Dear Baggett Family,
Happy New Year! I hope that the holiday break was a great one for you and your family and that you had the opportunity to rest, relax, and reconnect with those you love. Our teachers and staff were in the building on Friday the 3rd, preparing for our students' arrival on Monday. As we welcome the new year and a new semester, I wanted to take a break from a monthly update about STEAM to speak to some other work that has been going on behind the scenes. Our grade level teachers, our Instructional Leadership Team, and our Administrative and Coach Teams have been hard at work reacting to a newer GCPS Board of Education procedure that speaks to how we as a school assess and grade students. In general, the procedure addresses many items but speaks specifically about student grades being authentic, reflecting a student's level of AKS mastery, and it speaks to teachers giving students additional opportunities to relearn concepts and to retest.
The Work We've Been Doing
After initial discussions with our Admin and Coach Teams and the Instructional Leadership Team, the grade level teams have been determining what this looks like on their grade level. In other words, what action will take place if, for example, a 2nd grade student does not perform well on an assessment or simply wants to improve the grade that he/she earned. Our teams are currently sending their plans to me, and our Instructional Leadership Team will review a tentative finalized plan for each grade level on Monday, January 16th. We expect to communicate these grade level specific plans to our families before the end of the month.
How Might This Impact My Child's Grade
Although this is yet to be seen, we expect that students who may struggle to pass an assessment will have an additional opportunity to relearn the material, to study and practice, and to be retest in an effort to improve his/her grade. In this, it would seem that a child's grade may improve. That said, in the past, teachers have cushioned students' grades by not putting a grade lower than a "50" in the gradebook. Removing this cushion and putting in the gradebook what the child actually earned, so that the final grade truly reflects a child's level of mastery of the AKS, may lower a student's grade. We will be looking closely at the data to better understand the impact.
What Should I Do as a Parent
As a parent, you have already taken the first step, you have read this Baggett Banner and are now informed. Additionally, you can and should stay informed about upcoming assessments by reading newsletters from your child's teacher and the grade level. Take time to study with your child and ensure that they have dedicated space and time to prepare for the assessments. Check the portal regularly for your child's grades on assessments and communicate through Parent Square or email with your child's teacher. If you are not receiving the communication you need to support your child's success, please contact the grade level assistant principal or me directly. Additionally, please stay tuned for more communication about your child's grade level reteach/reassess plan.
Although change is the only constant, we so appreciate your support as we navigate this shift together as one community, the Baggett Family.
In Service,
Mitch Green
Principal
Baggett Elementary School
