Important!

Happy Tuesday families! I will be sending home the following letter attached to the first graded math and think and respond test.  Our grading rubric district wide has changed, we will be assessing mastery of specific skills using a 1-4 scale. All details and rubric chart is below. If you have any questions about a grade(s) your child receives, feel free to reach out to me and I would be happy to help!

Dear families,

Below is the new grading system that is going to be used this year to assess students’ understanding of the content. There will no longer be letter grades in elementary school. All of the FUSD Elementary schools have gone to this grading system. Students will receive a 1­ 4 score to show mastery of an assignment/standard. On this rubric the numbers DO NOT represent a letter grade such as A, B, C, D, F. In the new grading system, we are looking more at understanding of the content rather than the average grade they fall into. Below is an explanation of what each of the numbers mean and how they can be earned.
4 or Exemplary means not only has a student shown understanding of the standard, but that they have MASTERED it and could teac h or explain thoroughly it correctly to another person. This is not just when a student gets all of the pr oblems right. They must show that they mastered it and can teach it to earn the 4.
3 or Proficient means that the student is showing understanding of the standard/content being taught. This would be a student who has provided correct responses that demonstrate their understanding on the assignment/standard.
2 or Progressing means that the student is showing some knowledge of the content but is still lacking understanding in some parts. To get a 2 they are starting to understand but are working on it.
1 or Struggling means that the student has shown a lack of understanding of the content/ standard. Students s till need considerable support to work on this standard/assignment independently.
*It is important to remember that most students will score a 2 or 3. It is uncommon for a student to score a 4 – and that is OKAY! Again this system is not designed to be compared to the traditional A­F system or other 1­4 systems you may have seen.
The purpose of this system to communicate a student’s level of understanding specific to a standard area at that current time. This is intended to be a helpful teaching/communication tool.
PLEASE do not be overly concerned by a 1 on an individual assignment – we are looking for trends NOT averages when we score a report card.
Please Keep this rubric to refer to when your student brings home graded work.

Grading Rubric­ Arizona Academic Standards

4	Exemplary	Student has mastered the standard and can teach another student. ­Demonstrates understanding beyond grade­level standards. ­Consistently meets requirements for exceptional work. ­Demonstrates high level of knowledge and understanding.
3	Proficient	Student can explain/demonstrate the concept to the teacher. ­Meets grade­level standards. ­Consistently meets requirements for proficient work. ­Demonstrates knowledge and understanding.
2	Progressing	Student can partially explain/demonstrate the concept to the teacher. ­Approaching grade­ level standards. ­Meets some requirements for proficient work. ­Demonstrates some knowledge and understanding.
1	Struggling	Student lacks basic understanding of the concept. ­Significantly below grade­level standards. ­Meets few requirements for proficient work ­Demonstrate little knowledge and understanding.