On the heels of broad changes to the school system’s grading policy and regulations last school year, additional changes have been made to the elementary level regulation to reflect the Board of Education’s “commitment to maintaining rigorous performance, college and career readiness, and achievement of core standards for all students.” As a result, report cards will have a slightly different look when they are distributed next week on Tuesday, November 12.
Most notably, second grade students will now receive letter grades like their peers in third through fifth grades.
To help parents understand the new report card, family guides for grades 1-5, as well as early childhood education (pre-kindergarten and kindergarten), are available in the School Year 2013-2014 section on the front page of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools website, www.aacps.org.
Early childhood education students receive progress reports. First grade students are evaluated on the same scale as the other grade levels; however, their grades are reflected by codes that coincide with a numeric measurement.
Last year’s changes to overall grading procedures have helped to streamline processes across the board, unify grade recording and reporting practices, and create a paperless grading environment.
As of this school year, all teachers in grades 1-12 are using a strictly electronic tool to record grades and track coursework.