Standards Based Report Cards

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of the new report cards being used at the elementary level. To me there is less information than before, and I'm no so sure of the measurement tool.

Today, the Morning Call has an article on the new "Standards Based Report Cards" (read it here).

Grades are based on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest, and measure whether a student is advanced, proficient, basic or below basic -- the same ranking for the state's standardized test, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.

Adopting the PSSA system to the classroom takes us from five grading levels to four. In my book a "C" was average and meant you did what was required, nothing more, nothing less. "B" meant you went above what was called for and an "A" meant you excelled going way beyond. On the flip side, a "D" was a warning that you could be at risk if you don't start picking it up soon, and an "F" was a failure.

The PSSA system says something altogether different to me. "Proficient" sounds like a "C", "Basic" sounds like a "D", you kind of get it, but you might not. So what is "Advanced"? A or B, maybe it doesn't matter, I'd guess people will be happy to see their kids in the advanced level regardless of what it means. Does this range from 80-100%?

I guess my biggest problem is you can say it aligns with standards, but at some point you have to test to see how well the student understands the material and when you test you grade. A percentage is what tells us how much they comprehend, so there must be a correlation - advanced is 85-100%?

''The big difference is the philosophy behind the grading system, that students should be measured against the standards and not against each other,'' said Lesky, adding that the new method leaves no room for curves and subjective marks.

To the point I made above - when weren't students graded against the standards? You take a test, based on the material being taught and you get a score. Your score is added to other scores and a grade is determined. I loved having numeric percentages in HS, because you could see the difference between someone who got an 89% and someone who got a 80%, instead of lumping them both into "B".

Did that result in competition between students? For some it did, but that was a by-product of the grading, not the grading itself.

'In the past, you got a grade and you never really knew how the final grade was derived,'' Lesky said. ''Under the old system, grading was more of a competition, used to rank students against each other.''

I don't know of a teacher who didn't tell students on the first day of class how the grade would be determined. Tests equal 75%, Quizzes 15% and Homework 10%. Then you were given tests on the subject matter, graded, and received a score. The scores were added up and you got a grade. No mystery involved.

I don't know about most elementary parents, but I looked at my daughter's report card and wondered what it meant. What is the standard? What do these grades indicate she actually knows? And how is it better than putting a grade or percent?

What do you think - are the standards based report cards a step in the right direction? Do they bring added value? Provide better understanding?