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Parents press district on new standards-based elementary report card; administrators outline supports
Summary
Parents told the Center Moriches school board the newly issued standards-based elementary report card lacks actionable detail; administrators said hard copies were distributed at conferences, the report card is viewable in the eSchool portal and the district will pursue clearer communication and reporting practices.
Parents and board members pressed the Center Moriches Union Free School District on the rollout of a new standards-based elementary report card Monday night, saying the new labels (progressing, consistent, excels, needs improvement) do not give families the specific, actionable information they need to support students.
At public comment, a parent identified as Ms. Solonski urged the board to provide printable copies and more granular evidence tied to standards, saying, “Without clear information tied to actual assignments, assessments or learning targets, parents are left guessing.” She asked what tools—standard-specific rubrics, online gradebooks or detailed progress reports—will be implemented across all grade levels.
District administrators and school leaders defended the design as a move toward a standards-based approach that emphasizes growth toward New York State grade-level expectations. Dr. Boccia, assistant superintendent for curriculum, said the district implemented a performance key and a K–5 standards continuum and noted that the report card is now viewable through the eSchool parent portal. “Our understanding is that those report cards were given out of parent teacher conferences. So parents all received a hard copy, and if they didn't come to conferences, they were mailed home,” she said.
Dr. Fernandez, elementary principal, described a year-long committee process to identify priority standards and said the district produced a parent-facing FAQ (translated into Spanish) and a continuum guide posted on the district website to help families interpret the new report card. Administrators emphasized multiple communication channels—parent conferences, ParentSquare messages, emails and phone calls—in addition to the trimester report cards.
Board members and administrators acknowledged discrepancies can occur between classroom-based standards judgments and standardized diagnostics such as I‑Ready or state assessments. Superintendent Ricardo said the district will take a “holistic approach” when diagnosing student needs and pointed to a literacy academy starting in January to address identified deficits.
The board agreed to forward parents' detailed questions to the curriculum committee for follow-up and to explore technical options for posting diagnostic results and progress reports on the parent portal so families can view evidence that supports the report‑card ratings.
The presentation and related public comment concluded with district leaders committing to further communications and to bringing implementation details—such as whether elementary progress indicators will be posted on a three‑week schedule at the elementary level—back to curriculum and administration for consideration.
