Highlights from July 24th Linn-Mar Board of Education work session
Please remember these are not the official minutes.
Standards Based Grading: Director of Innovations Bob Read, 7th Grade Reading Teacher Nicole Redington, and Oak Ridge Associate Principal CJ McDonald shared information on the process of transitioning to standards based grades from letter grades at the middle school level and the benefits to students in understanding and improving their individual skill levels, teacher instruction and collaboration, and parent/teacher communications. Board members requested that additional communication be shared with middle school parents to clarify that letter grades are being replaced by standards based grades and additional clarification on the proficiency scale that pertains to standards based grading.
Standards Based Grading:
- Students are assessed on their progress towards specific standards
- Assessments are focused on standards
- Levels of Proficiency (1-4) reported for each standard instead of vague overall grade (A-F)
Benefits of Standards Based Grading include:
- Gives parents more specific information about their students’ progress 1: Beginning, 2: Approaching, 3 Proficient (met standard), 4: Exceeding
- Standardizes reporting and assessments
- Focuses on learning rather than points
- Behavior is assessed separately
- Students can easily track their progress on specific standards and set goals
Vote 2017 Bond Campaign: Matthew May, Coordinator of Communications and Media, shared the bond campaign PowerPoint presentation with the board in preparation for them to co-present at a series of upcoming district and community bond meetings. May also shared a reminder that information on the Vote 2017 Bond Campaign can be accessed by visiting the Vote 2017 web page which includes information on absentee voting, why the district is in need of the bond, and informational videos on enrollment/growth and the estimated tax impact.