I recently heard that our local public schools don't give letter grades to elementary students any more. I did a quick search and saw that other school districts have adopted the same policy. There is apparently an evaluation, but it is essentially pass/fail.
Does the school you plan to send LO to give out letter grades in the elementary grades? What do you think about moving away from letter grades in the early years?
nectarine / 2148 posts
I can appreciate that in the earlier years but I wouldn't like it come two years prior to switching schools where there is a grading system. Because pass could also mean almost failing and getting good grades matters and it takes time to get better grades if you are in fact close to failing.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
I'm not sure but I think my niece's school did a 1-10 system in elementary.
eggplant / 11861 posts
We are on a 0-4 scale
With trend grading!
It's awful
0-Not attempted
1-below standard
2-approaching
3-mastered
4-above
The final grade will not average but will trend...
Ex: if your child got a 2,2,3 in math on 3 separate grades it would trend that her over all score should be a 3 since that was her last grade!
Where an average would have given her a 2
Problem is those 3 grades may have been on 3 different standards
Hard to explain, but I hate it!
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
Ours is standards based grading, so our students get a separate number grade on the scale @FaithFertility: listed for every standard we teach, and then the teacher looks at the overall picture to give a final overall number grade for each subject. I like the standards based part...it holds teachers accountable to look at the students abilities really carefully, but it is a LOT of work.
eggplant / 11861 posts
@Mrs. Lion: ours does it for us! I would LOVE to be able to put in final grade myself!
Also is yours based on each standard?!
So you would get a final gstade for Math Operations and algebraic thinking and one for geometry?!
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
If a child receives a pass, but hasn't mastered the material how is that communicated to the parents? How does the school identify those students that need additional support?
squash / 13208 posts
This is ours
Learning Indicators:
E Exceeding Standard
Student consistently performs beyond the standard (concepts, processes, and skills)
M Meeting Standard
Student consistently achieves the standard (concepts, processes, and skills)
A Approaching Standard
Student is progressing towards the standard (concepts, processes and skills), but has yet to demonstrate mastery.
LP Limited Progress Toward Standard
Student is making minimal progress toward the standard (concepts, processes and skills). An LP rating indicates the
student's performance is well below the standard.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I would like to know how much weight the grades have when making the determination to move a child to the next grade. My understanding is that it is very difficult to keep a child back a year, even if they have not mastered the material ( in my local school district).
squash / 13208 posts
@looch: not sure here but I do know they have summer school for kids starting in 1st grade so maybe they require that if you aren't progressing?
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
@FaithFertility: Every Single Standard. They go on what we call a profile card, and then the teacher uses his/her judgement to determine the final grade for math, reading, etc. But at conferences or at parent request we go through the whole card, and the report card includes a narrative explaining to parents every standard that isn't a 3. The profile cards stay in the students file year to year.
pineapple / 12566 posts
My LOs will be educated in the French system (at least, for now), and it's a scale of 1-20, but 10 is considered a decent grade and apparently no one ever gets a 20 (a 17 is excellent). I don't really understand it myself since it seems so...arbitrary. I honestly don't know how to feel about it yet. We'll see when he starts school!
honeydew / 7488 posts
My 2nd grader receives number grades (on a scale of 100) in writing, reading, math, science, and social studies. 2nd grade is when they start issuing number grades.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
@FaithFertility: Yea that sounds odd to only look at trend. Is the goal to look more at tend in effort?
eggplant / 11861 posts
@Mrs. Lion: Wow that would make so much sense!!!!!
Lot of work..but....
nectarine / 2085 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I don't know. The marks are along the lines of proficient, becoming proficient, and developing, so I guess if you haven't mastered the material, you'd be marked "becoming proficient." I think there might be an individualized explanation for each mark in the actual evaluations, so that part may be where teachers communicate concerns about specific things. The thing I thought was interesting was that the menu of marks doesn't (as I understand it) include the equivalent of a gold star/A+/high pass. I think there could be a lot of merit to that, but I gather that it isn't super popular.
@FaithFertility: @Mamaof2: @Mrs. Lion: I understand the "grade-less" system here to not include a category for exceeding/above standard, so a little different than your systems, but it's definitely interesting to see how different places do it! I like that they're tied to the standards.
@looch: I think that what you describe happens in a lot of districts. 
@lamariniere: I feel like there is an element of arbitrariness in any grading system. The 100-point/A-F scales I grew up definitely seemed that way. I suppose the pass/fail or proficient/getting there/not close system is a way to cut down on some of the arbitrariness by eliminating some of the "shades of gray," so to speak.
pomelo / 5678 posts
I'm not sure what our system is here, but I would have done much better without grades. In HS I was top of my class and so bored- same with college, I'd figure out how little I could do and still get an A. Grades were EVERYTHING in the world I was brought up in. Taking that focus off would be freeing.
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