“If it ain't broke, don’t fix it.” That has been the general attitude of parents and many teachers when faced with a potential overhaul of the elementary school report cards – and who can blame them? Faced with unfamiliar educational jargon and an assessment that looked nothing like what they’ve been used to since they were in school, they reacted.

In early discussions, the battle appeared to be parents vs. the administration and last spring it seemed like report card reform was wishful thinking on the part of these Warwick school administrators. After talking in circles long enough to delay implementation in the fall of 2008, the school department changed its approach. Recognizing that the opposition was not likely to back down, Assistant Director of Curriculum Dr. Anne Siesel – who heads the committee – came to class having done her homework. Aligning the basic rubric format with grade-specific proficiency language allows teachers and students to better understand exactly what is expected of them. By translating those figures into percentages and ultimately into a letter-grade, parents can understand what they’re reading.

Moreover, sub-indicators in each subject area show parents exactly where their child is struggling and what they need to accomplish to get that coveted A. “The report card belongs to the kids and it’s one of the most important tools the teachers have to communicate with the kids and families. We've all come to an agreement today,” said Laura Testa, a parent and report card committee member who has, for some time now, respectfully disagreed with a move toward rubric-centered grading.

Testa saw Monday’s meeting as a breakthrough, and for good reason.

It’s true that the A, B, C system has worked for many years, but education is changing and to ignore those changes is to do a disservice to students. We are seeing a move toward more subjective assignments at every level of education. Take the SATs, for example, which now include a writing component. Putting a letter-grade on that work is not only difficult for the teacher but can also be confusing for the student and parent. In a rubric system, teachers can use language specific to the subjects, outlining what is expected of students and providing themselves an easier way to grade things like comprehension and analysis. By combining the two – traditional and innovative – Warwick might actually get the best of both worlds.

There’s still a lot of work to do before the elementary report cards are ready to go – especially if Warwick plans to implement them for the fall of 2009 – but if Monday is any indication, we’re in for a meaningful change.