Dear Parents and Guardians of Students in Grades K-5,
The purpose of a report card is to keep you informed as to your child’s progress in relation to the expectations of the Common Core Standards of your child’s specific grade level. As you receive your child’s first report card for the 2014-2015 school year, I would like to communicate some very important information with you regarding some changes.
This year the DOE has empowered schools to make a choice regarding the method of reporting grades to parents. Previously, all elementary schools were directed to use the 4,3,2,1 rating scale to report progress in the now mandatory STARS system. This system did not allow teachers to mark students in a more precise manner by adding the + and – sign, as they are able to do for in classroom tasks. For this reason, in consultation with the teachers and the SLT members, we have decided to adopt a system of grading that provides an additional category as well as a plus (+) minus (-), feature, to be implemented in the future. The new system uses letters E, G, S, N and U representing words that are more concrete for students, parents, and family members to understand. Please be aware that in school assignments will continue to be scored using the 1-4 rubric. To help with clarity and communication, refer to the following grading scale in order to better understand your child’s performance and progress towards meeting the standards.
The purpose of a report card is to keep you informed as to your child’s progress in relation to the expectations of the Common Core Standards of your child’s specific grade level. As you receive your child’s first report card for the 2014-2015 school year, I would like to communicate some very important information with you regarding some changes.
This year the DOE has empowered schools to make a choice regarding the method of reporting grades to parents. Previously, all elementary schools were directed to use the 4,3,2,1 rating scale to report progress in the now mandatory STARS system. This system did not allow teachers to mark students in a more precise manner by adding the + and – sign, as they are able to do for in classroom tasks. For this reason, in consultation with the teachers and the SLT members, we have decided to adopt a system of grading that provides an additional category as well as a plus (+) minus (-), feature, to be implemented in the future. The new system uses letters E, G, S, N and U representing words that are more concrete for students, parents, and family members to understand. Please be aware that in school assignments will continue to be scored using the 1-4 rubric. To help with clarity and communication, refer to the following grading scale in order to better understand your child’s performance and progress towards meeting the standards.
Also this year, based on direct input from parents and family members, we have decided to provide holistic, individualized comments including next steps and suggestions for how you can support your child at home, instead of simply selecting from a list of standard based comments from a drop down menu. We feel these comments are more informative and communicate the strong knowledge we have of individual students.
Additional information we have provided on the report card at Flushing Manor, include the following: your child’s independent reading level and the Spring 2014 State Test Scores in ELA and Math when applicable. This information is important in providing a complete picture of your child’s overall performance.
As you know, at the Flushing Manor School, the staff is committed to preparing our students for the future. By implementing the Common Core Standards and using resources that are aligned to the standards, we ensure that our students are exposed to rigorous classroom instruction. By setting the standards, using consistent grading policies, and keeping our young students and their families well informed about their academic performance, we can empower our students to achieve more and make progress throughout the school year.
We look forward to seeing all of our parents and guardians at the Fall Parent Teacher Conferences so that our teachers can further communicate with you about your child’s progress. We know that with Parents as Partners we will see growth in all of our students!
Sincerely,
Anna Dimilta Grace Lee-Sim
Principal Assistant Principal, I.A
Additional information we have provided on the report card at Flushing Manor, include the following: your child’s independent reading level and the Spring 2014 State Test Scores in ELA and Math when applicable. This information is important in providing a complete picture of your child’s overall performance.
As you know, at the Flushing Manor School, the staff is committed to preparing our students for the future. By implementing the Common Core Standards and using resources that are aligned to the standards, we ensure that our students are exposed to rigorous classroom instruction. By setting the standards, using consistent grading policies, and keeping our young students and their families well informed about their academic performance, we can empower our students to achieve more and make progress throughout the school year.
We look forward to seeing all of our parents and guardians at the Fall Parent Teacher Conferences so that our teachers can further communicate with you about your child’s progress. We know that with Parents as Partners we will see growth in all of our students!
Sincerely,
Anna Dimilta Grace Lee-Sim
Principal Assistant Principal, I.A