Warwick Parents Petition over Possible Changes to Report Cards

By Lynn Rebuck • 9 years ago

Mar
2016

Parents Plan to Deliver Petition to Ed Committe during Meeting Tonight

A group of concerned Warwick School District parents plan to deliver a petition that was signed online by over 100 parents who oppose proposed changes to report cards in the district to members of the Education Committee tonight during the meeting at school district offices, and are urging other parents to attend the meeting.

“A group of concerned parents have been made aware that the education committee is interested in implementing the current K-2 report card across all elementary grades within the next two years. This petition is asking that the education committee keep traditional letter grades for reporting on grades 3-6 and instead focuses on revising the current K-2 report card to make it more transparent for parents to understand,” reads the online petition.

The changes reportedly being considered would eliminate the current use of the A,B,C letter grades in favor of the standards-based grading system currently used in grades K through 2 that incorporates “M” (Meeting Expectations), and “E” (Exceeding Expections) designations, among others.

“As an educator in the later grades of an elementary school building, I think it would be a disservice to the students and the parents to discontinue the use of the traditional letter grade system,” wrote Josh Diffenbach on the petition.

Diffenbach wasn’t the only Warwick parent who is an educator that spoke out on the issue.

“As a teacher in a neighboring district I am continually disappointed in the report cards from Warwick,” wrote Brandy Smith beneath the online petition. “They give me very little information about my child as it is. This will only serve to continue to make it difficult for parents to have a good understanding of how their child is doing.”

Parents expressed concerns that the standards-based report cards would not provide enough information so that parents could assist children who are struggling.

“It’s like giving everyone in Elementary School a participation award.”-Warwick parent Lisa Zipko

“I have to agree that the current K-2 grading system has a huge range for ‘meeting expectations’ and it is very tough to determine exactly where students may need more help academically or to be working harder. A 70% is very different from an 89%, but if the current K-2 system is implemented, we won’t know the difference,” wrote Stephanie Yarberough.

Those with children in multiple grades cited disparity as a reason to maintain the current report cards.

“I currently have a 2nd, 6th and 8th grader and my 2nd grader can’t wait until he gets ‘real’ grades like his brothers because an ‘M’ doesn’t hold much significance in his eyes. I also know that my 6th grader would not be applying himself nearly as much for an ‘M’ on the report card as he does to strive for a certain letter grade,” posted Yarberough.

Other parents expressed concerns over the more general reporting nature of standards-based cards, which are designed to reflect student performance in light of standardized state tests and requirements.

“The range for ‘meets expectations’ is not specific enough to reflect accurate performance. If my child was on the low end of the range, I would consider seeking additional help for her as a 70% does not show mastery of a subject. If her report card listed only an ‘M’ for any given subject, it would be difficult to tell if she truly understands what is being taught,” wrote Heidi Cesarini.

Each elementary school in the district-Kissel Hill, John Bonfield, and Lititz Elementary-have a “Grading and Assessment Guidelines” document posted on their respective websites, which states that “The Warwick School District believes that students’ academic grades must accurately reflect their achievement of the subject/course concepts as outlined in the curriculum approved by the Board of School Directors.”

Parents who sounded off about proposed changes on the petition page see no need for a change.

“I feel that the current grading system allows for kids to gradually get acclimated to the formal school setting in K-2, but increasing requirements at 3rd grade is an appropriate time to provide more detailed grading,” wrote Sara Diffenbach, the parent of the parent of a current 1st and 3rd grader in the district.

“I think the K-2 grading is inappropriate for older children, wrote Julie Miller. “Older children need feedback on how well they are actually performing.My sons looked forward to getting real grades, and I feel that it gives me a much better idea on how they are performing. Also, their secondary educational experience could be a very rude awakening if they have never been given grades previously. I have two children the Warwick district, and I work at the Warwick Middle School. Receiving an actual letter grade helps kids better understand where they need to work harder, and it definitely helps with motivation.”

Warwick School District superintendent April Hershey did not respond to an email requesting comment, nor did district spokesperson Lori Zimmerman. The district has not yet confirmed that changes to report cards for grades 3-6 are being considered by the education committee, but a March 2016 board agenda posted online indicates that report cards have been a subject of recent discussion.

“Mrs. Melanie Calendar provided an update and clarification about the report cards for students in grades K-6,” according to the March 15 school board agenda posted on the district website that reflects a report of a March 14 committee meeting.

Tonight, parents hope that their concerns, and their voices, will be heard by those in the district tasked with addressing the report card issue. Standards-based report cards, in their opinion, fall short of their ideal for their children’s education at the third- through sixth-grade level.

“It’s like giving everyone in Elementary School a participation award,” wrote Lisa Zipko. “This will be a huge disservice to our children.”

The following are members of the Warwick Education Committee:

Deb Wenger, Chairperson

Leslie Penkunas, Board Representative

Sarah Bromirski, Community Member

Jill Lutz, Community Member

Lisa Miller, Community Member

Maria Navea Mitchell, Community Member

Lorie Sedlmyer, Community Member

Dr. Jennifer Shettel, Community Member

Lisa Gleason, Teacher Representative

Jean Johns, Teacher Representative