A standards-based approach is more equitable for all students. It allows parents, caretakers, and students to understand more clearly what is expected of students and how to help them be successful in their learning. It measures how well a student understands the material and how they are progressing toward learning goals. Progress is based on a specific set of standards that students need to meet for each grade level. Teachers gather evidence to determine what each student has learned and how that student is progressing toward end-of-year expectations. This approach builds consistent grading practices.

The standards-based approach incorporates equitable grading principles that support three components: accuracy, bias resistance and intrinsic motivation. Woodland has adopted six (6) equitable grading principles that reduce student failure and leverage a positive and trusting learning environment.

Starting in the 2024-2025 school year all grade levels (K-8) will have standards-based learning and standards-aligned report cards.

If you would like to read a quick overview of standards-based learning click on the "Parent Friendly Summary". This 10-minute VIDEO also provides an overview of WHY Woodland shifted from traditional to standards-based.

What will remain the same?

• The curriculum will remain the same.

• Report cards will have a summary letter grade for each subject. 

• Students receiving special education services will still have IEP goals and be assessed on grade-level standards.  IEP and 504 accommodations will still be implemented. 

• Students will complete learning tasks and engage in class to maximize learning. 

• Students will follow ROAR expectations.

• National Junior Honor Society, Honor Roll, and GPA. GPA is based on end of trimester letter grades for each subject. Letter grades will be found in Skyward on the report card.

What will be different?

• Middle School students will shift to trimesters starting in August. 

• Report cards will report on academic domains (broad concepts) of learning for each subject area.

• Report cards will reflect performance ratings (1, 2, 3, or 4) in addition to letter grades at the end of each trimester.

• Learning habits will be reported separately from academics based on ROAR (Respect, Ownership, Accepting, and Ready).

  • Respect and Accepting

  • Ready and Ownership

• Students will have ample opportunities to retake and redo assessments to ensure learning of content takes place.  As a result, students will have to take ownership of their learning by completing learning tasks, study, be in attendance at school, ask questions and engage with the content. 

• Success Center for Retakes and Redos before and after school

• After School Homework Club

• Comments will be more specific on the report cards.

• To be eligible for athletics, students cannot have a current term level of a 1 (Beginning) in academics or Learning Habits.

Using a 1-4 rating system more accurately measures and describes what is intended to be measured: mastery towards a learning standard. This provides valuable feedback for students and families. The focus of these ratings is on learning, not failing.

Kindergarten through 8th grade families will have standards-based report cards in the 2024-2025 school year.

Woodland District 50 believes report cards should be meaningful, accurate, and actionable for students and families.

Woodland District 50 utilizes Trimesters for its reporting system (except Kindergarten and Early Childhood). Trimesters allow additional time for staff to teach, to provide feedback, and to give students opportunities to show what they know through reassessments, if necessary.

• Kindergarten/Early Childhood will use Semesters reporting twice each school year (January and June)

Semester timelines:

Semester 1: August 22nd through January 17th

Semester 2: January 21st through the last day of school

• Grades 1-8 will use Trimesters reporting out three times each school year (November, March and June)

Trimester timelines:

Trimester 1: August 21st through November 8th

Trimester 2: November 11th through February 28th

Trimester 3: March 3rd through the last day of school

The academic standards for each grade level and course can be found on the links to these pages. The trimester they will be reported to families and students is listed on the right in the pages below.

Academics and Learning Habits will be reported separately allowing teachers to identify and address specific behaviors that may impact student learning. Learning Habits are aligned with ROAR expectations: Respect, Ownership, Accepting, Ready. Students will be assessed using the same performance ratings such as Exemplary (4), Meeting (3), Approaching (2) and Beginning (1). The rubrics for each Learning Habit are linked below in English and Spanish.

Kindergarten Report Card Learning Habits (10):

Respect: Demonstrates respect to adults, Demonstrates respect to peers, Demonstrates respect to property

Ownership: Accepts responsibility for actions, Participates in class

Accepting: Willing to listen to other ideas, Resolves conflict appropriately

Ready: Follows school/classroom rules and routines, Prepared with materials for learning, Works independently and productively

Grades 1-5 Report Card Learning Habits (4): Respect, Ownership, Accepting, Ready

Grades 6-8 Report Card Learning Habits (2): Respect and Accepting, Ready and Ownership

There is a rubric for each Learning Habit so students understand how to meet expectations. These are the links to each of the ROAR Learning Habits:

Respect Respectuso

Ownership Responsabilidad

Accepting Aceptación

Ready Estar Preparado

Effort & Sportsmanship

Esfuerzo Espíritu Deportivo