All Elementary schools in Palm Beach County, Florida have removed the students traditional report card using A, B, C, D and F letter grades, and have replaced it with the Standards-Based Report Card that uses Performance Codes along with Standard codes of -

X  Student meeting standards

# - Area of concern

0 - Not Assessed

This includes more than 105 elementary schools with NO letter grades!

The Palm Beach Department of Education states the purpose of the standards-based report card is to give a more accurate picture of the students understanding of concepts and progress to meeting the states year-end standards.

Yet, in its complexity of multiple skills under a given subject area, with performance codes it has only made it more confusing to the parent and it does not give a full explanation/understanding of what that skill really defines? What is the “standard”?

This new format of grading does NOT use points or percentages to determine the code given to the student. It does not measure the averages of work completed. There is no grade percentages used to calculate the “standard”.

The “standard” does not praise our children to achieve more. It does not encourage them to reach their full potential! It has promoted mediocrity among elementary students and it is NOT preparing them for middle school (and high school) where percentages are given with letter grades. 

My daughter’s school was one of the first to pilot the standards-based report card in the 2010-11 school year. Parents were told it was better. We’ve done it. It is NOT better. She is now in 4th grade and she has never experienced letter grades.

Please sign this petition if you believe we need to challenge our elementary students and reintroduce academic recognition such as the Honor Roll to motivate them to be their very best… not just meet the “standard” (doing just enough to get by).

Bring back traditional report cards for all elementary schools in Palm Beach County using a percentage grading scale with A, B, C, D, and F letter grades because children deserve to learn accountability that we can all understand and celebrate!