Progress Reports Have Changed
12/1/2017
This semester you will see a significant change to the progress reports your child receives from PNA. While the report will appear quite different, the largest change is the conceptual approach PNA is taking to evaluate students. After surveying parents early on in the school year, a team of teachers researched and developed a progress report that would convey a student’s performance more accurately, meaningfully, consistently, and in support of learning. A standards based report seemed to fit our collective ideas about how best to inform you of your student’s progress. The following excerpts are adapted from Excelsior High School’s frequently asked questions about standards based assessments: What is standards-based assessment? Standards-based assessment measures your student’s mastery of the essential standards for a class, or how well your student understands the material in class. During a unit of study, the student is assessed to see if they truly know the material using a variety of assessments, such as traditional pencil-and-paper tests, projects, discussions, or reports. The final assessment will be based on all of the evidence the teacher collects demonstrating mastery of the essential standards. The goal of this approach is to provide the teacher, student, and parent as accurate a picture as possible of the student’s learning and to encourage a dialogue about how the student can master the material for the class. In particular, because learning is a process that takes place over time, the student will be allowed to retake assessments. If the new assessments shows a higher level of mastery, that new score replaces the old one. How is standards-based assessment different from traditional grades? In the traditional 100-point grading system, a student’s grades are typically based on all of the work assigned in class, including classwork, homework, projects, quizzes, and tests. These scores are often arranged in the grade book based on the type of assignment rather than on the essential standards for the class. The grade may also include points for non-academic factors, such as participation, effort, or attitude. Standards-based assessment does not separate out tests, homework, or projects. All of the work a student does is used to assess the student’s mastery of the essential standards. Students’ scores from their work are tracked by the essential standards, which gives the teacher, student, and parent a very detailed picture of which standards a student has mastered. Non-academic factors like behavior, attitude, and attendance are not included in this grade and are reported in a different manner. What do the scores on the 4.0 scale mean? The scores on the 4.0 scale each have a very specific meaning. 4.0: The student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the material by completing advanced applications of the material. 3.0: The student has mastered the complex, targeted knowledge and skills for the class. 2.0: The student understands the foundational material that supports the targeted learning, but is still working to master the complex material for the class. 1.0: The student is able to demonstrate an understanding of the foundational material for the class with help from the teacher, but still struggles when working independently. 0.0: Even with assistance from the teacher, the student shows no understanding of the material. A zero will not be given for missing work until the end of the trimester. How will my student be assessed? Your student’s learning will be assessed using a variety of formative and summative assessments. These tools will include formal assessments such as traditional paper-and-pencil tests, projects, written papers, lab reports, or verbal assessments, but they may also include informal assessments such as classroom discussions or teacher observations. Essentially, everything that a student does in a standards-based class provides the teacher with evidence of the student’s learning. Are non-academic factors, such as effort, attitude, participation, and behavior part of the class grade? These factors have always been and will continue to be an important part of your student’s success. However, in standards-based assessment, these factors will be communicated separately from your student’s academic grade. As PNA moves forward with this new assessment record, there will likely be many questions as well as a few kinks to work out. We welcome your suggestions, feedback, and concerns as we move forward as learners ourselves in this project. Slideshow of our week...Comments are closed.
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Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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