Design Team Update on Social Studies
Every instructional area in St. Louis Park Public Schools undergoes a three-year (three phrase) curriculum review and design process. In this process, team members measure previous success and determine next steps within each curricular areas to achieve racial equity transformation in alignment with the strategic plan.
The Racial Equity Purpose Statement of the Progress Reporting Design Team is: Our hopes, dreams and goals involve rebuilding a system of progress reporting that accurately reflects learning and is liberatory for all of our learners. As a Design Team, we believe what students understand, know, and are able to do are more essential than control and compliance. Assumptions regarding grading practices and progress reporting exist–we must name these assumptions and begin to reframe them. Questions will drive us to uncover patterns of harm that exist in our current progress reporting practices are listed below:
• what we are measuring, why do we measure this, and for whom?
• how are we tapping into and elevating the brilliance of all of our students?
• how can we effectively communicate that progress?
The design team shared recommendations related to progress reporting, including: the development of a new elementary progress report; a move towards a district-led, full implementation of standards-based grading at the secondary level; and facilitation of feedback from stakeholders (parents, teachers) to clarify preference on conferences.
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