New report cards give detailed marks

For Cobb County parents trying to determine how their first- and second-graders did in school this year, deciphering their report cards may be a confounding exercise.

Grades at a glance are being replaced, starting with October’s first-quarter report. Instead of E for excellent down to U for unsatisfactory, parents will wade through a quarterly rubric assessing their child’s progress in 38 categories for second-graders, for instance.

For starters, under language arts, kids will be given a numerical grade from 1 to 3 on skills such as decoding unfamiliar words, reading orally with speed, using antonyms and synonyms, making predictions and connections.

Cobb’s youngest learners will be assessed in six skill areas of math, two of geometry, measurement and data analysis.

Does he/she understand and compare fractions, solve multi-digit addition and subtraction, use money as a medium of exchange, classify geometric figures, describe the change in attributes of geometric figures? There will be a number grade for each.

Then, how’s the youngster doing in data analysis? Teachers will report if he’s a 1, 2 or 3 (the highest level) in creating and interpreting graphs.

Health? Does the student distinguish between “nutritionally sound snacks” and junk food?

Cobb rolled out the rubric report cards last year in kindergarten on an optional basis. Every elementary school used them, school system spokesman Jay Dillon said.

The idea is to align progress reports more closely with state curriculum standards, giving parents a more detailed look at where their child needs more work. It only indicates whether a child is meeting standards, on track to meeting standards or not meeting standards in any given category.

There’s the rub for some parents who have complained to school officials that there’s no grade for excellent performance.

“We’re looking at that,” Dillon said. He predicts that a fourth numeric grade, a 4, will be added either this year or next to indicate a level of highest mastery.

The district plans to roll out the more detailed assessments for other elementary grades in coming years if this proves successful, the school official said.