Face of report cards change in Reynoldsburg

(by Kim Lunsford, Staff Writer - September 17, 2009)

Reading a report card is not as it once was in the Reynoldsburg City Schools.

In years past, parents saw report cards up through 2nd grade that included Satisfactory and Outstanding.

The district is instituting a standards-based report card for grades Kindergarten through 6th, Slate Ridge Elementary Principal Susan Martin said.

Currently the district is four years into the program and is expanding to include 3rd through 6th grade for this current school year.

This district-wide collaboration with teachers and administration allows parents a more overall look at their students, officials say.

Students achieve grade level indicators that show parents specific skills and knowledge at the end of the reporting period. Students will be graded on four levels. E- Exceptional Mastery, M- Mastery, P- Progress and L- Limited.

The new report card is like an IEP, Individualized Education Program, which creates an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, related services personnel and students to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities.

For regular education, the report card allows a teacher to get a better picture of his or her students. One such situation could be a student receiving an A in Math in the past would be considered mastering the subject, but with the SBRC teachers are able to find high achieving students who didn't get a particular skill that could be a building block for moving on to higher levels of mathematics.

The district is currently working on a motivational and recognition portion of the report card to reward students for their hard work with both grades and behavior.

"Grades can no longer mask student performance," Superintendent Steve Dackin said. "Ultimately the report card is communication with parents."

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