East Greenbush Central School District will be introducing new report cards for Kindergarten and Grade 1 students beginning in the 2019-20 school year. The new standards-based report cards, which were developed by district teachers this year and approved by the Board of Education at its public meeting on May 22, will provide more complete information to parents regarding their child’s learning.
The new report cards for Kindergarten and Grade 1 include category titles and descriptors that reflect grade-appropriate learning standards. Each learning standard will be graded on a 4-1 progress scale (4-Exemplary, 3-Proficient, 2-Developing and 1-Emerging). The report card will also provide information regarding attendance, work habits, social skills, and speaking and listening skills.
“The new report cards will increase the focus on actual learning rather than on a final grade,” said Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction James McHugh. “Parents will have a better understanding of how their child is progressing according to the actual learning standards. I am confident that the new report cards will result in greater consistency regarding student achievement, expectations and academic rigor from one classroom to another throughout our district.”
The new report cards, and corresponding rubrics, were developed by a Report Card Committee comprised of Kindergarten and Grade 1 teachers from each of the district’s five elementary schools during 2018-19. They reviewed the NYS Next Generation Learning Standards, research and policies pertaining to student learning, instructional guidelines, grading systems, promotion and retention.
“Parent-teacher conferences scheduled for November will provide a great opportunity for our teachers to explain the report card to parents and to provide a more complete assessment of their child’s learning growth in school,” said Superintendent Jeff Simons. “I strongly believe that student achievement will increase as a result of this new initiative as teachers, students and parents discuss academic growth using a common language based on the learning standards.”
The district will continue to review and update report cards for other grade levels in the future following this same process. Grades 2 and 3 will be reviewed during the 2019-20 school year with an expected implementation in 2020-21.
Parents are encouraged to review the Report Card Guides listed below, which include samples of the new report cards. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Curriculum and Instruction at 518-207-2528.
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