Kindergarten students in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will bring home a new kind of report card at the end of the first semester this year. The revised Early Childhood Observation Record/Kindergarten Report Card is designed to document students’ progress in the seven developmental learning dimensions reflected in the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) this school year. The MMSR was developed to establish a set of baseline skills, behaviors, and knowledge that promote school achievement in kindergarten and first grade. The report card uses the MMSR ratings of “proficient,” “in progress,” and “not yet” to report students’ progress at the end of each semester.

The report card also is aligned with the content indicators and assessment measures identified in the MCPS kindergarten curriculum blueprints. A key feature of the report card is the inclusion of illustrative student behaviors for each key outcome that is used to grade the student. These examples will help parents understand the curriculum content and expectations of the kindergarten program.

This report card was first field tested during the 1998-1999 school year. Seven schools representing five clusters were chosen to field test the new form. The schools were chosen based on the following characteristics: all-day and half-day kindergarten, high FARMs, upper county/down county, and school diversity. During the field-test year, parent and teacher feedback was collected and utilized to revise the form.

The revised form was piloted in 27 additional schools during the 1999-2000 school year. Additional data were collected from the schools and used to modify the report card for systemwide implementation in draft form during the 2000-2001 school year. Teachers were provided an opportunity to preview the final draft of the report card during a Kindergarten Institute held in August 2001 before the report card was readied for release in final form this year.

In addition to reporting student progress to parents, the new form will be used to screen kindergarten students for the state-mandated Early Identification and Intervention Program (EIIP) for detection of possible learning disabilities.

The MCPS Division of Early Childhood Programs and Services, in collaboration with several kindergarten teachers, has created a Report Card Guide that will provide teachers with guidance in the completion of the report card.

The report card distribution date for the end of the first semester (second marking period) is February 12, 2002.
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