Greencastle-Antrim first‑grade team seeks board approval of standards‑based report card

First‑grade teachers in the Greencastle‑Antrim School District on May 15 presented a proposed standards‑based report card designed to replace the district’s current primary‑grade letter/indicator system and to align reporting with the recently updated K–12 curriculum blueprint.

The presentation described a move from a single summary indicator (S, S+, O, U, etc.) to a standards‑based format that breaks each subject standard into subskills, marks progress across marking periods and assigns a 1–3 score based on year‑end expectations. Staff asked the board to review the packet and plan to return the item for a vote at the June 5 meeting.

Why it matters: The proposed form would give parents more granular information about which subskills students have mastered and which require growth, and staff said it is intended to prompt more productive parent–teacher conferences and targeted support.

First‑grade teachers said they developed the report card by unpacking state core standards, defining profiles of a first grader and mapping subskills to marking periods. The team said the report card shows when each standard is taught and the expected year‑end level; teachers said the card will be supported by parent communications and a supplemental explanatory page to reduce confusion in early marking periods when many items may show as “approaching.”

Katie Klein, a first‑grade teacher who introduced herself to the board during the presentation, said the standards‑based format allowed teachers to report on science and social studies for the first time at the primary level and to show growth across marking periods. Klein said kindergarten families will already have experience with the standards‑based format next year because kindergarten was converted this year, which staff said should reduce the learning curve for families entering first grade.

Board members raised questions about how parents will interpret early marking‑period scores (for example, many first‑period items may be marked as “1” because the curriculum has not yet taught later standards). Teachers said they plan to explain the system during back‑to‑school nights and fall conferences and to provide supplemental materials that decode the scores for families. Staff also discussed plans to integrate the new report card into the district’s PowerSchool grade‑book system so teachers can record and share results electronically.

Staff presented the proposed first‑grade report card as an action item that will return to the board for a vote on June 5. No formal vote was taken on May 15.

Ending: If the board approves the report card in June, staff said they will work with technology services to upload the form into PowerSchool and roll the format out at the start of the 2025‑26 school year.