Prescott Unified details shift to standards-based instruction, plans standards-based report cards

Kelsey, a district instructional leader, told the Prescott Unified School District governing board on Jan. 14 that the district is implementing standards‑based instruction across K–12 and plans to roll out standards‑based report cards for kindergarten through eighth grade next year.

Kelsey said the district is prioritizing Arizona State Standards and expects teachers to unpack proficiency for each standard rather than relying primarily on textbooks. The district is partnering with Vail Unified’s Beyond Textbooks materials — including “unwrapped” standards documents and short formative (five‑question) assessments — to speed implementation and avoid reinventing materials.

Why it matters: the change alters how teachers plan lessons, how students are assessed and what parents will receive on report cards; it also affects special education, intervention, and enrichment scheduling across campuses.

Kelsey described three main elements: standards‑based instruction (the “what”), Beyond Textbooks materials (the resources), and professional learning communities (PLCs) during weekly collaborative time and designated Fridays (the practice). She said standards‑based instruction is a continuous cycle of planning, teaching, assessing and reteaching, and that teachers are identifying 5–7 “essential” standards per quarter to focus instruction and assessment.

On assessments, Kelsey said the district is using common formative assessments (CFAs) tied to standards for quick checks and quarterly benchmark (summative) assessments. Students who do not reach proficiency on a CFA may be offered reteach opportunities and later retake CFAs; students who are proficient receive enrichment tasks.

Kelsey: “Standards based learning is a continuous cycle of learning. It's not a one‑and‑done.”

On report cards, Kelsey said kindergarten already uses standards reporting and the district intends to adopt K–8 standards‑based report cards next year; high schools will use a modified approach because letter grades are needed for GPA and college reporting. The district has finalized a report‑card template and is working on PowerSchool integration; parents will be offered information nights and teachers will review report cards at fall parent‑teacher conferences.

Parents and board members asked how growth and remediation will be tracked across quarters. Kelsey said the report card template will list standards taught each quarter so families can compare progress across reporting periods. She said learning is a continuum and students may reach proficiency after the quarter in which the standard was first taught.

On staffing and scheduling, Kelsey said principals are using current staff, paraprofessionals and elective teachers to create intervention blocks; administrators do not presently expect to request additional staff unless state funding becomes available. “We're making plans to make this work as well as we can with current staffing levels,” she said.

Board members asked about parental reaction to standards‑based report cards; Kelsey said the district will provide parent information nights, communications materials to explain how to read the reports and tips for supporting learning at home. She said the district piloted work this year to refine pacing guides (DIGS) and that the standards reported will align to those paced units.

Next steps: finalize PowerSchool integration, finalize parent communications and begin districtwide training. Kelsey said the district will bring the finalized report‑card template to the board in the coming months.

The board scheduled further conversation during upcoming planning sessions and declined to adopt changes to mission/vision statements at the same meeting.