OSD Board Ponders Grading System Changes

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Parents of third and fourth graders at Della Davison Elementary in Oxford won’t be seeing the traditional As’ and B’s on their child’s report cards this year.

Della Davison is implementing standards-based grading practices this school year.

However, parents shouldn’t be too in the dark since students in first and second grade started using the standards-based grading two years ago.

“We established a timeline for standards-based grading to be implemented in all schools a year or so back,” said Assistant Superintendent Bradley Roberson.

Roberson presented the update grading system code to the Oxford School District Board of Trustees Monday during their regular meeting.

Standard-based grading measures the mastery of skills. Instead of overall A, B or C in math or English, the student receives a grade on a number scale. Previously it was 1 to 4, with 1 being not proficient and 4 being more than proficient.

However, one of the proposed changes includes starting the scale at 0 and adding .5s to the scale.

“It gives teachers a little more flexibility and presents a clearer picture to our parents of exactly where their students are when it comes to mastering the standards,” he said.

Students in kindergarten through fourth grade will be issued a standards-based report card each nine weeks using the following grading scale:

4.0 – Evidence clearly demonstrates knowledge and skills above the level the standards identified
3.5 – Evidence indicated growth in student knowledge and skills beyond proficiency in the standards
3.0 – Evidence clearly demonstrates knowledge and skills that meet the standards
2.5 – Evidence indicates knowledge and skills beyond the foundational concepts and moving toward proficiency in the standards
2.0 – Evidence indicates knowledge and skills of the foundational concepts
1.5 – Evidence indicates growth in student knowledge and skills of foundational concepts beyond beginning levels of understanding while making major omissions of standard level content
1.0 – Evidence indicates beginning levels of knowledge and skills of both foundational concepts and standard level content with assistance from the teacher
0.5 – Evidence indicates only partial student success on foundational skills even with assistance from the teacher
0.0 – Evidence indicates no student success even with assistance from the teacher.

The suggested changes will be voted on after the second reading during the Board’s September meeting.