Jackson school officials say new grading system better for students, parents

While some parents of elementary school students in Jackson have expressed concern over the district's new grading system, administrators said the standards-based reporting system will provide more detailed information about an elementary student's progress.

Under the system, students are assessed on a set of standards based on district and state expectations for each grade. Instead of the traditional letter grades, students receive a one through four on each of the standards -- one for basic understanding, two for approaching the district and state standards, three for meeting district and state level standards and four for exceeding district and state standards.

Assistant superintendent Dr. Rita Fisher said the important thing about the system is the information it gives parents, teachers and students. Instead of a single grade as a summary for an entire subject, students receive numbers on several standards within a subject.

"When you give descriptive feedback to students, instead of a minus eight and a red mark, it is very motivational. They want to be involved in their learning and what is expected of them, and that is where we left them out for years. The idea is that the student who is up here is stretched and taken farther and the ones that are not getting it have the opportunity to do so," she said.

Shannon Heisserer, district instructional facilitator for kindergarten to third grade, said the system is designed to get every student to learn and pass their quarterly assessment, even if it takes all year.

"If they do not earn a four or a three on that assessment, they have to be continually retaught and reassessed during the entire school year and given the opportunity to get a three or a four. ... They will be retaught everything until the last day of school with the hopes that we can get everyone up to a three, because three is meeting all of the district and state level expectations for that grade level," she said.

Some parents have questioned whether continually reteaching skills to some students will affect students already at a three or four, but Fisher said teachers will employ a variety of strategies and resources to ensure each student is working at their own level. Group learning activities, computer time and science and math centers are a few things teachers will use in the classrooms to reach all students, Fisher said.

At Tuesday's school board meeting, three parents also voiced concern that the system will "drag kids up" to a number where they should not be. Fisher and Heisserer both said while they would like all students to be at a three or four, they realize that is not always possible. They said now, however, those students will always have the opportunity to work on problem areas.

Not all parents are against the new system. Gayla Schubert has two children at South Elementary and said the new system will help her and her children identify strengths and weaknesses.

"I like the new grading system because it will help me see where my kids might need help," Schubert said. "Instead of just getting one grade per subject, which is what they received last year, they will be getting five or six for each subject, depending on how many subcategories there are. In math you will be able to see if they don't have a certain concept down such as telling time or counting back money. In the old system they might have been good enough in addition and subtraction that it outweighed their final grade for that quarter, but they might not have learned how to tell time very well."

Some parents have expressed concern that not enough was done to educate them about the system, but Heisserer said parents started receiving information last school year. All parents were given a brochure and a copy of what the new report cards would look like, she said. At the beginning of this school year at all of the open houses, she said, a presentation explained why the decision was made, what the decision was based on and how it would benefit students and parents and teachers.

More information about the new system, including brochure, standards listings for each grade and the PowerPoint presentation, is available at the district's website at www.jacksonr2schools.com.

cbartholomew@semissourian.com

243-8600