Making Sense of the ROSP

One of the advantages of having a standards-based report of student progress is that it takes some of the ambiguity out of understanding your child’s progress.  The ROSP is structured to provide families with a snapshot of the whole child. The report goes goes beyond academic standards and provides information on work habits, study skills, and social skills.

© Copyright 2011 CorbisCorporation

© Copyright 2011 CorbisCorporation

It is no secret that every parent wants their child to excel. It is this natural desire and drive that can muddy the waters when reading and interpreting a report like the ROSP. Our natural inclination is to look for ratings of 4 (exceeding grade level standards) throughout the report. The challenge in this mindset is that it does not account for the intended purpose of the ROSP and the natural developmental patterns of children. When reading the ROSP, it is important to remember that all of the standards on the report are end of year standards (things we would expect kids to know and be able to do by June). As such, a rating of 2 (progressing towards grade level standard) is perfectly normal at the January reporting period and a rating of 3 (meeting grade level standards) is perfectly normal by the June reporting period.

So how do we define performance levels?  The ROSP contains a range of proficiency levels:

          1 – Not progressing towards grade level standard

Students who receive a proficiency rating of 1 in an area are struggling to meet the standard and there may be a range of reasons why the child is not demonstrating progress in such an area.  Teachers in the NPS are committed to the academic progress of every child and there are a number of supports available to help children work towards proficiency.  If your child is not progressing towards the grade level standards in multiple areas, is not receiving support, or you do not understand why your child is not making progress towards the grade level standards, reach out to your child’s teacher and open a dialogue.

2 – Progressing towards grade level standard

Students who demonstrate a rating of 2 are progressing towards the grade level standard which means that they are making progress but have not yet met the standard. As students work towards achieving proficiency, teachers are there to provide support as a guide on the side helping children set, monitor and work towards achieving their goals.  When a child achieves a rating of a 2, It’s important to acknowledge that this is an area of growth not necessarily a deficiency.

3 – Meets grade level standard

Students meeting grade level standards demonstrated a proficient level of understanding of the standard.

4 – Exceeds grade level standard

Students who earn a rating of a 4 have exceeded the grade level standard consistently over time.

It is also important to note that not all of the standards will be assessed on the mid-year report. This reflects the pacing of curriculum in the Natick Public Schools. While there is a high degree of continuity across our classrooms, we expect our teachers to differentiate content to meet learners at their individual levels. As a result of this expectation, it is not uncommon for classrooms to reach different points in the curriculum by the January reporting period and for the standards reported to vary slightly (i.e. one second grade classroom has covered 2D geometry and another second grade class has not yet reached that point).

While you may be tempted to look primarily at your child’s ratings in academic areas such as English Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science, careful consideration of a child’s habits of mind are critical to understanding a child’s growth as ratings in these areas can provide families with insights into how and why a child may/may not be demonstrating proficiency in an academic area. These skill sets are the foundations of learning and weaknesses in these areas often translate to academic challenges.  For example, a child who “rarely” takes academic risks and rarely displays a positive attitude towards school and learning may be struggling to achieve proficiency in specific areas of his or her academic skills. In these cases, it is important to talk with your child’s teacher and the child to come to an understanding of what can be done to turn things around.
In our next few posts we will discuss specific ideas to support families in establishing and developing solid work habits and study skills in their children.

by Ian Kelly, M.Ed. and Heather Smith, M.Ed.

Natick’s Report on Student Progress (ROSP)

report cardThe importance of ongoing and effective teamwork between parents and educators cannot be understated. Children thrive in an environment where the adults in their lives understand them and work in concert to support their growth and development. While there are many ways for parents and teachers to establish and maintain effective lines of communication, the Natick Public Schools also formalizes basic communication structures to ensure that parents and families understand the progress their children are making in school. One of our major mechanisms is the Report on Student Progress (referred to as the ROSP).

The ROSP is basically what you and I know as a report card. It is issued twice annually; it is released at the end of January and on the last day of school. Some families find that the ROSP appears very different from traditional report cards that most adults received as children. When we were in school, many of us grew accustomed to receiving a subject-by-subject report with a letter grade attached.  Some report cards included narrative comments from the teachers while others contained subjective ratings of behavior and study skills.

Standards based report cards were developed and structured as a way to provide parents and families with more comprehensive information about a student’s progress.  Like traditional report cards, the ROSP attempts to provide families with feedback about a student’s academic performance.  What separates the ROSP from traditional report cards, however, is the level of specificity with which it provides families with information about a student’s progress towards attaining and mastering key grade level learning standards.  The standards represented on the reports reflect Massachusetts State learning standards. There are two major differences between standards based reports and traditional report cards. The first is the overall structure of the report and the second is the way in which the student’s progress is rated and reported to families.

Standards reflect what students should know and be able to do.  Standards-based report cards break learning down into key concepts and skills that students are expected to master in their respective grade levels.  Whereas you might have received one cumulative letter grade to reflect all of your learning in a subject such as “Math,” your child’s ROSP will provide you with feedback that specifies how well your student “Knows and uses addition and subtraction facts to 10” or how well s/he “identifies 2-Dimensional and 3-Dimensional Shapes.”

For each standard, students receive a proficiency rating.  Natick’s ROSP uses a numerical rating system on a 1-4 scale. The scale follows:

1 – Not progressing towards grade level standard

2 – Progressing towards grade level standard

3 – Meets grade level standard

4 – Exceeds grade level standard

These ratings differ from traditional report cards which presented a student’s progress in terms of letter grades, reflecting a student’s overall performance on tests, quizzes, class assignments, homework assignments, etc. While letter grades certainly gave parents and families an idea about the extent to which the child was succeeding in the class, they failed to provide specific information about performance in content areas and ways in which support could be provided at home.

Standards-based ratings make it easier for parents and families to understand their child’s strengths and to see where their child could use more support. The specificity of this feedback allows parents and families to clearly identify standards in which students have achieved mastery and target areas for growth. Thus a child who “meets grade level expectations” demonstrating a proficiency score of 3 on the following standard, identifying 2D and 3D shapes, has a solid understanding of the concept. The same child may be “progressing towards grade level standards” demonstrating a proficiency score of 2 on the following standard, knowing and applying addition and subtraction facts to 10, should continue to work towards achieving this grave level standard.   Some variability in performance ratings is typical, as children grow and develop.  But knowing your child’s areas for growth is just as important as knowing your child’s strengths.  In the weeks to come, we will provide parents and families with more information about how to interpret the ROSP and suggest ideas for engaging your child in a meaningful conversation about his/her growth.  Stay tuned!