For Parents: Academic & Student Skills

A learning standard is a statement that describes what a student should know and be able to do within a specific content area.
 

No, there are far too many standards in a given grade level and content area to have each included on the report card.  The teachers worked together to prioritize the standards and select which would appear in PowerSchool and on the report card.  Teachers used the following standards when prioritizing: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Math, the Next Generation Science Standards, the Illinois Social Science Learning Standards, the National Core Arts Standards, and the SHAPE America Standards for Physical Education.
 

The end of the year report card will provide useful information to the teacher who works with your student the next school year.  A rating of “Does Not Meet” would indicate to the new teacher where your student needs additional support.  Most standards progress from year to year, so the new teacher will use this score to determine how to give appropriate support to your child.
 

Student skills are non-academic skills that are integral to student success in school.  The student skills your student will be assessed on include: commitment to learning, activity completion, preparedness, peer cooperation, and citizenship.

Student skills and academic standards represent different types of learning students engage in. Students are assessed according to teacher-developed academic rubrics for each learning standard. In addition, the district developed a separate rubric for the five student skills areas that is included in each student’s report card.
 

Students may exhibit different student skills in a given content area, depending on his or her background knowledge, skills, and other factors.
 

The student skill related to homework is in reference to homework completion and whether it was completed on time.  Whether a student’s homework was completed on time is not used to evaluate academic progress in the classroom.
 

A student extends a standard when he or she meets the grade level standard and accomplishes learning goals beyond the standard.  It does not necessarily mean the student is working on the next grade level standard.  There is an extends to help students and parents understand when a student is working beyond the grade level standard.

No, your student would not be behind.  A typical score for a student would be a “Meets.”  This indicates that the student is meeting the grade level standard.
 

Your student’s teacher may communicate with you prior to the report card so you may partner together to support your student.
 

Word Study is incorporated into the Grades 1-5 English Language Arts standards.
 

A “final” grade does not communicate how students perform on individual standards, and is less specific.
 

This would depend on the standard and content area.  Your student’s teacher can work together with you to determine what can be done at home to support your student.

A “Meets” means that a student is mastering grade level content for a standard.  “Approaching” means that a student is partially mastering grade level content for a standard.  “Does Not Meet” means that a student is not demonstrating mastery of a standard or any part of a standard.  “Extends” means that a student has demonstrated mastery of a grade level standard, and is working on goals beyond the standard.
 

Students who receive this programming are also working towards standards.  However, the programming may include accommodations and modifications to support learning or working with a set of standards that differs from those used in general education programming. Some students who are working towards different grade level standards than what is in the report card, will receive an addendum.
 

This might occur with a year-long standard.  For example, in English Language Arts your student may have demonstrated mastery of the standard with one type of writing and not with another type of writing later in the year.
 

The end of the year report card will provide useful information to the teacher who works with your student the next school year.  A rating of “Approaching” would indicate to the new teacher where your student needs additional support.
 

A letter grade does not indicate student mastery of a standard.