Ellington middle school to move from quarter reporting to unit-based 1–4 scale; PRIDE work-habit score to be included in course grades

The Ellington Board of Education heard a detailed presentation on June 10 about planned changes to middle school grading that the district intends to implement next school year.

Michelle Moser, the district’s middle-school lead for the grading project, told the board administrators plan to move away from quarter-based reporting and toward unit-based reporting in the gradebook. Each unit will carry a year-to-date academic grade and a separate PRIDE score for work habits and participation. Both the academic and PRIDE scores will use a 1–4 numeric rubric (4 = exceeding, 3 = meeting, 2 = approaching, 1 = not meeting), with a final course letter grade produced from those unit scores over the year.

Moser said the changes are intended to make reporting clearer for parents and students, increase student accountability and align grading more closely with the written curriculum. Teachers…