FAQ

Why are report cards in McKinney ISD elementary schools different from more traditional report cards?

The simple answer is that they provide a more comprehensive assessment of student performance. Consider the following analogy:

“What if, before getting your driver’s license, you received a grade every time you sat behind the wheel to practice driving? What if your final grade for the driving test was the average of all of the grades you received while practicing? Because of the initial low grades you received during the process of learning to drive, your final grade would not accurately reflect your ability to drive a car. In the beginning of learning to drive, how confident or motivated to learn would you feel? Would any of the grades you received provide you with guidance on what you needed to do next to improve your driving skills? Your final driving test, or summative assessment, would be the accountability measure that establishes whether or not you have the driving skills necessary for a driver’s license—not a reflection of all the driving practice that leads to it.” (Garrison and Ehringhaus)

How does this report card transfer to other districts and states?

The state curriculum is aligned with national standards. What that means is that national standards exist for all subject areas. Those national standards identify the skills/concepts that students should learn at each grade level. Another district, state would be able to look at the skills/concepts in each of the subjects and look at your child’s rubric score in each subject and determine whether or not he/she has successfully mastered grade level curriculum.

How is this report card different from the old report card?

The new report card is aligned with the state curriculum that is taught in every subject area. The old report card was not. The curriculum, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), is what the state says every student should know and be able to do. Those skills are reflected on the report card for every subject.

If my child has an area of concern noted for a nine week marking period, how will I know whether or not he/she masters that skill/concept later?

If a child has an area of concern at the end of a marking period and later acquires that skill, it will be noted on the following nine week marking period with no asterisk appearing. If the child is continuing to have difficulty an asterisk will continue to appear.

So does that mean once a skill is taught in a nine week period, it is never reviewed or discussed again?

No. Once a new skill or concept is taught teachers continue to spiral back through the curriculum to ensure that students are maintaining the skill.

My child is in special education. How do I know how he/she is progressing?

Your child is receiving instruction in special education in subject areas that are documented in his Individual Education Plan. The resource teacher is working with him/her on skills and concepts that are at the level at which he/she is currently performing. His/her report from that class shows his/her progress. Your child’s teacher can talk specifically about your child’s progress.

How is my child’s teacher monitoring my child’s progress to know if she/he is mastering the skills/TEKS?

Each teacher maintains a monitoring notebook that records academic progress for each student. This notebook has recorded notes on your child’s progress in reading, math, science, social studies, and writing. There are a variety of ways used to gather this data including checklists, teacher notes, informal and formal assessments, running records, writing drafts, etc.

I noticed several skills marked with an asterisk indicating that it is an area of concern. What can I do to help my child improve in those areas?

There are many ways parents can help their child improve in areas of concern (i.e. reading with their child for 20 minutes each night, practicing math facts, asking open ended questions, writing about a special family event or trip, etc.)

What does the shaded area mean?

The shaded area means that the skill was not taught during that nine week marking period.

Will there be a report card conference every nine weeks?

No, there is not a report card conference scheduled for each nine weeks. However, if at any time you have concerns, please be sure to schedule a conference to discuss your child’s progress.