Dearborn Schools Reveal New K-5 Report Card

Dearborn parents of elementary-aged students will see their child's progress in a whole new way, thanks to changes implemented to K-5 report cards for Dearborn Public Schools.

The district tasked an elementary report card committee, comprised of more than 40 teachers and administrators, with creation of the new measure of student progress. The process involved looking over report cards from nine other school districts, as well as four months of discussion on the various features.

The goals of the committee were to create a report card that made understanding student performance easier, incorporate the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and math, and assign a grade-level for student performance in reading and math.

Here's what parents can expect:

• The first big change that parents will notice on the report card is the conversion from a letter grade to a number. The numbers on the report card correspond to the following: 1 = Masters Expectations, 2 = Meets Expectations, 3 = Progressing, 4 = Concern. A number will appear next to each Common Core State Standard listed on the report card to indicate a student’s performance in meeting that Standard.
• A new item on the report card is the reporting of student performance on two different computer-administered assessments: one in reading and the other in math. These assessments provide an indication of the grade level the student is performing at in these two subject areas. For example a score on the reading assessment of 3.2 is equivalent to third grade second month. The same holds true for the math assessment.
• The test given in reading is the Scholastic Reading Inventory or SRI reading assessment. The SRI may be given up to three times a year. Starmath is the math assessment tool and may be given up to four times a year. Students in second through fifth grade will not receive an SRI or Star Math score on the first report card.
• The report card also includes a section titled Life Skills and the objectives change from kindergarten through grade five.
• In addition, there is a notes and comments section at the end.

According to the district, the report card grades represent a summary of what students have learned during the marking period. The district encouraged parents to also keep in touch with their child's teacher through regular communication and parent-teacher conferences.

Parents interested in serving on the report card committee may contact Dr. Jill Chochol, Associate Superintendent of Elementary Education at 313-827-3026, or by email at chochoj@dearborn.k12.mi.us.