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East Kingston board adopts new K–8 report card, shifts to four-point, skill-focused format
Summary
The East Kingston School Board approved a district-wide K–8 report card that replaces long individualized narratives with performance indicators and a four-point scale (Beginning, Developing, Proficient, Proficient with Distinction); implementation is planned for January 2027 pending SU16 boards' approvals.
The East Kingston School Board voted May 11 to adopt a new K–8 report card designed to give families clearer, more specific information about student learning. The board approved a four-point scale that will be reported as B (Beginning), D (Developing), P (Proficient) and PD (Proficient with Distinction).
A report-card committee member summarized the committee's findings and the recommended changes, saying the district surveyed 163 staff members and 464 caregivers and found parents relied heavily on narratives but struggled with broad proficiency labels. "Based on teacher and caregiver responses ... we made the decision to make it a four-point scale that is more in line with what CMS was doing," the presenter said. The committee recommended keeping competency headings but listing specific performance indicators beneath each competency so caregivers can see the concrete skills assessed rather than long individualized narratives.
Board members asked how the new labels would map across the school year and whether "Beginning" would imply an end-of-year target. The presenter said some competencies are taught and assessed early in the year while others develop throughout the grade; calibration work and caregiver-friendly wording will be done over the summer. The implementation plan presented to the board calls for calibration across SU16 schools and, if all boards approve, the new report card to start in January 2027.
The motion to approve the report-card format was made and seconded during new business and carried on a voice vote. Administration said teachers will still write narratives but those will be shorter and calibrated across schools; the district will develop parent-friendly descriptions of performance indicators with SAU colleagues and a summer team.
Next steps: staff will finalize performance indicators and caregiver wording this summer, perform narrative calibration across schools, and return to respective boards in May and June for approval as part of the SU16 rollout. If all SU16 boards concur, the district expects the format to begin in January 2027.
