Cherry Hill Public Schools
The K—3 Standards-Based Report Card
New to Grade 3 in 2013—2014
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
Parent(s)/Guardians of Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third Grade Students
R. Homer, Sharp Principal and Co-Chair of the K—3 Standards-based Report Card (SBRC) Committee
October 2013
Beginning in January 2012, a group of Cherry Hill educators formed a committee with the purpose of planning,
constructing, and promoting the implementation of a new standards-based report card in kindergarten, first grade, and
second grade. This year, the SBRC will be employed in grade 3 for the first time. Our goal for standards-based
reporting continues as follows:
The purpose of the SBRC in grades K—3 is to communicate achievement of specific marking period
benchmarks or adequate progress towards end of grade-level learning goals based on the Common Core
Standards (CCCS) in Language Arts and Mathematics and New Jersey Curriculum Content Standards
(NJCCS) in Science and Social Studies. It identifies students’ areas of strength, areas where additional
time and effort are required, and levels of progress in regard to the goals.
The work of the committee was guided and driven by answering several key focus questions based on the literature and
research of Dr. Thomas R. Guskey. His book, Developing Standards-Based Report Cards, was used as a primary resource
for the work. The answers to these focus questions can provide you with background information so that you are better
able to understand, and subsequently, use the report card as a guide to your child’s academic, social, and behavioral
growth in the regular and encore classes. All encore classes begin in first grade in library, music, art, physical education,
Spanish, and technology. Listed below are answers to the key focus questions that were the driving force behind the
development and construction of the SBRC. In addition, several other anticipatory questions are included and answered.
How often will the report card be completed and sent home?
The SBRC in grade K—3 will be completed and sent home to you three times per year on December 6, 2013, March 28,
2014, and June 17, 2014. Prior to the implementation of the SBRC, kindergarten only had two reporting periods. Now,
there is uniformity across the grade-levels with three reporting periods.
Will a specific report card be developed for each grade-level?
Yes. Each grade-level will have a specific report card that is aligned with the CCCS in Language Arts and Mathematics
and the NJCCS in Science and Social Studies. The reporting standards on the report cards are written in “parent friendly”
language so that you are able to understand what your child should know (content knowledge), understand (big ideas,
enduring understandings), and be able to do (skills). Students are expected to grow and progress to master these reporting
standards by the end of the school year.
What does a reporting standard look like?
Curriculum standards are written using educational terminology that can be clearly understood by trained educators. For
reporting purposes on a standards-based report card, curriculum standards are translated into reporting standards so that
parent(s)/guardian(s) can understand what your child should know (content knowledge), understand (big ideas, enduring
understandings), and be able to do (skills). Listed below is an example of a Kindergarten mathematics reporting standard
for Number Names and Sequence.
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Count to 100 by ones and by tens.
Count forward beginning from a given number.
Write numbers from 0 to 20.
Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0—20.
How will your child’s academic performance be reported for each reporting standard?
Your child’s academic performance will be reported through performance indicators. Performance indicators are “learning
progressions” that allow teachers to locate students’ current status on a learning continuum along which they are expected
to progress. Academic performance (product) will be indicated by numbers with corresponding labels to describe
academic achievement.
Indicates an extended understanding and application of the skills included in the grade level Common Core
Standards for the current reporting period.
Indicates an expected understanding and demonstration of the skills included in the grade level Common Core
3
Standards for the current reporting period.
Indicates a developing understanding and demonstration of the skills included in grade level Common Core
2
Standards for the current reporting period.
Indicates a minimal understanding and demonstration of the skills included in the grade level Common Core
1
Standards for the current reporting period.
Indicates insufficient data. No grade is recorded. Students who have prolonged absences or students who enter the
ID
school a short time before distribution of the report card may receive this indicator.
NA Indicates that the standard was not assessed. Students will receive this indicator when the specific standard is not
addressed in that marking period because of the timing of the implementation of the curriculum.
MC Indicates modified curriculum. Teachers may modify curriculum to meet the specific needs of students who are
entitled to special services through an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).
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Additional reporting will occur through your child’s performance based on process goals. Process goals are assessed
through your child’s learning activities and classroom behavior. Process goals consider how students behave while they
are learning. Process performance will be indicated by symbols in the targeted areas of class participation, classwork
completion, homework completion, effort, organization, self-management of learning, problem solving, conflict
resolution, following directions, respect, and cooperation. These process indicators will also be applied for encore
reporting.
Exemplary behavior
+ (plus)
Expected behavior
√ (check)
Working toward expected behavior
- (minus)
Needs improvement
NI
Supporting documents in the form of rubrics/scales (a set of criteria used to assess a student’s performance) will be
available to provide greater detail. The rubrics/scales may be accessed through web links that will be clearly listed on the
report card. Hard copies are available in the main office of each school. Listed below is an example.
+ (plus)
Following directions
The student
independently and
consistently follows
oral and written
directions from the
teacher.
√ (check)
The student follows
oral and written
directions from the
teacher with few
reminders.
2
- (minus)
The student follows
oral and written
directions from the
teacher with multiple
reminders.
NI
The student does not
follow oral and
written directions
from the teacher.
Will teacher comments be included?
 Yes. Reporting on academic progress is generally enhanced through comments. Teachers will provide comments
describing 2 to 3 areas of strength in all combined curricular areas (reading, writing, math, science, social studies,
process) where the student showed the most progress or excelled the greatest. In addition, they will provide
comments relating 2 to 3 areas of weakness, areas where growth is needed, or where interventions are required in
all combined curricular areas. At the end of the first marking period, these comments will provide you with some
background knowledge prior to parent/student/teacher conferences.
What is the status of the grades 3—5 report card?
The SBRC will be implemented for the first time in 3rd grade this year. Our present report cards for grades 4—5 will be
used during this school year. Committees will be formed and work will begin so that a SBRC can be introduced in 4th
grade during the 2014—2015 school year in 5th grade during the 2015—2016 school year. The grades 4—5 report cards
will be developed using a similar standards-based format like the K—3 report card. There will be a change from letter
grades in grades 4—5 to reporting standards and indicators so that parent(s)/guardian(s) can understand what their
children should know (content knowledge), understand (big ideas, enduring understandings), and be able to do (skills).
The K—2 SBRC was first used last year during the 2012—2013 school year. Are there any changes?
There are two changes to the K—2 SBRC and were also incorporated into the grade 3 report card. First, during last year’s
implementation, in the first marking period and to a lesser extent in the second marking period, students received
predominantly “1s” (minimal understanding) and “2s” (developing understanding) because grading was completed along
a continuum leading to the attainment of end-of-year standards. Based on various surveys and focus group data, a great
number of parents were concerned because they could not determine if their children were progressing adequately. This
year, students may be assigned “3s” (expected understanding) at the end of each marking period if they meet the marking
period benchmark/target or if they are making adequate progress toward the end-of-year standard.
Second, the SBRC folder will no longer be used. The 3-page report card and the parent comment card will be sent home
in an 8 x 10 inch envelope. Supporting documents for the SBRC will be available on line and hard copies will be available
in each school’s main office. The online address of the supporting documents will be listed on the report card.
In closing, implementing a standards-based report card must call for a close working relationship between all members of
the educational community including teachers, parents/guardians, and administrators. To fully interpret and understand
the reporting standards on the new report cards, educators must ensure parents are thoroughly familiar with the standards,
the various levels of achievement in relationship to product, process, and progress, and the language and terminology on
the report card. Only when all members of the educational community understand what each grade means and how
achievement may be improved will the true value of standards-based report cards be realized. The Cherry Hill School
District’s standards-based report cards in grade K—3 aim to achieve these lofty goals!
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