APS standards grading

[Anonymous]

The party line is that APS is now assessing progress on the year-end expectation. For ELA all standards are covered throughout all 4 quarters so proficiency is not expected until q3-4 when it has all been taught. So highest is a 2 since students have only shown partial understanding since only part has been taught the standards are much broader than what is on the report card; go look them up.

For math some of the units cross quarters and some are within one quarter only so if it has been fully taught a 3 or possibly 4 is possible.

We cannot give a 4 if the student has not shown extension in all parts of the standard. APS has not standardized what makes a 4 especially in ELA. Right now it’s on teachers to develop that… and with what time!

This is what APS has directed schools to do. We have spoken up. They are not changing until parents raise concerns because we have brought them ourselves to no avail.

-a teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The party line is that APS is now assessing progress on the year-end expectation. For ELA all standards are covered throughout all 4 quarters so proficiency is not expected until q3-4 when it has all been taught. So highest is a 2 since students have only shown partial understanding since only part has been taught the standards are much broader than what is on the report card; go look them up.

For math some of the units cross quarters and some are within one quarter only so if it has been fully taught a 3 or possibly 4 is possible.

We cannot give a 4 if the student has not shown extension in all parts of the standard. APS has not standardized what makes a 4 especially in ELA. Right now it’s on teachers to develop that… and with what time!

This is what APS has directed schools to do. We have spoken up. They are not changing until parents raise concerns because we have brought them ourselves to no avail.

-a teacher

Has APS formally solicited feedback from teachers on their thoughts on this version of SBG? Are you getting the sense that the only people in favor of this model are sitting in offices and who don’t deal with students /parents everyday?

[Anonymous]

Who can we give feedback to about this? This system is totally useless. Things should not be measured to end of year goals. They should be measured towards the quarterly goals.

I would love to know the right person/people to provide feedback to if anyone knows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The party line is that APS is now assessing progress on the year-end expectation. For ELA all standards are covered throughout all 4 quarters so proficiency is not expected until q3-4 when it has all been taught. So highest is a 2 since students have only shown partial understanding since only part has been taught the standards are much broader than what is on the report card; go look them up.

For math some of the units cross quarters and some are within one quarter only so if it has been fully taught a 3 or possibly 4 is possible.

We cannot give a 4 if the student has not shown extension in all parts of the standard. APS has not standardized what makes a 4 especially in ELA. Right now it’s on teachers to develop that… and with what time!

This is what APS has directed schools to do. We have spoken up. They are not changing until parents raise concerns because we have brought them ourselves to no avail.

-a teacher

Thanks for this. Where/when was this communicated to parents? I try to read all the APS emails, but perhaps I missed it.

Are middle schools now using the same method of assigning 2 vs 3 vs 4? I really hope not….

[Anonymous]

Has APS formally solicited feedback from teachers on their thoughts on this version of SBG? Are you getting the sense that the only people in favor of this model are sitting in offices and who don’t deal with students /parents everyday?

Not on the decision to only report to year end mastery. Teachers were not asked or involved in that decision and when questioned, there was no interest in changing since they had rolled out parent communication at that point, a few weeks ago.

This is on top of all new ELA and math standards. I like the report card, just want to report on what was taught during the current quarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The party line is that APS is now assessing progress on the year-end expectation. For ELA all standards are covered throughout all 4 quarters so proficiency is not expected until q3-4 when it has all been taught. So highest is a 2 since students have only shown partial understanding since only part has been taught the standards are much broader than what is on the report card; go look them up.

For math some of the units cross quarters and some are within one quarter only so if it has been fully taught a 3 or possibly 4 is possible.

We cannot give a 4 if the student has not shown extension in all parts of the standard. APS has not standardized what makes a 4 especially in ELA. Right now it’s on teachers to develop that… and with what time!

This is what APS has directed schools to do. We have spoken up. They are not changing until parents raise concerns because we have brought them ourselves to no avail.

-a teacher

Thanks for this. Where/when was this communicated to parents? I try to read all the APS emails, but perhaps I missed it.

Are middle schools now using the same method of assigning 2 vs 3 vs 4? I really hope not….

My 7th grader is getting letter grades but I think they have moved in the same direction of assessing year long standards because she got “meets expectations” for everything which is not consistent with what we were told at conferences or past performance where she would have had several “exceeds”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you all have only children or first kids?

Who cares. It’s not that deep. Look at the papers they bring home every week. Monitor standardized test screeners and SOLs. And just relax until middle school.

You have to realize the changes since your kids were in elementary. Now we don't get papers sent home. Tests are on the iPad so we never see scores. (My student isn't allowed to bring her iPad home, even if I wanted to poke around and try to find scores.) For language arts, writing is done in a notebook that stays at school and CKLA and 95Phonics are done in workbooks that stay at school. Other work is submitted on the iPad. At most my student brings home a couple of worksheets for social studies or science, but even those are intermittent. Work isn't sent home like it used to be.

[Anonymous]

Direct complaints/questions to Syphax staff. Teachers and school based administration had little to no input in this process and central office rolled it out poorly to teachers.

[Anonymous]

So for early quarters the highest they can get is a 2? So there are 2 grades then: A or F. No gradient at all in the performance until the end of year. Why did we drop letter grades. Everyone is familiar with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The party line is that APS is now assessing progress on the year-end expectation. For ELA all standards are covered throughout all 4 quarters so proficiency is not expected until q3-4 when it has all been taught. So highest is a 2 since students have only shown partial understanding since only part has been taught the standards are much broader than what is on the report card; go look them up.

For math some of the units cross quarters and some are within one quarter only so if it has been fully taught a 3 or possibly 4 is possible.

We cannot give a 4 if the student has not shown extension in all parts of the standard. APS has not standardized what makes a 4 especially in ELA. Right now it’s on teachers to develop that… and with what time!

This is what APS has directed schools to do. We have spoken up. They are not changing until parents raise concerns because we have brought them ourselves to no avail.

-a teacher

Thanks for this. Where/when was this communicated to parents? I try to read all the APS emails, but perhaps I missed it.

Are middle schools now using the same method of assigning 2 vs 3 vs 4? I really hope not….

My 7th grader is getting letter grades but I think they have moved in the same direction of assessing year long standards because she got “meets expectations” for everything which is not consistent with what we were told at conferences or past performance where she would have had several “exceeds”

I think middle school teachers just have a lot of students so it takes more to stand out and get an exceeds expectations. I'd bet that many teachers basically give a "meets" to everyone who isn't a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So for early quarters the highest they can get is a 2? So there are 2 grades then: A or F. No gradient at all in the performance until the end of year. Why did we drop letter grades. Everyone is familiar with that.

That's not correct. My student got 3s and 4s this quarter. They just have to already meet or exceeds the full scope of the end of year standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So for early quarters the highest they can get is a 2? So there are 2 grades then: A or F. No gradient at all in the performance until the end of year. Why did we drop letter grades. Everyone is familiar with that.

That's not correct. My student got 3s and 4s this quarter. They just have to already meet or exceeds the full scope of the end of year standard.

So now they are done for the school year already?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all have only children or first kids?

Who cares. It’s not that deep. Look at the papers they bring home every week. Monitor standardized test screeners and SOLs. And just relax until middle school.

You have to realize the changes since your kids were in elementary. Now we don't get papers sent home. Tests are on the iPad so we never see scores. (My student isn't allowed to bring her iPad home, even if I wanted to poke around and try to find scores.) For language arts, writing is done in a notebook that stays at school and CKLA and 95Phonics are done in workbooks that stay at school. Other work is submitted on the iPad. At most my student brings home a couple of worksheets for social studies or science, but even those are intermittent. Work isn't sent home like it used to be.

I still have a kid in elementary school. She gets lots of papers sent home including all her tests which are on paper and her writing notebooks which she brings home because sometimes she needs to finish work at home. Ask your teacher to see more of the work. That’s your right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So for early quarters the highest they can get is a 2? So there are 2 grades then: A or F. No gradient at all in the performance until the end of year. Why did we drop letter grades. Everyone is familiar with that.

That's not correct. My student got 3s and 4s this quarter. They just have to already meet or exceeds the full scope of the end of year standard.

So now they are done for the school year already?

The comments list extension activities they are receiving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all have only children or first kids?

Who cares. It’s not that deep. Look at the papers they bring home every week. Monitor standardized test screeners and SOLs. And just relax until middle school.

You have to realize the changes since your kids were in elementary. Now we don't get papers sent home. Tests are on the iPad so we never see scores. (My student isn't allowed to bring her iPad home, even if I wanted to poke around and try to find scores.) For language arts, writing is done in a notebook that stays at school and CKLA and 95Phonics are done in workbooks that stay at school. Other work is submitted on the iPad. At most my student brings home a couple of worksheets for social studies or science, but even those are intermittent. Work isn't sent home like it used to be.

I still have a kid in elementary school. She gets lots of papers sent home including all her tests which are on paper and her writing notebooks which she brings home because sometimes she needs to finish work at home. Ask your teacher to see more of the work. That’s your right.

I've asked and teachers have declined. They especially don't send home math grades. Those tests are all online so we don't see them. I met with the language arts teacher at the fall conference so got to see some writing examples for the fall. The spring conference will be with the math teacher so I'll see some math grades in Feb/March, but won't get any more feedback on language arts outside of these stupid report cards.

#theAPSway