Our 3rd Grade English-Language Arts teachers will be trialing a standards referenced grading (SRG) system this year in our Reading and Writing classes. On our recent Records Day, they invited families in for an informational session about this new initiative.
What is SRG, exactly?
Think of this system like a GPS for student learning. The main goal is to clearly show staff, students, and families what we want students to know and be able to do in class. Instead of a single letter grade, this system tells students exactly where they are shining and where they might need a little extra practice. It's all about making sure we're super clear on the targets for all 3rd grade readers.
One of the best parts of SRG is how quickly we can help you! Because this grading style pinpoints exactly which skills students have mastered and which they are still working on, teachers can jump in right away. They can provide support and intervention quickly! This system helps us identify how proficient a student is at a given time—it shows us how much a student knows right now, so we can focus on helping them grow even more tomorrow.
Focus requires us to enter a percentage for each assignment at this time. We are using the following conversion chart/system for these calculations and to determine a letter grade.
Level 4: 100% (this corresponds with end of year proficiency)
Level 3: 87%
Level 2: 75%
Level 1: 63%
It is okay for a student to be at a level 1 or 2 right now - they are learning new things, and none of us pick up everything the first time. But, our goal would be to reach levels 3 and 4 soon, and certainly by the end of 3rd grade!
If you have any questions about this system, do not hesitate to contact your child's ELA teacher, or to contact Mr. Johnson at peterjohnson@fz.k12.mo.us. We are here to help answer any questions you may have, and believe that together we can do great things for ALL of our students, every single day!