To more accurately assess student progress, Vandalia-Butler City Schools uses standards-based report cards in grades K-3.
A standards-based report card:
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Reports student progress in specific content areas.
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Identifies what concepts students understand and where they require more assistance.
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Reports elements such as use of class time, homework completion, and cooperation separately from academic achievement.
Our grades K-3 reporting system is not a traditional grade card because learning is too complex to be reduced to a simple letter grade. Traditional report cards use a letter grade to sum up a student’s knowledge about an entire subject.
Standards-based reporting breaks each subject area down into specific indicators that serve as checkpoints for measuring student knowledge. These indicators are aligned with the Ohio Academic Content Standards, as defined by the Ohio Department of Education. This means students are measured quarterly against the state’s content standards for each subject area in each grade level. Every student in that grade level across the entire district is receiving instruction and being assessed on the same concepts and skills.
Rather than assign a letter grade, numbers 1-4 are used to show a student’s mastery of each indicator. It is a superior tool for communicating to parents what their children know and where they require more assistance.
Parent Resources
Standards-based grading terms
Applying academic standards across the curriculum
Relating academic standards to all students
A parents’ guide to standards-based grading