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Schools Jumping on Standards Bandwagon With Report Cards


Ohanian Comment: Here's a sentence to send shivers down your spine: "This report card is just another tool in a standards-based system."


The West Contra Costa school district has jumped on the standards-based report card bandwagon, replacing traditional letter grades at the elementary level with 1-to-3 scores based on how well students master state standards.

The report cards were piloted last spring in eight elementary schools. They made their district-wide debut last week and will be given to parents for the first time during parent-teacher conferences in early November.

On the new report cards, a "1" means the student has not mastered the skill, a "2" means the student is making progress and a "3" means the student is proficient.

West Contra Costa's move to a standards-based report card follows a state and regional trend toward evaluating students based on how well they meet state academic guidelines.

Standards-based report cards are used in San Ramon, Pleasanton, Mt. Diablo and Antioch schools, among others.

"The whole nation is moving toward standards-based education, so this isn't new for our district or our state," said Jennifer Jennings, West Contra Costa director of professional development.

"This report card is just another tool in a standards-based system."

Standards created by the state Board of Education define the concepts and skills students should learn at each grade level. Kindergartners, for example, should be able to name the days of the week. Fifth-graders should know how to analyze the four basic types of persuasive speech.

The standards-based reports give parents an in-depth look at how well their students meet these and other benchmarks.

But the new report cards are not without their detractors. Some teachers complain they are too labor intensive, and parents are often surprised to find their once straight-A student coming home with 1's and 2's at the beginning of the school year.

That's because many of the academic standards are taught over the course of a year, so most students will not have mastered the skill so early.

"The hardest part is going to be educating parents on this because they don't know what's going on," said teacher Steve Kirby.

Parents of Gifted and Talented Education students have been particularly vocal, saying the 1-to-3 spectrum does not allow room for students who move beyond proficient.

"There are a lot of kids, including my own, who are liable to start a grade proficient in standards at that grade level," said Cathy Travlos, chair of the district's GATE advisory committee.

"I have kids who were typically reading three or four grades ahead of whatever grade level they were on, and there's no way to measure that."

Some special education parents also are concerned their children may not be able to meet the state standards, making it hard to accurately judge their performance.

Jeanine Bishop, co-chair of the district's Community Advisory Committee for Special Education, understands the concerns but said she is not worried.

"I really think that when parents see (the report card) they'll realize it speaks to some real individualized things that the child is doing," Bishop said.



— Kara J. Shire
District takes up standard system
Contra Costa Times
2003-10-19
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/living/education/7050998.htm

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