What My Grades Mean

Step 1: My report card is a standards-based report card. As such, students are given a 1, 2, 3, 4, or N/A (Not assessed at this time) in content areas. This is based on a rubric. If you would like to see the report card my district uses for grade 2, please comment and I will send it to you.

Step 2: Since the district has created a rubric for my grading system, I will include what the rubric indicates at each level*. I will also include examples of what warrants that score.
*4: Exceeds NYS and District Standards
3: Meets NYS and District Standards
2: Partially meets NYS and District Standards
1: Far below NYS and District Standards

A 4 means the student is above grade level in skills and/or content. This varies as the school goes on because mastery of skills is expected at different times in the school. For example, about half-way through the school year it is expected that students can identify, manipulate, read, and use in context words with r-controlled vowels. If a student has mastered this phonics skill at the beginning of the year, they may be given a score of 4 in this particular skill. Any student who does not show mastery of content knowledge and skills will not be given a 4.

A 3 means the student is on grade level and continues to make steady progress in content areas and is developing mastery of skills. In Reading, a DRA (Direct Reading Assessment) is given to assess student's reading comprehension and fluency. As such, if their score is between a sixteen and a twenty-eight, students can be given a score of 3. The following example shows how a score of a 3 is reflected as the school year progresses: 1st quarter: DRA 16, 18. 2nd quarter: DRA 18, 20. 3rd quarter: 20, 24. 4th quarter: 24, 28. If the student is outside of these guidelines, they are not given a 3.

A 2 means the student is partially meeting NYS and District standards. This is when a student is demonstrating an adequate/appropriate level of performance in almost all content areas, process skills, and other skills. In simpler terms, this student is not at grade level yet and is meeting some, but not all, standards. For example, in Math a student can have a strong understanding of an abstract concept such as addition, but struggles to communicate his/her understanding using words, pictures, and numbers. In this case, a 3 is given for content and a 2 is given for communication.

A 1 means the student is far below grade level. This student is performing more than one year below grade level. This is a student who shows serious needs in all content areas and skills. For example, in Writing if a student cannot identify the parts of a sentence, use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence, use punctuation, use margins correctly, misspells words, uses illegible print they would be given a 1 at end the of the school year in those areas. To be given a 1, the student can form letters and words within the lines on a piece of paper.

Step 3:
The effectiveness of this grading system varies for the person who is interpreting and using these scores.

Student's responses to their report cards are basically simple. It does not seem to affect them, if there are no consequences attached the scores. A nonchalant response is usually given if the student is given a 2 or 3. However, a more receptive response is given if a score of 1 or 4 is given. This is not surprising. I am also not surprised in the lack of response of the students who receive a 2 or 3 because it is "adequate" or just acceptable to the student. Possibly, given that I teach second grade students who receive a 2 never seem to approach me or ask for feedback on how to achieve a 3 or how can they better their performance.

Parent's responses and uses vary to report cards and scores. As a teacher, this grading system can be difficult to translate to parents. For example, a student can be reading at a DRA level sixteen which is the transitional phase from first to second grade. I will give the student a score of 2 in comprehension and fluency, and 3's in all the other reading areas (reading behaviors, discusses books, etc.). This shows that the student is doing a great job behaviorally and might be making steady progress. Furthermore, if it is in the middle of the school year the content and skills in Reading have increased in demands, and at the same time, the student is making adequate progress to be on grade level by the end of the year. This student will continue to receive a 2 until the end of the school, but parents might never see any "growth" on the report card because the score is still a 2. This is because growth can be difficult to see using this rubric system. This is one issue where parents need to actively ask questions regarding their child's overall progress and growth.

My school's administrators are very cut-and-dry regarding our grading system. Rubric scores are expected to be consistent with the first grade Terra Nova scores in Math and their current DRA level in Reading throughout the school year. Improvement in skills and content knowledge is reflected in students' growth, as indicated by moving from a 1 to a 2, 2 to a 3, or 3 to a 4. Lack of improvement is shown when students move from a 3 to a 2, 2 to a 1. Scores can improve greatly, for example, a 1 to a 3, but this type of growth in content knowledge and skills must be substantial. My administration uses these grades seriously, when considering issues such as retention or promotion and measuring teacher's abilities and pedagogy in the classroom (which we know from the Popham, 2008 reading is not valid).

Overall, there are pros and cons to my grading system. It allows for teachers to differentiate in showing a student's overall performance level, skills and content knowledge. It provides documentation for teachers, parents, administrators, and committees/teams that are involved in decisions regarding promotion/retention, alternate placements (e.g. integrated setting), diagnosis of disabilities, and other needs. The more I use this grading system, I feel more comfortable with it and justifying my grades to parents, students, and administrators. A lot of thought has to go into the grades I give because each rubric score encompasses a lot and it is up to my judgment and interpretation of the assessments to provide the most appropriate rubric score.