Like teachers, parents and students need accurate and meaningful information---particularly information about student strengths and challenges in performing to high expectations. Brighten utilizes a standards-based report card. We use the Georgia Standards of Excellence Standards to set our learning goals for each grade level and course. A standard describes what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade level in all subjects. In order to make sure our students can meet the rigor of the standards, we break down the instruction and assessment into manageable goals called learning targets.
When thinking of standards as a goal, there are three main levels of achievement to consider. The student met the goal (a score of a 3); exceeded the goal (a score of a 3D); or has not yet met the goal (a score of 2.5 or lower). Brighten’s grading scale is noted below.
At Brighten, we believe that students have the entire school year to meet their learning goals. All students learn at different rates, and some of the goals are quite complex, which means it may take several months to show mastery. It is quite normal to see the majority of the grades of 2 and 2.5s for first semester. By second semester (after Christmas), a child who is meeting grade level expectations will begin to earn the majority of 3s. The goal is to help each student meet all learning standards (a score of a 3 or 3D) by the end of the year. At any time of the year, a score of a 1.5 or 1 shows that your child is demonstrating a significant struggle with the particular learning standard/topic. Our teachers will provide students with multiple opportunities to make and show academic progress throughout the year. The grades your child will receive on his/her report card will show your child’s current level of proficiency with the specified skills rather than the average.At Brighten, we believe that in addition to assessing students in their progress towards mastering the content standards in each subject that we must also teach and assess the students in their progress related to mastering the Habits of Scholarship and Character. Information on how your student is doing in demonstrating these habits is included in student’s report card. This portion of the report card will help you see if your student is demonstrating characteristics of an effective learner and meeting the expectations outlined in our student contracts. We believe that performance inHabits of Scholarship and Character is just as important as performance in the academic areas.
