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Elementary Report Cards

The report card is an assessment of what your child has learned and achieved at specific times in the school year. It is based on observations, daily work, projects, and tests. When you receive your child’s report card, it is important to sit down with the student to look at his/her report card. Remember to focus on the positives first.

Look carefully at the areas where students have 3s or 4s. Talk about why he/she thinks those scores were earned and praise your child for a job well done.
Next look at the areas where a student has received 2s and 1s. Discuss what needs to be done to improve those scores. Now is the time for students, parents, and teachers to set goals and make a plan to achieve improvements before the final report cards in June.

You will receive a report card from the classroom teacher and a report from specialists. If your child receives special education services, both teachers will sign the report card. If your child participates in Title 1, there will be a separate report from that teacher. A separate specialist report card is included as well.

Please keep in mind that:

A “4” means that a student is doing excellent work. When a child receives a “4,” it means that he/she is consistently demonstrating a high level of proficiency or knowledge. If a student earns a”4,” he/she understands the concept or skill that has been taught and has taken the concept to or skill to a level of understanding or proficiency beyond what is normally expected at that grade level.

A “3” is a grade a both students and parents should be proud of. A “3” means that a student’s work consistently meets grade level expectations. A “3” also means that, during this semester, the student demonstrated he/she understands the assessed concepts and can apply that knowledge appropriately.

A “2” means there is room for improvement in your student’s work. A “2” means progress has been made, but because of one or more reasons (lack of effort, understanding, consistency, for example) he/she is not yet doing “3” work. A “2” covers a broad spectrum, from those students who are making slow, steady progress to those who are making faster progress but are not consistent enough to be earning a “3”.

A “1” means there is reason for concern. If your student receives a 1, it means that he/she demonstrates difficulty understanding or achieving grade level knowledge and skills. The student, parents, and teachers should be working together to ensure the student moves towards grade level standards.

A second grading system is used for behaviors and skills that support learning. The marks for this section are:

“+” (Consistently),
“/” (Developing),
“–“ (Area of concern).

Parent Questions and Answers

How did the teacher arrive at this score?

Teachers use different kinds of classroom assessments to determine a student’s scores in
a specific subject (e.g., quizzes; end of unit tests; essays; written reports; projects;
observations of performances, presentations or class activities, etc.).

Do all assignments count toward the report card grade?

Each teacher makes the determination as to which assignments will be used in assigning
performance scores on the report card. Teachers also determine what weight to give
individual assignments.

How do you take a percentage grade and apply it to the four-point scale?

This report card is not directly compatible with percentage grades that are averaged over
time. This report card represents a shift in thinking about how assessments are made.
We are transitioning to standards-based rather than percentage-based scores.

What is the difference between a standards-referenced report card and a standards-based report card?

A standards-based report card has specific criteria for each grade level and subject and
these criteria are used uniformly throughout the district. These standards are based on
district content standards and are aligned with the Washington State Essential Academic
Learning Requirements. A standards-referenced report card uses standards only as a
guide. The Bainbridge Island School District K-6 report card is a standards-based report
card.

What are the standards on which this report card is based?

These standards are based on district content standards and are aligned with the State’s

Essential Academic Learning Requirements. In future years, a district committee
composed of teachers from all grade levels will compile and assess student work to create
standards in specific academic areas. In the meantime, teachers are meeting by grade
level teams in a grassroots attempt to improve consistency.