SBR Parent and Staff Communication
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We hope this email finds you well! As we continue to support your child’s learning journey, we want to take a moment to introduce and explain an important part of how we measure progress: Standards-Based Reporting (SBR). To help you understand this approach, we’ve created a short video that you can watch HERE.
What is Standards-Based Reporting?
In short, Standards-Based Reporting focuses on your child’s mastery of key skills and concepts in each subject area. Instead of traditional letter grades, SBR provides a detailed picture of where your child is in their learning process. This method helps us track their progress over the entire school year, highlighting areas where they’re excelling and those where they might need additional support.
What to Expect on Report Cards:
In SBR, you’ll see marks that indicate your child’s current performance level in each subject area. Here’s a quick guide to the categories you’ll find:
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EE – Exceeds Expectations: This means your child is working beyond the grade-level expectations, consistently applying and extending their learning in meaningful ways. Exceeds Expectations (EE) is a mark that will only be achieved by some students who have been assessed and shown that they’ve gone beyond their grade-level standard. It’s important to note that this may not be possible for all standards, depending on the nature of the assessment or the standard itself. In some cases, meeting the standard fully at grade level is the most challenging goal, and exceeding it may not be relevant to that particular skill.
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ME – Mastery of Essential Skills: This is the goal for all students. It means your child grasps and applies the key concepts and skills consistently and independently. When a student earns “ME,” they are exactly where they need to be at this point in their learning. Achieving mastery shows that your child is on track to meet grade-level expectations and is ready to build on these skills in future learning. Our focus is on helping every student reach this level of proficiency by the end of the school year. Mastery of Essential Skills demonstrates that your child is fully understanding and applying the core standards critical for their success now and in the next grade level.
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NM – Near Mastery: Your child is mostly successful with the key concepts but may need more practice or teacher support to fully master them independently. This indicates they are close to meeting the expectations but aren’t quite there yet. Near Mastery can be a sign of good progress, especially as students tackle more challenging aspects of the standard over time.
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SD – Still Developing: Your child is working on building the foundational knowledge and skills needed for this standard. They may understand some parts of the concept but are still developing a full grasp of it. This is common earlier in the year as they are introduced to new concepts.
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AC – Area of Concern: This indicates your child is having difficulty with the material, even with teacher support. It’s an early signal that more attention or intervention may be needed in this area to help them better understand the foundational skills.
Why We Use Standards-Based Reporting:
SBR helps us focus on your child’s growth and ensures that each student receives the necessary support to master essential skills. It also gives you a clearer understanding of their strengths and areas for growth.
We encourage you to watch the video linked above for a more detailed explanation. If you have any questions about your child’s progress or SBR, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their teacher.
Thank you for partnering with us in supporting your child’s education. We look forward to continuing this journey together!