Middletown Public Schools provides grade reports in grades K – 8 each trimester.  These grade reports are standards-based report cards.  A standards-based report card lists the most important skills students should learn in each subject at a particular grade level. For example, in math, a first-grade report card might list these skills: number and operations, patterns, functions and algebra, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, and data analysis, statistics and probability.

Students receive marks that show how well they have mastered the skills. The marks might show whether the student is consistently beyond grade level expectations, meeting, showing progress but not meeting or showing little or no progress.  Students usually get separate marks for effort and work habits, also called learner qualities.  These are important for parents to keep tabs on even if these characteristics aren't included in the assessment of the student's academic skills.  

On many traditional report cards, students receive one grade for reading, one for math, one for science and so on. On a standards-based report card, each of these subject areas is divided further into a list of skills and knowledge that students are responsible for learning. Students receive a separate mark for each standard.

Standards-based report cards should provide more consistency between teachers than traditional report cards, because all students are evaluated on the same grade-appropriate skills.  Parents can see exactly which skills and knowledge their children have learned.

Standards Based Performance Levels

Performance levels are used to classify student performances into categories that describe the knowledge, skills and practices students in the category typically are able to demonstrate, including the consistency with which they can demonstrate these traits. Performance levels, sometimes referred to as “achievement levels”, are the broad, categorical levels used to report student performance at a point of time on a standard.

Grades K - 5 follow standard based grading and utilize performance levels 1-4 on the report cards.

• K-5 Report Card Sample

Gaudet Middle School has a HYBRID model. They use standards based grading but convert to LETTER grades.

How will teachers determine each student’s performance level?

Teachers will use a variety of measures to determine performance levels, including criterion-referenced tests, norm-referenced tests, progress monitoring probes, common assessments, rubrics, class work, homework, tests, and participation in class. These same measures will be used to show progress when additional interventions have taken place.  

How will grades 6-8 convert the performance level into a letter grade?

Teachers will use a researched based conversion chart to translate the 4,3,2,1 into letter grades. (see below)

• 6-8 Report Card Sample

Middletown High School follows a Traditional Grading format.

• High School Report Card Sample