October 9, 2017
Hey EPMS families!
I have noticed some student concerns regarding overall course grades in my class. I wanted to take this time to explain why some students are getting two’s overall when they are meeting or exceeding in several targets:
When checking grades, it is best to look at specific learning standards rather than the overall course grade. The individual standards will be more indicative of a student’s performance in class. Most students have moved on from the developing stage and are becoming proficient and exceeding in the individual standards. Again, please look at individual standards to get a true understanding of a student’s progress so far this year. Proficiency, at its core, is all about tracking student progress over time. The standards we learn throughout the year are an end of the year expectation. It is still early in the year, and we have only a handful of summative assessments so far. Students are still working at that 7th grade level on 8th grade standards. So, it is normal to be at a 2 ("developing") at this time of the year. I continue to see my students improve in their work and the scores in those individual standards really show that improvement.
As we move forward throughout the year, we will be learning these same targets over and over again, expanding our understanding, strengthening our skills, and it is that progress that matters the most. I see progress in every single student I work with.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to bring them to my attention. I am here to serve.
Sincerely,
Mr. Ruth
I have noticed some student concerns regarding overall course grades in my class. I wanted to take this time to explain why some students are getting two’s overall when they are meeting or exceeding in several targets:
When checking grades, it is best to look at specific learning standards rather than the overall course grade. The individual standards will be more indicative of a student’s performance in class. Most students have moved on from the developing stage and are becoming proficient and exceeding in the individual standards. Again, please look at individual standards to get a true understanding of a student’s progress so far this year. Proficiency, at its core, is all about tracking student progress over time. The standards we learn throughout the year are an end of the year expectation. It is still early in the year, and we have only a handful of summative assessments so far. Students are still working at that 7th grade level on 8th grade standards. So, it is normal to be at a 2 ("developing") at this time of the year. I continue to see my students improve in their work and the scores in those individual standards really show that improvement.
As we move forward throughout the year, we will be learning these same targets over and over again, expanding our understanding, strengthening our skills, and it is that progress that matters the most. I see progress in every single student I work with.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to bring them to my attention. I am here to serve.
Sincerely,
Mr. Ruth