Academic Skills

Each elementary grade level has identified priority skills, from content area standards, that will be reported each quarter. Teachers will be collecting data on these skills throughout the year. Due to the manner in which skills build, there are fewer skills reported in quarter one than in subsequent quarters.

Since our students are working on skills throughout the year, their skill scores are not final until the end of the year. Therefore, parents will be receiving a Quarterly Progress Summary Report that shows your child’s performance for each skill, at the time of reporting. Please note there may be times that a skill is taught and assessed in quarter one and not revisited until quarter three. If that is the case, the student’s score from quarter one would be the same in quarter two as there would not have been any additional assessment opportunities.

Each skill is reported on a four point scale. The levels do not reflect a student’s work ethic or other learner characteristics/ Spartan Skills but rather represent the degree of mastery with grade level skills.

Please see the descriptors for each performance level below:

1 - Beginning

The student is in the very early stages of understanding this new concept or skill. At this point, the student needs significant support from the teacher to understand what is being asked of him/her. The student is not ready to independently complete tasks or answer questions relating to this concept or skill.

2 - Approaching

The student is beginning to grasp the concept or skill. He/she may struggle to independently complete tasks or answer questions relating to the concept or skill, but with support from the teacher the student is able to show partial understanding. It is also possible that the student is able to show proficiency at times, but is not yet consistent in his/her proficiency.

3 - Proficient

The student is able to complete tasks or answer questions relating to the skill independently. He/she consistently shows grade level proficiency with this concept or skill. The student performance matches grade level expectations.

4 - Exceeds

The student has such a deep understanding of the concept or skill that he/she independently applies their knowledge or skills in a way that has not been explicitly taught. This level indicates the student has demonstrated deep understanding and application of skills and may be working above the grade level band with that skill.

Spartan Skills

In addition to reporting academic skills each quarter, teachers will report on each student’s Spartan Skills (learner characteristics). These skills will be reported in the following manner:

+ - Student consistently demonstrates skill.

^ - Student sometimes needs support or reminders to demonstrate the skill.

/ - Student rarely demonstrates the skill.

Quarterly Progress Summary Reports

Each grade level has designated priority skills that will be reported to parents. There will be skills reported in Math, English Language Arts (including writing, reading and speaking and listening skills), and Science. At the end of each quarter, parents will receive a hard copy of their child’s performance for each skill AND parents will be able to view the same information within Family Access.

You can access the Skyward gradebook digitally navigating to the "Gradebook" tab on the left side of your Family Access window. This area will be closed most of the school year, but will open for roughly one week at the end of each quarterly reporting period.

Please review the videos below that demonstrate how to interpret both the hardcopy report and the Skyward Family Access Gradebook.

Please contact myself or your child’s teacher with questions.

Sincerely,

Building Principal

CHECK OUT THE SPECIFIC REPORTING SKILLS HERE!