News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. III No. 6 - June 2, 2008
The Wisconsin Model Academic Standards (WMAS) articulate what students should know and be able to do in each curricular area. Community leaders and staff in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) elaborated upon these state standards to frame district curriculum and instruction. Curriculum can be thought of as the planned educational experiences taught in each subject area at each grade level. Standards-based instruction focuses on teaching the knowledge and skills which support students' continual progress toward meeting the standards. Standards —based assessment uses multiple strategies to measure student learning. This article focuses on the reporting of student achievement based on a set of standards.
When a standards-based system is implemented effectively, a report card reports what a teacher has assessed and evaluated over time. At the end of a marking period, a teacher will evaluate all the evidence and identify patterns and trends in a student's level of understanding. The teacher will then use these patterns and trends to report the level of the student's achievement.
A standards-based report card has several distinct features:
MMSD has used a standards-based report card at the elementary level for over four years. In the fall of 2008, a middle school standards-based report card will be implemented. Details of this middle school standards-based report card are in development. Many groups of people are providing input (staff, parents, and community members). A brochure providing details about the middle school report card will be available at the August, 2008 student registration.
This is the fifth article in a series to inform parents about a standards-based system. In such a system, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and reporting are all tied together through the standards.
Additional information on standards is available by clicking here, and info on middle school standards-based report cards by clicking here.
Last Updated: Wed Nov 26 07:34:14 2008
Comments: comments@madison.k12.wi.us
Web Publisher: Chris Burch, cburch@madison.k12.wi.us
Technical Issues: webmaster@madison.k12.wi.us