Understanding An Elementary School Report Card
Elementary school reports can be so confusing. Traditional grading systems as we remember them are out, and the new systems require some translation. What does 1, 2, 3, 4 mean in relation to a typical number or letter grading system? Maybe your child’s school uses standards, or “grades,” like exceeds, meets standards, approaches standards. Here’s the breakdown of how to interpret your child’s report card.
Most New York City public schools use the STARS report card system. For elementary schools, this usually means each subject has its own category with several standards, or skills, with each skill graded on a system of 4 different ranks. What’s important to know is that each of these skills relate to national standards or expectations of what children should ideally be able to do at a particular point in a school year. The standards are currently taken from the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards and they become increasingly more complicated as the years progress. Sometimes a standard remains the same over the course of several grades as it sometimes takes children a while to master a skill.
A standards based report card provides an in depth picture of a child’s progress by looking at skills as individual components. It also means that if your child is not achieving the highest “grade” in each subject there is no cause for alarm! It does not mean that your child is not achieving at the highest level of their class, or that they aren’t working hard. It does not mean anything is “wrong”. It just means your child is on their way to mastering a particular standard. Teachers often hesitate to give students the highest grade because that implies that a student has mastered the standard and is ready for next year’s material, which is rare.
Although there isn’t any cause for panic, understanding what standards your child is still working towards mastering is important for getting a holistic view of how they are doing as a student.. Report cards are often sent out right before parent teacher conferences. This gives you a great opportunity to review your child’s report card and compile a list of questions to ask your teacher to understand how you can best support your child at home. This can be especially helpful if you’re surprised by the “grades” your child received. Your child’s teacher can help you understand any gaps or misconceptions your child has, how the school is working to support your child in mastering the skill, and what support you can provide your child at home.
Of course, if you’re still concerned or the teacher suggests more outside support is needed, BetterEd is here to help!