Transition and Employment Programs

Transition Community,

Monroe One BOCES and the Transition and Employment Age Programs are committed to implementing equitable practices for all students by engaging in a standards-based instruction, grading, and reporting framework. This framework will provide a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of students' learning by breaking down the curriculum into specific learning standards or objectives.

Here are some key components of a standards-based framework:

• Clarity and Transparency:
  Standards-based grading provides a clear picture of a student's strengths and areas for growth in each subject. This transparency allows teachers, students and parents to identify where to focus their efforts for improvement.
   
• Individualized Feedback:
  Teachers can provide more targeted feedback to students based on their performance in specific learning standards. This feedback helps students understand their progress and how to make improvements.
   
• Focus on Mastery:
  Standards-based grading emphasizes the importance of mastery and long-term retention of knowledge and skills. It encourages students to keep working on a concept until they have truly mastered it.
   
• Fairness and Equity:
  This approach reduces the impact of extraneous factors such as homework completion or learner behaviors on a student's grade. Grading is centered on what students know and can do while reporting on learner behaviors separately.
   
• College and Career Readiness:
  Standards-based grading better prepares students for the real world by emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving, and subject mastery, which are important skills for college and career success.
   
• Consistency:
  It promotes consistency in grading across the schools/programs, making it easier for parents and students to understand performance standards.

Standards-Based Grading practices will further improve our ability to differentiate and personalize learning for each child. These practices fully align with our goal of becoming a restorative, inclusive and equitable organization. It is our hope that this Parent Guide to Standards-Based Assessment and Reporting will provide an understanding of how to navigate your child’s report card and grades.

Sincerely,

Bonnie J. Masiuk

Principal, Transition and Employment Age Programs

Teachers will use recorded observations, written assessments and work evaluations to determine the report card scores for students. All assessment and data information gathered is based on classroom instruction and work-based experiences. All Transition Programs assess students based on the Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) Standards.