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This page is to serve as a communication to families on the new report card, the "Summative Report", of frequently asked questions... If you have a question that is not addressed here please email your questions to Lisa Krohn and it will be added!
Q: I have heard that this new system (K-8 standard based reporting) would not allow our children to be competitive with other grading systems and could prevent them from getting accepted into college or obtain scholarships. Instead of feeding into these statements I would prefer to clarify this with you.
A: These are extremely false and uninformed comments. The only thing that colleges look at in regards to school district reporting is student transcripts. This is starting in 9th grade or certain classes that are HS credited. JC 9th-12th graders are staying with the traditional A-F grading with GPA as the reporting system. However, many districts (Waukesha as an example) have a proficiency based program like our K-8 have/will be utilizing for their reporting system . ALL colleges have a way to work with proficiency based reporting, number reporting or letter reporting. Colleges look at ACT or SAT scores along with review of student HS transcripts focusing on what courses the students took (are they academic challenging courses?) and then how the student did in the courses (transcripts). There are many factors.
This question reminds me of when I rush my child into the doctor’s office due to a rash. This rash to the doctor is normal when looking at all the research, knowledge and other medical factors. To me it is my child and I am not a doctor with the research or knowledge of practice - there must be something wrong because the rash is not "normal" for my child. I have made many doctors smile at my "fears" and personal "diagnosis" etc. of my child's health. Please remember there is a lot of research and knowledge in the practice of education –continue asking questions for the correct “diagnosis”!
Q: What will the reporting system look like for JC current 7th grade students next year (going into 8th grade) since they are not familiar with standards based reporting?
A: The current 7th grade students that will be in 8th grade during the 2012-2013 school year will stay consistent with their current reporting. In 2013-2014 all students K-8 will be aligned to the standards based reporting system. This will allow parents, teachers, and students to have a clear picture of the foundations needed to be successful in HS, college, career and life.
Q: What will grades 9-12 be doing?
A: Teachers are aligning their course work with the Common Core State Standards, which have the College and Career Readiness standards built within. Teachers will be defining what demonstrates mastery of course skills and will be reporting this as an academic grade and behavioral grade. Grades will still be in the form of A-F; however, what makes an "A" etc will be defined. Teachers will be developing consistent course syllabus for students and parents to be aware of academic and behavioral requirements. The HS (9-12) will be in alignment for the transition from K-8 to College and Career success.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Standards
What are the Common Core State Standards?
The Common Core State Standards are a set of consistent, high quality academic benchmarks that clearly define the knowledge and skills all students should master by the end of each school year in order to be on track for success in college and career. The standards were created through a state-led initiative and have been adopted by more than 40 states.
Why are the Common Core State Standards important?
The standards are a common sense first step toward ensuring our children obtain the best possible education no matter where they live. With clear academic expectations for each grade level, teachers, parents, and students can work together toward shared goals. Furthermore, the standards draw from the best existing standards in the country and are benchmarked to top performing nations around the world, ensuring that our students are well prepared to compete not only with their peers here at home, but also with students around the world, maintaining America’s competitive edge. With consistent standards, states can also now opt to pool their collective expertise and resources in order to reduce costs for each individual state and bring the most well-informed, creative thinking to various efforts around the standards. For example, states can work together to: Make expectations for students as clear as possible to parents, teachers, and the general public; Encourage the development of textbooks, digital media, and other teaching materials aligned to the standards; Develop and implement high quality curricula that best enable teachers to help all students reach the standards; Develop and implement comprehensive assessment systems to measure student performance against the standards and replace the existing testing systems that often are inconsistent, burdensome, and confusing; and Evaluate and advocate for policy changes needed to help students and educators meet the standards.
Will local teachers be able to decide what and how to teach with the Common Core State Standards?
The standards simply establish a clear set of goals and expectations that will prepare students with the knowledge and skills to help them succeed. It is up to local teachers, principals, superintendents, and others to decide how the standards will be reached. Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms.
What grade levels are included in the Common Core State Standards?
The English-language arts and mathematics standards are for grades K-12. Research from the early childhood and higher education communities also informed the development of the standards.
What do the standards mean for students with disabilities and English-language learners?
The standards create consistent, high expectations for all students and provide a greater opportunity for states to share experiences and best practices that can lead to an improved ability to best serve young people with disabilities and English-language learners. The K-12 English-language arts and mathematics standards include information on application of the standards for English-language learners and students with disabilities. Additionally, alternate assessments are being developed for students with the most severe cognitive disabilities, as are English-language proficiency assessments tied to the Common Core for English-language learners.
Why are the Common Core State Standards for just English-language arts and mathematics?
English-language arts and mathematics were the subjects chosen for the Common Core because they teach skills upon which students build skill sets in other subject areas. Furthermore, the English-language arts standards address literacy across disciplines, including science, social studies, and technical subjects.
Do these standards incorporate both content and skills?
Yes, both content and skills are important and have been incorporated in the Common Core State Standards. One of the criteria by which the standards have been evaluated is whether or not they include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, and communications.
The Development Process
Who led the effort to establish the Common Core State Standards?
The standards were created through a state-led initiative with the goal of establishing a single set of clear educational standards for English-language arts and mathematics to be shared among states. The effort was spearheaded by governors and school chiefs through their membership in the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), respectively.
How were the standards created?
Governors and schools chiefs convened a diverse team of teachers, parents, administrators, researchers, and experts in the education community to design the standards in order to ensure they reflect the best current thinking in education, the realities of the classroom, and aspirations for our children. CCSSO and the NGA Center also provided public comment periods for all stakeholders to submit feedback on the draft standards documents. To ensure this process was open, inclusive, and rigorous, several working groups and committees were formed:
The Standards Development Work Group was responsible for determining and writing the standards;
The Feedback Group provided expert input on draft documents, drawing from a wealth of research-backed information; and
The Validation Committee – comprised of independent, national education experts – reviewed the standards to ensure they met the development criteria. Its members were nominated by states and national organizations, and selected by a group of 12 governors and chiefs who held leadership positions at the NGA Center and CCSSO.
By what criteria were the standards developed?
The standards were developed according to the following criteria, set by states through governors and school chiefs:
Alignment with expectations for college and career success;
Clarity, so that educators and parents know what they need to do to help students learn;
Consistency, so that students are not taught to a lower standard just because of where they live;
Inclusivity of both content and the application of knowledge through higher-order skills;
Grounded in strengths and lessons of existing state standards;
Benchmarked to top performing nations across the world;
Realistic for effective use in the classroom; and
Evidence and research–based.
How are educational standards determined?
Each state has its own process for developing, adopting, and implementing standards. As a result, past academic expectations of students have varied widely from state to state. The Common Core has now established the same rigorous expectations for a majority of students; however, each state remains fully in control of its own standards and all related decisions.
Were teachers involved in the creation of the standards?
Yes, teachers have been a critical voice in the development of the standards to ensure that they are practical in the classroom. The National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), among other organizations, have been instrumental in bringing together teachers to provide specific, constructive feedback on the standards.
Did the federal government play a role in developing these standards?
No, the federal government was not involved in the development of the standards. This has always been, and continues to be, a state-led and driven initiative. States voluntarily adopted and are currently implementing the standards on an individual basis. These standards are in no way federally-mandated – rather, they are the standards of more than 40 individual states.
Adoption
How did states adopt the Common Core State Standards?
Each state adopted the standards through its own unique adoption process. Some states adopted the standards through their state boards of education, while others adopted them through their state legislatures. Since their release in June 2010, the standards have been adopted by more than 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Implementation
What does the Common Core mean for students?
The Common Core holds students to rigorous, yet attainable, academic benchmarks designed to ensure college and career readiness. The standards also provide important clarity for students— and their parents and teachers— about the knowledge and skills they should be learning at every step in their academic careers. Furthermore, consistent standards will allow kids to stay on track when their families move between states, rather than entering a new school behind or ahead of their peers, as was often the case when standards varied from state to state.
Who is in charge of implementing the standards?
The standards are being implemented by each state individually through the collaboration of various groups including SEAs, local education authorities, institutes of higher education, state educator associations, and individual school leaders. They do not tell principals how to run their schools, and they do not tell teachers how to teach, nor do they mandate or include any accompanying assessments, curricula, or instructional materials. While states are voluntarily coming together on certain implementation-related efforts, each state is independently and solely responsible for putting the standards into practice.
Will curricula, assessments, and instructional material aligned to the standards be developed?
Yes, there are already state-led efforts underway to develop standards-aligned curricula, assessments, and instructional materials. CCSSO has convened a group of states to work together to address systemic approaches to managing the transition to the Common Core. It is specifically designed to help states implement the standards, allowing them to share best practices and work together on identifying and disseminating specific tools for states to use. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia are participating in at least one of two coalitions – the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) – to develop assessment systems that will include summative tests in addition to formative measures. By collaborating, states can both conserve money and resources, and make sure that top talent from across the country has a seat at the table to create the highest quality products. Additionally, education publishing companies and other education organizations, including teacher organizations, are leading their own efforts to develop curriculum resources and instructional materials aligned to the standards.
Is the federal government playing a role in implementation?
No. The federal government is not implementing the standards. However, the federal government is supporting states that have adopted the standards by providing funding to the two state coalitions working on the development of assessments and curriculum resources, the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).
Will the standards be updated?
Yes, there will be an ongoing state-led development process to continuously improve the standards.
Q: I'm wondering why there was nothing in the report card for science and social studies?
A: Science and Social Studies are currently being assessed through informational reading essential outcomes (RF) as well as speaking and listening (SL) essential outcomes.
Science and Social Studies content is through strategies with informational text. If you look at the attached pages to the Summative Report it indicates the areas that were focused on in Science and Social Studies as the vehicle for acquiring reading strategies with informational text. Also if you look at speaking and listening essential outcomes, you will find that the activities, hands on experiments, etc are addressed with these essential outcomes.
Q: What about music, art, and phy ed?
A: Past practice at JC has been that Music, Art and Physical Education are reported out twice a year at semester, this is due to the amount of time the special areas have with the students on a weekly basis.
Q: What does E, I, M indicate?
A: "E" (Extension) indicates when a student has shown proficiency of the grade level outcome (essential outcomes) and the teacher has Extended their learning through application, demonstration, or learning goal. "I" (intervention) indicates when a student needs additional support to gain grade level outcomes (essential outcomes) and the teacher working with the student on a specific area to support student achievement. "M" (Modification) indicates when a student has additional support and/or modifications to demonstrate academic achievement, prior communication with parents would have occurred if a student receives a "M".
Q: What do the boxes checked mean?
A: These boxes that may or may not have a check next to them are the specific skills your child is still working on to show proficiency/mastery (3). If your child has a "2" or "1" there will be a box or boxes checked next to (for example) "RF1a" or "SL2" or "W3" etc. To understand that is there are descriptions attached to the report card. On those pages you will find the "RF1" and then the skill that matches that area. This is the skill your child is developing and has not shown mastery/proficiency (3) at this point in the year.
Q: Could the skills be placed next to the checked boxes instead of the initials?
A: This is something that is being considered.
Q: Why so many pages?
A: The "Summative Report" (new version of the report card) is a communication to parents how your child is meeting the goals determined by the a National Committee (including Wisconsin) that has worked on developing the technical skills, concepts, and 21st century skills needed to be successful in college, career, and life. The elementary goals are to build a strong base for reading, writing, math and presentation skills. Once students have this strong base they will be able to apply their base to specific subjects, interests, career, learning etc. Johnson Creek is committed to communicating to parents what each grade level is working on and what the grade level expectation is by the end of the year. The Summative Report is a time that parents get a glimpse on what their child has meet expectations on (3) and what they are still developing (2,1).
Each quarter the goals will continue to grow or be a higher level. For the full grade level expectations please open the document entitled K-6 essential outcomes.
Q: Characteristics of a Successful Learner?
A: There are two parts of the Summative Report (once called report card):
Part 1: Academics
Part 2: Behavioral (Characteristics of a Successful Learner).
Each characteristic has been proven through research that these are the characteristics need to be successful in life. Individuals need to develop these behaviors to help them be successful in school, life and career. Each Characteristic has a rubric of what it means to be proficient.
Q: I don't know what to even talk about with my child.
A: Teachers are working with your child on the academics and will guide parents on how they can support their child at home throughout the quarter/year. The area the parents really can focus in on is the Characteristics of a Successful Learner. These are areas parents can teach strategies as well as support their child through conversation and setting rules to be successful not only at school but at home. These behaviors need to be learned through discussion at home and school as well as seeing it modeled by families and school.
Q: I want to support my child academically too and I don't know how to from the Summative Report, I am so confused!
A: After reading through the FAQ's above and visiting the curriculum and instruction page, contact your child's teacher for ideas! Your child will only benefit if we are working together.
Q: Do I need to be worried if my child is not proficient "3"?
A: No! We would expect students to be developing. Each grade level goals are to be proficient by the end of the grade level year. Just like every child learns to walk at different times and rates, students learn at different rates. What is important is making sure your child is working toward proficient (3) by the end of their current grade level. Teachers will be in communication if additional time and work needs to be done to support your child to meet grade level expectations.
Q: Parents are continually criticized for not being involved enough in the education of their children, yet the district decides to change to a complicated and somewhat confusing reporting format that requires cross referencing multiple acronyms and abbreviations and a tutorial video in an effort to improve parental involvement?
A: Johnson Creek parents are not criticized for being involved enough in their child's education. It is unfortunate you have that feeling. To address your questions concerning communication, there have been multiple notes, emails, and information available about this change since September. The communication occurred with the curriculum team which is made up of district administrators, board members, and parents. A district initiative is to utilize the website. This is due to many parent requests for information/communication to be shared through the district website. There have been multiple opportunities for parents to seek out additional information and conversation. The district will continue to support communication with families.
Q: Imagine the feeling of opening your Child's report card with great expectations, ready to share in what is typically a pretty positive experience, and find a confusing array of information that you have never seen before. As your child looks over your shoulder and says 'What does a two mean, Daddy?', you have to look at her and honestly respond that you have no idea. You are now uncertain if this is a good report, a bad report, or what it means at all.
A: As you know from viewing and reading the material the purpose of the Summative Report is to provide you and your child with specific goals in which they are working on vs."good" or "bad" as you referenced. This is to serve as a snapshot of how your child is progressing towards end of the year grade level expectations of mastery. This is a National requirement that the State of Wisconsin is a part of with the Common Core State Standards (Career and College Readiness Academic Requirements).
The reporting systems goal is actually developed so families have a better understanding on what their child is working towards. Once the format is understood we are excited about the communication it provides.
If you are looking for support in understanding the Summative Report of your child, your child’s classroom teacher or I would be more than happy to take you through the report to take out the confusion factor.
We are dedicated to support your children to academic success and will continue to do so as we move forward with researched based effective practice in education as a Nation, State, and School!
Please go here for helpful informational clips.
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