Dear Parents/Guardians

            I have recently had some questions about when grade reports would be coming and I wanted to answer those to the class as a whole.  Next year our entire school will be switching to a Standards Based Report Card.  This year we have the primary classes, as well as one third grade class and one fifth grade class piloting this system.  I am very excited to be the fifth grade class piloting standards based report cards. 

            My standards based report card will not be the traditional A, B, C, D, and F report home.  Instead we will be using indicators of 1-4.  The 1-4 Indicators that you will see on your child’s work mean the following. 

4 – The student meets the GLE (Grade Level Expectation of that assignment) That   

      means they are consistently and accurately demonstrating that skill or GLE. 

3 – Progressing toward the GLE.  The student demonstrates the skill (GLE) with   

      minimal help. 

2 – Demonstrates the GLE inconsistently – The student requires prompting. 

1 – Area of Concern – The student needs considerable assistance in performing the

      skill  (GLE).

            My grade book is still being created, and because of that I have been unable to input the classroom assignments.  I am grading and recording them but they are not in the computer yet.  That will be happening over this weekend and next week.  I appreciate your flexibility as we make this change and if you ever have any questions please feel free to ask. 

            If you would like information on what the GLEs (Grade Level Expectations) are please go to the OSPI website.  OSPI stands for Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Some of you may be asking why in the world we wouldn’t want to give out letter grades.  My answer to that is a grade of B in math doesn’t specifically target what your child needs to work on in math.  By breaking math up into the standards that every 5th grader needs to know I can better communicate to you at home what specifically we need to work on with that child.  Having come from the system of letter grades I know it will be hard to switch mindsets.  I would ask that you try to learn the indicators I will be using and  do not associate them with letter grades.  A 4 does not mean an A.  A 4 means that your child is meeting that specific grade level expectation for fifth grade.

            Please call, email, or schedule a time to come in and talk to me if you have any questions.  Thank you so much for your time and understanding.

Stephanie Manier