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Flossmoor SD 161 outlines move to standards-based grading with 4-point report card and separate behavior ratings
Summary
Flossmoor SD 161 held a parent webinar explaining its shift from letter grades to standards-based grading, including a 4-point proficiency scale, separate reporting of learner behaviors, and posted resources (recording to appear on the district website Feb. 9), with FAQs and year-long overviews available to families.
Annabelle Crawford, director of learning and instruction for Flossmoor SD 161, outlined the district’s transition to standards-based grading during a parent webinar, saying the recorded session will be posted on the district website on Feb. 9.
Crawford said the district is replacing traditional letter grades with a proficiency-based system designed to make report cards “meaningful, timely, and accurate.” The change will separate learner behaviors (such as time management and following directions) from academic proficiency and will report academic progress on a four-point scale tied to Illinois learning standards.
District staff this summer organized state standards into year-long overviews and quarter-by-quarter priorities, Crawford said, so teachers can report the specific standards and evidence of student skills rather than an averaged letter grade. Crawford described level 4 as demonstrating “in-depth skills and knowledge beyond the learning standard,” and noted the report card will include codes for insufficient evidence or standards not yet graded for the quarter.
As an example of the shift, Crawford contrasted a typical third-grade letter grade such as a B+ with a standards-based report card that lists the exact Illinois learning standard and the skills required to demonstrate proficiency. She showed a sixth-grade sample report card emphasizing the listed standard and supporting evidence: “The report card now gives us much more detail, gives us the standard as well as the evidence,” she said.
The district will post year-long overviews, frequently asked questions, and parent letters on its website (sd161.org) and encouraged parents to submit questions through a QR code or Google form shown during the webinar. Crawford also said the district will host additional webinars, including a session timed around the first-quarter report card release, to help families interpret the new marks.
The webinar served as an explanatory briefing rather than a decision or vote; Crawford invited follow-up questions and said staff will respond to submissions through the department of learning and instruction. The district plans to continue recorded sessions for parents and to provide materials to help families understand what students are expected to learn each quarter.
