Elementary Standards Report Cards
It is our goal to provide a clear, complete communication tool about children’s achievement and progress. Report cards for Grade K-6 have been revised to align with the new Common Core Standards that our state has adopted. The standards are detailed expectations of grade-specific content and skills in English Language Arts and Mathematics. These standards provide all students to a high-quality rigorous and similar education.
Below are the items you will see on our report cards:
- The category and subcategory titles reflect the Massachusetts organization of standards.
- The standards are statements from the Massachusetts of what students should be able to do or know at an identified point in time.
- The grading scale (1-4) is used to reflect progress toward the standard.
- Learning Behaviors reflect student skills necessary to be successful learners.
- Letter grades will only be issues along with the standards in Grade 4-6.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How might the revised standards help parents?
A: The standards are linked to national standards called the Massachusetts Common Core and enables parents to receive accurate information based on cumulative progress.
In addition, …
Since categories and subcategories are the same for different grades, parents can compare growth not only in one year but also across grade levels.
The standards allow for detailed and meaningful discussions with teachers about learning strengths and challenges.
Q: Why are letter grades only issued in Grades 4-6?
A: The 1-4 scoring on each standard provides detailed information about children’s achievement without the need for letter grades. Grades 4-6 have a combination of letter grades and standards reports as a transition to Middle School where letter grades are used.
Q: Why are the science and social studies standards not spelled out in the depth like English Language Arts and Science?
A: The Massachusetts Common Core expects that teachers incorporate science and social studies in the standards for informational text reading, researching and presenting knowledge listed under English Language Arts. The emphasis is not on memorizing content but on applying skills. In addition, specific content knowledge is still being developed under Social Studies and Science.