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Farmington middle schools to separate personal skills from academic grades and standardize reporting cadence
Summary
District leaders described a new middle-school reporting plan that will use a consistent academic percentage split, a three-item "personal skills" rubric and scheduled progress checkpoints in the parent portal; teachers and students discussed clarity and transition concerns.
Chris Bussman, director of middle-level learning, told the board a teacher working group developed a revised learning-progress and reporting approach for both middle schools, aiming for more consistency and clearer information for families.
Bussman described a two-part reporting structure: academic content grades (formative and summative assessments) and a separate set of personal skills that support learning. On the academic side, the district will use a weighted breakdown—formative assessments will contribute 10% and summative assessments 90% of the academic grade—applied consistently across middle-school classrooms. As Bussman put it, the design is aimed at giving families “a quick glance” while permitting deeper investigation into specific assignments.
The personal-skills component will report three district-wide areas: assigned work and responsibility; attendance and readiness; and collaboration. The rubric uses four asset-based terms: not demonstrating (or not demonstrating yet), progressing, influencing and leading. Bussman said the emphasis is on reflection; students will be asked to assess their own progress as part of student-led conferences.
Bussman said a working group of about 15 middle-school teachers met four times from April through June to develop the plan. Schools will post progress updates in Infinite Campus at weeks 3, 6 and 9 of each trimester so families can see ongoing progress before the trimester-final grades and personal-skill indicators are finalized.
Board members and parents pressed for clarity about language and how the system will work for students with IEPs or 504 plans. Bussman said case managers and classroom teachers will align personal-skill expectations to individual goals when appropriate, so the rubric can be individualized for students who need different supports.
Students on the meeting panel offered mixed reactions: some said the new language sounded friendlier but worried it might reduce urgency; others said the change was manageable. Board members and staff proposed a parent‑ambassador or pilot group to gather feedback before wide rollout. The district has a draft webpage explaining assessment types and reassessment boundaries and plans additional communication to incoming middle‑school families.
Bussman said the high school is undertaking a similar review and the district will consider consistency and transition supports as middle-school report formats are implemented this fall.
