Anonymous wrote:

I teach at a DC charter so I am not sure what the MD report cards look like. We have about 150 grades on each report card, allegedly acocunting for every standard the student has worked towards that year. For example, one standard says something like "Can name and identify the planets"

There are no over-arching grades for a subject as a whole.

Is this the same as the MD one?

Bwahahahaha! MCPS is far too enlightened to include anything as concrete as "can name and identify the planets". Please..we measure metacognition and synthesis. There are no pedestrian unit tests or documentation. The grades are derived by teacher observation. MCPS has basically stopped doing grading and assessment. Its the stupidest school system in the country.

That is not true. DD took an assessment test for every topic. Those assessments were sent home with grades on them. Her marking period grades reflected the grades on the assessments. If your child was never objectively tested, there is something ver wrong at your school.

I teach at a DC charter so I am not sure what the MD report cards look like. We have about 150 grades on each report card, allegedly acocunting for every standard the student has worked towards that year. For example, one standard says something like "Can name and identify the planets"

There are no over-arching grades for a subject as a whole.

Is this the same as the MD one?

Bwahahahaha! MCPS is far too enlightened to include anything as concrete as "can name and identify the planets". Please..we measure metacognition and synthesis. There are no pedestrian unit tests or documentation. The grades are derived by teacher observation. MCPS has basically stopped doing grading and assessment. Its the stupidest school system in the country.

I really liked the old A,B, C report cards in MCPS. I don't get why those report cards and the core standards can't be used together.

I teach at a DC charter so I am not sure what the MD report cards look like. We have about 150 grades on each report card, allegedly acocunting for every standard the student has worked towards that year. For example, one standard says something like "Can name and identify the planets"

There are no over-arching grades for a subject as a whole.

Is this the same as the MD one?

As a teacher to be honest, every student had at least 5-10 Is, most had more. A lot of it had to do with what we ended up having time to cover in depth and such. There were a few standards nobody got a P in, not because of any deficiency on their part, but because we did not, as a grade level, have enough time to fully teach that standard at the end of the year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sure, the district has published a ton of information about curriculum 2.0. I do not dispute that. The problem is that it still does not make sense to a parent. It may make sense to a school administrator trying to create some aggregate analysis of how the school district is doing as a whole, but it does not tell me much about my kid. No amount of explaining will matter if the system itself does not make sense. My child got all Ps. All I know from this is that she did not fail. I do not know if she is better at math or reading. I do not know if she just met this baseline expectation, or if she exceeded it by a lot or a little, etc. It is just not enough information, or at least enough meaningful information.

It depends on which parent you're talking about. If you're talking about me, then yes, it does make sense to a parent. So I don't think it's valid to generalize.

The problem with DCUM is that it never fails to surface the most arrogant, insufferable individuals. I 100% agree with pp who says the report is meaningless. You have offered zero support for your position that the report card is great, and offers lots of information. <b>You're coming back again and again to belittle those of us who would like to know how our kid is doing in school but are not provided with any information whatsoever. </b> As for the reporting scheme, it's okay at the K-2 level. After that, you're trying to prepare kids for middle school. If parents don't know at the 3 to 5 level whether their kids are mastering the skills and content they're supposed to be mastering to succeed in middle school, then MCPS is failing parents.

How do you know who is coming back again and again? I posted at 10:43, 15:14, and and 17:02. All of the other posts aren't me. Could you please cite what you found belittling in my post, so that I can try to avoid doing this again?

For what it's worth, my position is that, in my experience, this report card format does not offer any less information than the previous report card format -- except possibly for not having comments, which, depending on the teacher, could potentially be helpful (though the comments my kids got were boilerplate and anodyne) -- and potentially offers more. However, the argument that PPs like 14:08 make about the new report card format as it relates to children with learning disabilities makes a lot of sense to me, and I would be interested to hear from them, although they certainly do not owe me an explanation, what was better about the previous report card format for them.

I think you may be correct. One thing that those with kids in 2.0 don't realize is that until MS, grades were/are weighted. So, my son, who couldn't read, was getting As and Bs while reading below grade level. Ridiculous. At least with the new grading system, kids are evaluated with respect to whether they are meeting the benchmarks for their grade.

And, as a long term IEP parent, I don't see that the grading system is going to make a difference with respect to services and qualification. Your child either meets the formula or doesn't to qualify.

There is no one "formula" to qualify. A big part of qualifying for an IEP is showing "adverse impact" of the disorder or disability on academics. Schools often say, "but grades are fine" so there is no adverse impact. In the new system it is easier for a school to give a P without transparently documenting what that is actually based upon.

For example, in the old grading system in math, a 3rd grader would take a unit exam. The unit exam would have maybe 15 questions in 3-4 different skill areas. The parent would get a printout of how many questions were right/wrong in each area and the grade would be based on the traditional a/b/c, 90/80/70, etc. system. So, it was easy to see when a student was "failing" or not achieving commensurate with IQ (e.g. a 99th percentile cognitive kid is only getting 75 percent on tests).

In the new system, I do not see comprehensive unit exams. If they occur, the data is not distributed to parents. In addition, many grades are based on "classroom observation", which the parent can not see or challenge. This makes it harder to demonstrate the "adverse impact" prong of an IEP determination.

My DC qualified for an IEP last year, but we would have a very hard time doing so given the ES/P, etc. system that we now have.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sure, the district has published a ton of information about curriculum 2.0. I do not dispute that. The problem is that it still does not make sense to a parent. It may make sense to a school administrator trying to create some aggregate analysis of how the school district is doing as a whole, but it does not tell me much about my kid. No amount of explaining will matter if the system itself does not make sense. My child got all Ps. All I know from this is that she did not fail. I do not know if she is better at math or reading. I do not know if she just met this baseline expectation, or if she exceeded it by a lot or a little, etc. It is just not enough information, or at least enough meaningful information.

It depends on which parent you're talking about. If you're talking about me, then yes, it does make sense to a parent. So I don't think it's valid to generalize.

The problem with DCUM is that it never fails to surface the most arrogant, insufferable individuals. I 100% agree with pp who says the report is meaningless. You have offered zero support for your position that the report card is great, and offers lots of information. <b>You're coming back again and again to belittle those of us who would like to know how our kid is doing in school but are not provided with any information whatsoever. </b> As for the reporting scheme, it's okay at the K-2 level. After that, you're trying to prepare kids for middle school. If parents don't know at the 3 to 5 level whether their kids are mastering the skills and content they're supposed to be mastering to succeed in middle school, then MCPS is failing parents.

How do you know who is coming back again and again? I posted at 10:43, 15:14, and and 17:02. All of the other posts aren't me. Could you please cite what you found belittling in my post, so that I can try to avoid doing this again?

For what it's worth, my position is that, in my experience, this report card format does not offer any less information than the previous report card format -- except possibly for not having comments, which, depending on the teacher, could potentially be helpful (though the comments my kids got were boilerplate and anodyne) -- and potentially offers more. However, the argument that PPs like 14:08 make about the new report card format as it relates to children with learning disabilities makes a lot of sense to me, and I would be interested to hear from them, although they certainly do not owe me an explanation, what was better about the previous report card format for them.

I think you may be correct. One thing that those with kids in 2.0 don't realize is that until MS, grades were/are weighted. So, my son, who couldn't read, was getting As and Bs while reading below grade level. Ridiculous. At least with the new grading system, kids are evaluated with respect to whether they are meeting the benchmarks for their grade.

And, as a long term IEP parent, I don't see that the grading system is going to make a difference with respect to services and qualification. Your child either meets the formula or doesn't to qualify.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sure, the district has published a ton of information about curriculum 2.0. I do not dispute that. The problem is that it still does not make sense to a parent. It may make sense to a school administrator trying to create some aggregate analysis of how the school district is doing as a whole, but it does not tell me much about my kid. No amount of explaining will matter if the system itself does not make sense. My child got all Ps. All I know from this is that she did not fail. I do not know if she is better at math or reading. I do not know if she just met this baseline expectation, or if she exceeded it by a lot or a little, etc. It is just not enough information, or at least enough meaningful information.

It depends on which parent you're talking about. If you're talking about me, then yes, it does make sense to a parent. So I don't think it's valid to generalize.

The problem with DCUM is that it never fails to surface the most arrogant, insufferable individuals. I 100% agree with pp who says the report is meaningless. You have offered zero support for your position that the report card is great, and offers lots of information. <b>You're coming back again and again to belittle those of us who would like to know how our kid is doing in school but are not provided with any information whatsoever. </b> As for the reporting scheme, it's okay at the K-2 level. After that, you're trying to prepare kids for middle school. If parents don't know at the 3 to 5 level whether their kids are mastering the skills and content they're supposed to be mastering to succeed in middle school, then MCPS is failing parents.

How do you know who is coming back again and again? I posted at 10:43, 15:14, and and 17:02. All of the other posts aren't me. Could you please cite what you found belittling in my post, so that I can try to avoid doing this again?

For what it's worth, my position is that, in my experience, this report card format does not offer any less information than the previous report card format -- except possibly for not having comments, which, depending on the teacher, could potentially be helpful (though the comments my kids got were boilerplate and anodyne) -- and potentially offers more. However, the argument that PPs like 14:08 make about the new report card format as it relates to children with learning disabilities makes a lot of sense to me, and I would be interested to hear from them, although they certainly do not owe me an explanation, what was better about the previous report card format for them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My big question for MCPS is "If your child wasn't Straight Ps, WHAT are we going to do about it?" ("We" refers to everyone in the learning process - parent, student, teacher, principal/staff, and MCPS.)

Exactly. I've been to back to school night, PTA meeting on the new grading system, EMT meeting to evaluate IEP/504, and read the FAQ and I have yet to find the answer to PP question. I think what gets me so wound up is the impression at the meetings that it is the parents that don't understand and we aren't used to change so that's why we are complaining. At work, there are times that I get in the weeds and all techno geek, but when my manager asks me to give him the bottom line impact and what needs to be done I don't insist it is his problem that he didn't read detailed emails chains and/or doesn't speak techno geek and couldn't figure it out on his own with the information given. Not only do I need to answer in a respectful, non-condescending manner if I enjoy being employed but I take that as a "my bad" and strive to anticipate that type of question the next time and proactively provide the information.

So PP, I had the same question. If you ever get the official MCPS answer, please share the wealth.

Hi, PP. I'm the person you quoted with the "big question." My child has a language-based learning disability and my attempts with IEP and 504 have been difficult. We made some progress from the end of the '11-'12 school year which continued into '12-'13, but they stymied mid-school year. He was "mostly" Ps in the various quarters, with the exception of 1 component under Reading and everything under Writing. It's all due to the LD. The end of year grading was an I for Writing but P for Reading (but I still remain very concerned about reading).

My guess is that your child was in a similar boat.

I am frustrated, and also very confused, about how "We" are going to "fix" it and am really debating contacting the principal to express my concerns. All year at every meeting, it was the same song and dance... don't worry about the grades in the individual quarters, just focus on being P at the end of year.

I'd love it if MCPS had some sort of focus group on this report card to get "Year 1 feedback" from parents but MCPS feels they have obviously done the Best Job in the Universe for a Fancy Report Card and would never listen to constructive feedback.

NP here. I also have a kid with a language-based learning disability. I would be very concerned about an "I" in writing at the end of the year. an "I" means that the child, at the end of the year, is "in progress" toward proficiency at ON GRADE level standards -- translation: the child has not, by the end of the year, mastered to proficiency the ON GRADE level material, thus the child is now BELOW grade level. Even P's are murky. There is no apparent correlation between a P and the underlying work I have seen. My DC did not make expected progress on the MAP-Rs, did not make expected progress in terms of advancing 4 reading levels in a school year. Yet, DC is still "P". Teacher listens to DC read and answer a few reading comp questions (with MUCH prompting) and then gives DC a "P". There is no data to support the grades.

IMO, the new grading system makes it very difficult for parents of special ed kids to counter, with documentation, the school's constant contention that everything is OK. We also had a principal who said let us have a chance to work during the year, pushing aside concerns expressed throughout the year, and in the end, not enough progress was made.

Call me cynical, but this will save the system a lot of money, because parents will have an increasingly hard time demonstrating the "adverse impact" prong of the IEP eligibility determination. No adverse impact = no IEP = no special instruction = no need to spend money on additional instruction.

Anonymous wrote:My child got all Ps except for one "I" in "algebra." She is in Kindergarten at RHPS. I don't know what type of algebra processes they did in K. I know her teacher told us all year long she was doing absolutely great so we're not worried but we are just wondering why she got it. She never had to redo any worksheets all semester. The few times I volunteered, her teacher told me that she was doing fine.

Algebra in K was probably things like 9 = 6 + ____. (Solve for the blank.) Did she have any HWs like that? I wouldn't sweat 1 specific I in 1 specific quarter.

Did the K report card have an end of year summary of grades by the "overall" subject (Math, Reading, Writing, etc.)? If those were all Ps, which it sounds like they were or would have been, then MCPS says everything is good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My big question for MCPS is "If your child wasn't Straight Ps, WHAT are we going to do about it?" ("We" refers to everyone in the learning process - parent, student, teacher, principal/staff, and MCPS.)

Exactly. I've been to back to school night, PTA meeting on the new grading system, EMT meeting to evaluate IEP/504, and read the FAQ and I have yet to find the answer to PP question. I think what gets me so wound up is the impression at the meetings that it is the parents that don't understand and we aren't used to change so that's why we are complaining. At work, there are times that I get in the weeds and all techno geek, but when my manager asks me to give him the bottom line impact and what needs to be done I don't insist it is his problem that he didn't read detailed emails chains and/or doesn't speak techno geek and couldn't figure it out on his own with the information given. Not only do I need to answer in a respectful, non-condescending manner if I enjoy being employed but I take that as a "my bad" and strive to anticipate that type of question the next time and proactively provide the information.

So PP, I had the same question. If you ever get the official MCPS answer, please share the wealth.

Hi, PP. I'm the person you quoted with the "big question." My child has a language-based learning disability and my attempts with IEP and 504 have been difficult. We made some progress from the end of the '11-'12 school year which continued into '12-'13, but they stymied mid-school year. He was "mostly" Ps in the various quarters, with the exception of 1 component under Reading and everything under Writing. It's all due to the LD. The end of year grading was an I for Writing but P for Reading (but I still remain very concerned about reading).

My guess is that your child was in a similar boat.

I am frustrated, and also very confused, about how "We" are going to "fix" it and am really debating contacting the principal to express my concerns. All year at every meeting, it was the same song and dance... don't worry about the grades in the individual quarters, just focus on being P at the end of year.

I'd love it if MCPS had some sort of focus group on this report card to get "Year 1 feedback" from parents but MCPS feels they have obviously done the Best Job in the Universe for a Fancy Report Card and would never listen to constructive feedback.

My child got all Ps except for one "I" in "algebra." She is in Kindergarten at RHPS. I don't know what type of algebra processes they did in K. I know her teacher told us all year long she was doing absolutely great so we're not worried but we are just wondering why she got it. She never had to redo any worksheets all semester. The few times I volunteered, her teacher told me that she was doing fine.

I know there are many teachers in MCPS who also have their own kids in the system. I would live to hear what some if them think about the report cards.

Anonymous wrote:My big question for MCPS is "If your child wasn't Straight Ps, WHAT are we going to do about it?" ("We" refers to everyone in the learning process - parent, student, teacher, principal/staff, and MCPS.)

Exactly. I've been to back to school night, PTA meeting on the new grading system, EMT meeting to evaluate IEP/504, and read the FAQ and I have yet to find the answer to PP question. I think what gets me so wound up is the impression at the meetings that it is the parents that don't understand and we aren't used to change so that's why we are complaining. At work, there are times that I get in the weeds and all techno geek, but when my manager asks me to give him the bottom line impact and what needs to be done I don't insist it is his problem that he didn't read detailed emails chains and/or doesn't speak techno geek and couldn't figure it out on his own with the information given. Not only do I need to answer in a respectful, non-condescending manner if I enjoy being employed but I take that as a "my bad" and strive to anticipate that type of question the next time and proactively provide the information.

So PP, I had the same question. If you ever get the official MCPS answer, please share the wealth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sure, the district has published a ton of information about curriculum 2.0. I do not dispute that. The problem is that it still does not make sense to a parent. It may make sense to a school administrator trying to create some aggregate analysis of how the school district is doing as a whole, but it does not tell me much about my kid. No amount of explaining will matter if the system itself does not make sense. My child got all Ps. All I know from this is that she did not fail. I do not know if she is better at math or reading. I do not know if she just met this baseline expectation, or if she exceeded it by a lot or a little, etc. It is just not enough information, or at least enough meaningful information.

It depends on which parent you're talking about. If you're talking about me, then yes, it does make sense to a parent. So I don't think it's valid to generalize.

The problem with DCUM is that it never fails to surface the most arrogant, insufferable individuals. I 100% agree with pp who says the report is meaningless. You have offered zero support for your position that the report card is great, and offers lots of information. You're coming back again and again to belittle those of us who would like to know how our kid is doing in school but are not provided with any information whatsoever. As for the reporting scheme, it's okay at the K-2 level. After that, you're trying to prepare kids for middle school. If parents don't know at the 3 to 5 level whether their kids are mastering the skills and content they're supposed to be mastering to succeed in middle school, then MCPS is failing parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sure, the district has published a ton of information about curriculum 2.0. I do not dispute that. The problem is that it still does not make sense to a parent. It may make sense to a school administrator trying to create some aggregate analysis of how the school district is doing as a whole, but it does not tell me much about my kid. No amount of explaining will matter if the system itself does not make sense. My child got all Ps. All I know from this is that she did not fail. I do not know if she is better at math or reading. I do not know if she just met this baseline expectation, or if she exceeded it by a lot or a little, etc. It is just not enough information, or at least enough meaningful information.

It depends on which parent you're talking about. If you're talking about me, then yes, it does make sense to a parent. So I don't think it's valid to generalize.

I'll clarify if it is necessary: It doesn't make sense to me as a parent.

Since you understand it, maybe you can tell me how I would be able to know from the sea of P's the things that I indicated that I do not know?

Thanks in advance.