum, instruction, and assessment model.

5. Why was the report card changed to the Standards-Based Report Card?
The report card was changed to provide more information to parents about student progress and degree of learning through the year.
On a traditional report card, students receive one grade for reading, one for math, one for science, and so on.
On a SBRC, each subject area is further expanded by a list of skills and knowledge students are responsible for learning.
Students receive a separate progress indicator for each standard of learning that is being measured.

6. What is the purpose of the Standards-Based Report Card?
The purpose of the SBRC is to provide valuable, detailed feedback to parents regarding the progress their children are making toward specific content indicators and learning targets.
This report card allows parents and students to clearly understand what is expected at each grade level.
Parents will be better able to guide and support their child, helping him/her to be successful in a rigorous academic program.

7. How does the SBRC compare to the traditional letter grade system?
Traditional letter grades are often averages calculated by combining the following factors:
how well the student met the teacher’s expectations;
how the student performed on assignments, including homework, quizzes, tests, and projects;
How much effort the teacher believes the student put forth, and how the student is doing in comparison to classmates.
Letter grades do not always tell parents which skills their child has mastered or how he or she is progressing toward mastery of the standards.
Example: Because one fourth-grade teacher might be reviewing basic multiplication facts, while another is teaching multiplication of two- or three-digit numbers, getting an A in each of these classes would mean very different things. The parent of a child in these classes would not know if the child were learning what he should be to meet the state standards.

8. How does the SBRC compare to the traditional letter grade system? (cont.)
The SBRC measures how well an individual student is doing in relation to learning standards, not other factors that sometimes negatively impact an accurate measure of learning.
The SBRC gives parents a better understanding of their child’s strengths and weaknesses and encourages all students to do their best.
Standards-based report cards provide more consistency between teachers than traditional report cards, because all students are evaluated on the same grade- appropriate skills.

9. Which student demonstrates a greater current understanding of math concepts learned?
Grades on Assessments
85%, 85%, 85%, 85%, 85%, 85%, 85%, 85%, 85%
50%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 90%, 90%
Traditional Report Card Grade
85% = B
75% = C

10. Progressive Indicators
ES = Exceeds Standard MS = Meets Standard AS = Approaching Standard PS = Progressing toward Standard BS = Beginning Standard BG = Below Grade Level Standard N/A = Not Assessed at this time

11. Meeting Grade Level Proficiencies
Below Grade Level Expectations
Beginning Grade Level Expectations
Progressing Grade Level Expectations
Approaching Grade Level Expectations
Meets Grade Level Expectations
Exceeds Grade Level Expectations

12. What does it mean for a child to exceed the grade level standards?
Exceeding is not the equivalent of an A on a traditional report card!
Example: If a third grader received A’s on every math test during the marking period, he or she would likely receive an A on a traditional report card. If those math tests measured only concepts third graders are expected to master, those A’s would be the equivalent of meeting the standard on a SBRC; the student is performing very well in regard to grade level expectations, but not necessarily more. Performance that exceeds standards is characterized by self-motivation and the ability to apply skills with consistent accuracy, independence, and a high level of quality beyond the current grade level.

13. Why not keep a standards-based system as an additional reporting component to the traditional report card?
Traditional grading for elementary level students does not communicate to parents what teachers want them to know about their child’s strengths and weaknesses.
The elementary level is based on a growth-development model where learning is valued as a process
Traditional letter grades and standards-based rubrics do not assess in the same way and therefore are not compatible to one another.

14. Why Trimesters?
Provides more time for students to learn and demonstrate proficiency/mastery
Provides longer time at beginning of the school year for students to acclimate to new school, classroom, and schedule before baseline testing and grading for first report card
Provides more time for teachers and parents to identify and correct areas of concern during the grading period
Fewer marking periods reduces time needed for testing, which allows more time for direct instruction
Provides more flexibility for teachers to pace curriculum and ensure student mastery of instruction

15. Other Districts Using Standards-Based Report Cards and Trimesters
Caldwell-West Caldwell
Mt. Olive
Chatham
Parsippany-Troy Hills
Cranford
Pequannock
Denville
Roxbury
Emerson
Summit
Florham Park
Washington Township
Franklin Township
Watchung
Glen Rock
Wayne
Harding Township
West Windsor-Plainsboro
Hillsdale
Wyckoff
Madison
Middletown
Mountainside

16. Trimester Reporting 2018-2019 Trimester Start Date End Date 1 9/4/18
12/7/18 2
12/10/18
3/18/19 3
3/19/19
6/20/19

17. Resources on Standards-Based Grading
Guskey, T. (2011). Five obstacles to grading reform. Educational Leadership: 69 (3),
Marzano, R. & Heflebower, T. (2011). Grades that show what students know. Educational Leadership: 69 (3), leadership/nov11/vol69/num03/Grades-That-Show-What-Students- Know.aspx
Scriffiny, P. (2008). Seven reasons for standards-based grading. Educational Leadership: 66(2), m02/Seven_Reasons_for_Standards-Based_Grading.aspx \
Townsley, M. & Buckmiller, T. (2016). What does the research say about standards-based grading? Matt Townsley Blog: Jan