report cards

I've completed this term's report cards and they'll be coming home today.  Here are a few general comments that will hopefully answer any basic questions.  If you would like to schedule a parent/teacher/student conference to discuss grades please call, text, or email me to set something up.  Thanks!

Q:  If my child got a 3 or a 4 in a standard and this term they got a 2 what's the problem?
A:  Several standards will span across more than one grading term.   This term I noticed that some students who received a 3 in a writing standard in previous terms, earned a 2 for term 4.  Some students didn't follow the rubrics as closely and made spelling errors, used incorrect grammar, and/or wrote things that conflicted with directions they were supposed to follow.  Students should be able to explain why they earned their grade and next week I'll send home the on-going work portfolios for parents and students to review.

Q: What if my child got a 1 or a 2 in a standard that has only occurred once this year. (this is the case with many of the Math and most of the Science and Social Studies standards).
A:  At the beginning of Term 6 students will be given a copy of their report card and they will have to identify standards where they earned either 1s or 2s.  Students will then create their own projects so they can bring up their grade.  All of the standards are open for term 6 so I will either apply the highest grade a student earned OR use a term 6 project to elevate that grade.  
For example, if a child earned a 2 in narrative writing and a 1 for the Civil War Social Studies standard, they could choose to write a fictional narrative based on an Civil War era person.  Students should, ideally, have time to work on at least 2-3 projects.  For students who earned 3s and 4s on everything (this is a smaller number of students), they will have the opportunity to either explore a 5th grade standard of their choosing or create a project based on the 6th grade standards.

In conclusion, no student should have to end the year with a 1 in any standard.

Q:  My child's grade went down in standard R5F4, the reading accurately and fluently standard.  Why?
A:  Student fluency levels are expected to increase during the year and if a student's level does not increase according to the projected level of growth, their grade will decrease.  By the end of the 5th grade year students are expected to be at level T or higher.  If your child's grade has decreased they need to read more on-level books, read a larger variety of books, and read more frequently at home.  If a student has a 1 or a 2 they should read at least 45 minutes each night for their homework.  Mrs. Washington and I will begin the next round of fluency tests towards the end of this term.