New Report Cards Coming To Some Howell Classes

If a pilot program starting at the Howell schools is successful, by the fall of 2012 report cards that residents have known over the years will be a thing of the past. 

At last Wednesday's Board of Education meeting, Middle School North Principal Joe Isola and Ardena School principal Deborah Pennell presented what the new proposed "standards-based" report cards will look like.

During a Powerpoint presentation the two principals said the "traditional" report cards that people are used to are "very subjective," and "do not report achievement of standards."

Using the current system, even an 'A' in a class would not tell if the students have specific strengths or weaknesses in the subject, which these new report cards would be able to address in more detail according to Isola and Pennell.

Under the new system, parents and students would be able to see different areas of learning where the students might be challenged or need more help on. The new report cards will come out three or four times a year depending on how big the program gets with areas like effort, work habits and behavior listed alongside academic grades.

An example given in the presentation of the new report card showed a class like language arts with five different categories for grading. Each of them  then had sub-categories to break the grade down even further. Areas like reading standards for literature, writing, speaking and listening, and language would all be clearly defined rather than simply a single letter grade for students.

Then, beyond the academics, in the "life skills," portion of the report card, areas like homework, preparedness and behaviors that support learning would be graded on a scale of one to four. Four would be considered being done "consistently," while a one would be considered "rarely," met standards.

Pennell said having gotten involved in the program over a year and a half ago, she became convinced that the new program would be the way to go. "All of the research indicated that we were doing a disservice to our kids by not sharing their strengths and weaknesses accurately," she said. "If I know just what my strengths and weaknesses are, I can identify them and move forward from there."

Students across the district will start to see these new report cards as well as the traditional ones in the near future while the success of the program is measured.

For first and second grade students, there will be samples of the new report cards for the second and third marking periods in the test classes, with a pilot program in the fourth marking period. There will also be information sessions with parents during the third marking period.

Students in fifth and sixth grades will have written report cards during the third and fourth marking periods of this year, with information sessions during the fourth marking period. The pilot program for these grades would then start in the first marking period of next year.

In the third and fourth grade classes, the written report cards will be sent out during the fourth marking period of this year and the first marking period of next year. The parent information sessions will then be held during next year's second marking period, with the pilot program starting in the third marking period.

The final grades to see the new system will be the seventh and eighth grade students. They will have the written report cards during the first and second marking periods next year, followed by a second marking period information session. Their pilot marking period will be the third of the 2011-12 school year.

Each school will have one class per grade taking part in the program to see how it compares across the district by the time the pilot program is completed.

Howell Superintendent of Schools Enid Golden said she knows making such a change to the status quo, "has the potential to be controversial." She said that is why the district is not rushing into making the changes in one fast move. "That's why we are moving forward with baby steps," she said.

Golden said the information from the new report cards will be a benefit for everyone involved. "Ultimately, it will improve student achievement by providing honest information to students and parents," she said. "Without that honest assessment, it will be more difficult for us to reach our goals."

Pennell said that while bringing this new program to Howell has been a challenge, it is one she is glad she has taken on. "It's inspiring to me. Change is tough and to do change correctly you have to be thorough and you have to perform," she said. 

The two principals have not been the only ones involved in the program. Pennell said a committee of close to 40 parents, community members, board members, teachers and administrators have been working together for what they hope will be a successful endeavor.

"We have a timeline in place being rolled out over time, so we have the opportunity to have parent workshops and informational sessions," she said. "Teachers have the chance to pilot that with what they like and what they don't like and we have time to receive the feedback, interpret the data and compare results."

One thing that both principals agreed on was that it was the unique qualities of the Howell Public Schools District that has allowed the program to go forward. "Howell has always been a progressive district. We're always looking at how we can do things bigger and better, and what's in the best interest of all of our kids" Pennell said. 

While the program has gained traction since it was first presented, Isola said it did not start out that way. "The beginning months were challenging in terms of are we walking the right path, is this going to be an endeavor that gets off the ground," he said. "Six months in was when we started to gain confidence in the work we were doing and the research that we dove into. It was at that point that we knew we were going to get off the ground."

At a time when Howell residents will soon be voting on a budget for the district, and there are tough economic times all around, Pennell said that while it is something that has been considered during this process, she does not believe it should preclude progress from being made. "I don't think you can look at one in isolation of another," she said. "The way our business of educating children works, you have to look at the entire picture all the time."

With things like the economy out of their hands, Pennell said doing something like this that can hopefully help the students, is a step in the right direction. "I can't hire more teachers and make our class sizes smaller unless it's given to me by the district," she said. "What's in my control is looking at student learning and doing the best with what we have."

Isola agreed, saying, "We can't trip over things when we're trying to move forward because I think the work is important, and I think it's mutually beneficial to the parents and teachers."

Isola said that with such a radical change from the way grades have been reported for generations, it is important to get the word out to the community on what the changes would mean. That has included doing presentations at the district's Parent Academies the past two years, with more information sessions scheduled to come in the future. 

Moving beyond the educational dialect to explain what the new grades mean will be an important part of helping the changes succeed, according to Isola. "We're being very careful about making it user friendly in terms of technology," he said. "It would be simple to put big words in there and parents read it and it sounds impressive. We want it to be meaningful."

And just because report cards have not changed for the current students, their parents, and even their grandparents, does not mean it should not change according to Isola. "I think there is an inherent deceptive nature of a report card. I think that knowing what we know, and having a belief system that we believe can improve student performance, we can truly enhance the educational process," he said. 

The Howell district is not alone in using the standards based report cards. In Monmouth County, Isola said the Middletown district has been using it in the K-5 grades. Outside of the county, the East Windsor Regional School District has been utilizing it in Mercer County.

Because so few districts use the new system, Isola said they also want to be sure that the implementation does not have a negative impact on students who will leave the district to go to other schools afterwards. That includes those graduating eighth graders going to the Freehold Regional High School District or other private schools to continue their education. "We have to make sure the kids' acceptances aren't being hindered by our progressiveness," he said. 

While the work has still just begun on having the standards based report cards implemented, Isola said he believes after looking at how it works from top to bottom and making adjustments it can be a success in the district. "I believe that it will work. I'm committed to the work of the committee and the effort that we've brought out. But that's not a reason for it to be adopted. It has to be adopted on its merits."

If things go according to plan, as Pennell said, the traditional report cards could become more of a collector's item than a measure of success in the classroom.