THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 26, 1995 TAG: 9510260460
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Primary school children in Currituck can expect this month's report cards to be a little different, including more - and fewer - letter grades than usual.
Rather than evaluating students' performances with a mere ``O'' for outstanding, ``S'' for satisfactory, ``N'' for needs improvement or ``U'' for unsatisfactory, teachers in grades K through 2 will find some of the information written in paragraphs to better explain where a child stands in the classroom.
``Children are so much more than an O, an S or an N. It just does not adequately tell parents how well their children are doing,'' said Julie F. Douglass, the director of curriculum and instruction for the Currituck County schools system.
The expanded approach to student evaluations is part of a growing trend among state and national educators. It is being used locally in the Hyde County and Elizabeth City-Pasquotank school systems.
Currituck elementary schools also will require parents to pick up progress reports at parent-teacher conferences, so the new grading system can be explained. Griggs, Central and Knotts Island plan one evening of conferences; Moyock plans three.
At these conferences, first- and second-graders' parents and guardians will find the traditional grades for math, science, social studies, physical education, cultural arts, conduct and work habits.
Communications skills, however, will be evaluated in narrative form, rather than with a letter grade. For kindergartners, both communication and math skills will be expanded upon.
Each narrative should describe the skills being taught, and how well a student has mastered them. Suggestions for supplemental work or projects also will be given when needed.
Eventually, all subjects in all grades may be assessed this way.
``We feel like teachers need staff development time. They need time to develop the report card and their skills in doing a narrative report,'' Douglass said.
While the new report cards may work well for elementary-age children, Douglass admits there may be resistance from upper grades, particularly high school.
``Those are some of the details we'd have to work out before we could expand into the high school because you are still required to have a grade or ranking for the colleges,'' she said.
That, though, may be changing, too.
On a recent segment of television's ``Good Morning, America,'' a former college administrator said some high schools nationwide are no longer ranking seniors.
As a result, colleges are placing more emphasis on students' applications and quality of high school courses. Scores on national standardized tests, such as the SAT, also carry a lot of weight, he said.
Douglass, who grew up in Currituck County, said, ``I think it's going to be difficult for parents to move away from that summative grade. I really think so.''
An educator for the past 21 years, Douglass does believe the new approach merits further examination.
``Anything that will increase that communication between the home and school has to be beneficial for the child,'' she said.
Parent groups and PTA executive boards at the county's four elementary schools have supported the new measurements, Douglass added.
``We'd like to think that what we're doing will more accurately reflect to parents what's going on in the classroom,'' she said. by CNB