Special Edition - Standards Based Grading

6 Things to Know about Standards Based Grading (SBG) at KHMS

Standards based grading isn’t new to students in the elementary level as they have been assessed in a standards based environment for many years; however, it is new to the middle school level.  Our students from Early Childhood through 8th grade in Kaneland will be assessed/scored similarly.  Below are six things to know about SBG.  

1. Standards Based Grading Overview

With SBG, grades reflect student learning of academic standards.  Standards are the core of our instruction; they guide our teachers’ instruction to help students, parents, and teachers know what is most important for students to learn.   With that in mind, all assignments and assessments are linked to a standard.  Assessment scores represent what students know and have learned.  Therefore, scores are based on a student’s achievement of academic standards.  

In the standards-based classroom, student proficiency in standards is recorded over time, often using the most recent evidence. Thus, students are not penalized for not knowing content at the beginning of a course/unit of study, as can be the practice in a traditionally graded course when all scores are averaged together.  Students will be able to explain what they learned or did not learn rather than recite a letter grade or percentage.

     2.    Assessment of Learning

We will provide students the opportunity to show what they have learned after instruction and after numerous times to practice newly learned skills. They will practice and apply these skills through two different forms of assessment: formative assessment and summative assessment.  

 

Formative Assessment

Think of formative assessment as “academic practice.”  Practice is important because it allows students to receive feedback while they are learning new material.  This type of assessment provides students opportunities to practice skills and standards to help make learning permanent.  While formative assessment is not officially graded, you will see feedback in Canvas Gradebook.  Also students will quickly find that if they don’t practice and turn in assignments, their summative grade will suffer.  The work needs to be done in order to do well on summative assessments.    

 

Summative Assessment

Think of summative assessment as a measure of academic achievement.  This is the work students do to show what they know after they’ve had time to practice and learn.  Summative assessments can include a wide variety of tasks, such as projects, performances, tests. etc.  Summative assessments will be reported/scored and entered in Canvas Gradebook with a 3, 2, 1, or NE (No Evidence).

       3.     Interpreting SBG Scores from Early Childhood through 8th Grade

Kaneland School District utilizes a scale score of NE-3 for our Early Childhood (EC) through 8th grade students.  Below are the descriptors of each scale score as it relates to student demonstration of proficiency. 

       4.     What Changes with Standards Based Grading vs. What Stays the Same?

What Changes	What Remains the Same
Grades will be reported based on proficiency tables and a rating of NE-3 (EC-8)	Our focus continues to be our District’s Mission Statement to graduate College, Career, and Community ready
Scores will be directly related to a reported standard	The Kaneland Curriculum is aligned to rigorous national and state academic standards
Students and teachers will co-construct feedback based on formative assessment in class	Students are expected to engage in classroom discussions, collaborate with peers and teachers, and complete formative assessments (any practice work both in and out of class time) during the week
Formative assessments will be completed for practice and not be scored in a traditional manner	Students will be assessed (test, paper, project) and receive a score
	Teachers still communicate expectations for learning

       5.     Core Value Grades

Just like academic standards, students will be assessed in non-academic factors as well.  Following our Kaneland Core Values of Respect, Responsibility, and Commitment to Excellence, each student will receive a score (3, 2, 1, NE) for each core value at the end of each Term.  These scores will be shared on your child’s report card at the end of each Term.      

     6.       Finding Student’s Scores

The feedback we’ve received over the years has been heard.  During each term, your child’s progress/scores can be found in Canvas.  Our staff will communicate how to access these scores.   All scores throughout the term should be accessed through Canvas. 

 

August 2023

From the desk of the principal...

We are a couple of weeks away from welcoming our students and families to the 2023-2024 school year and I can't wait!  Our staff is eager to welcome your child to another amazing year.    

I will keep my message brief since this newsletter contains a large amount of information.  Be on the lookout for a digital welcoming from your child's team and teachers.  You should receive an email the first few weeks of school that will help you better understand your child's day here at Harter and the enormous staff here to support him/her.  

I'm certain this newsletter will answer any questions you have regarding the start of the school year, but please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any unanswered questions.  

At Harter, we are one big family that supports our students!  I look forward to partnering with you this year as our students grow academically, socially, and emotionally.    

Enjoy the last couple of weeks of summer!

Proud to be a Knight!

Brian Faulkner, Principal     

Important Dates & Information to Start the School Year

***Schedules and bus route information will be available through Infinite Campus on August 4th after 3:00 p.m.  

***Please note that schedule requests or schedule changes cannot be accommodated.  The scheduling process takes time and involves numerous variables and our team has worked hard to provide each student an individualized schedule based on student need and data.

Jump Start to Middle School for 6th Graders (August 7th - 11th - 8:00-10:00 a.m.)

• Due to the requirements for staffing Jump Start, we are not taking walk-ins and a 6th grade student must be registered to attend.    
• Jump Start is a full week program that prepares 6th grade students for their middle school transition.  Our students will get to know the building, learn their daily schedule, practice opening their locker, make new friends, and better understand a typical day as an KHMS student.
• Students should be dropped off and picked up at door 20 (student entrance).    

   

Open House (Wednesday August 9th - 10:00-11:30 a.m. & 4:00-7:00 p.m.)

• Open House provides our students an opportunity to self-tour the building, locate their classes, find and practice opening their locker, and put away school materials in their locker.  
• Please have Infinite Campus available on your phone or print your child's schedule and locker information before coming in.  We will not have a table with schedules or locker information.    
• There are no formal presentations as this is simply an opportunity for students/parents to come into the building before the school year starts and be prepared for the first day of school.  This is not a drop your child off event and we expect parents to be with their child.     
• Our Health Office staff will be here for Open House.  Please feel free to use this time to drop off physicals, immunization paperwork, medications, and other health related items.  

   

First Day of School 

• Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 16th.  Our school day is 7:25 a.m. - 2:40 p.m.  You can view our daily schedule here.  

Picture Day (Thursday, August 24th)

• More information regarding pictures will be emailed soon.   

Schedules

Schedules will be available through Infinite Campus beginning August 4th.  We often receive requests for certain teams or teachers.  While we would love to honor requests, we simply can't.  Scheduling is a complicated process with numerous variables.  Changing one schedule will create other changes to other schedules and there is a large trickle effect with any changes.  We carefully plan and create schedules and a lot of work goes into the scheduling process.  Students can sometimes feel anxiety over their schedule (not knowing anyone, not having a certain friend on their team, etc.), but the beauty of middle school is making new friends and learning how to navigate the ups and downs of adolescence.  We also have times for students to be together when they are not on the same team (i.e., lunch, PE, exploratory classes, music).  Our staff does a fabulous job of helping students get to know one-another through team building activities.   

School Supply Lists

6-8 lists can be found by clicking here.  

6th Grade Health Requirements

In order to begin their middle school career, all 6th grade students will need to have their health requirements submitted to our Nurse's office, which requires a physical and dental examination.  Below are links to the forms.  

Physical 

Dental

New Staff

Please help us welcome our new staff to Harter Middle School.  We are excited for our new staff to contribute to and enhance our tradition of excellence.

• Abigail Bowers - 7 Silver Science
• Stephanie Routson - 8 Silver Science
• Madelyn Stambaugh - 6th Grade Special Education
• Rich Zabelin - 6th Grade Special Education
• Nellie Slawinski - Social Worker
• Jessica Lustig - 7th Grade Special Education

PE Uniforms 

PE uniforms can be bought online through our webstore.  Students/parents will need to purchase a shirt and a lock (school issued lock).  Uniforms and locks will be distributed the first few days of school in your child's PE class.  If your child already has both items, there is no need to purchase new ones.   

Lunch Guidelines - Bringing in Lunch For Your Child

Parents are permitted to bring outside lunches for their child ONLY, not for other students.  This rule is strictly enforced due to food allergies and the potential disruption it will cause in our cafeteria.  Even if you know the other students (even with parent permission), we will still prohibit anyone bringing in lunch for any child other than their own.  

We also do not allow students to bring in treats for other students to be shared for the same reasons as above.  Your cooperation is appreciated.  

Lunch Account

Students can purchase a lunch or bring in their own lunch each day.  If your child plans on purchasing lunch, please see the below information.

• Hot lunch is $3.30 or students can purchase ala carte items.  Ala carte items range in price depending on what is being purchased.   
• Money can be put on your child's lunch account.  Money or checks can be taken at the register, but no change will be given back.  Change will be applied to your child's account.  Credit cards/debit cards will not be taken at the register.  
• Deposits are credited to a student's account immediately, which means no student should have a negative balance.  If a student has a negative balance, they will be provided the hot lunch of the day.  No child will be denied a lunch, but please note that their account will be charged for the meal.   
• Student accounts may have a spending threshold that parents can apply.  This can be done both daily and weekly.  Each transaction of purchased food will show up almost immediately on your account.  We will deny a student ala carte items if funds are not available or if they have hit their daily/weekly limit.  Once these limits are set, no one can change them except for a parent.  
• Contact Gigi Statler (10629@kaneland.org) with any questions.   

PTO

Our PTO is always looking for volunteers.  Information on how you can support our PTO will be housed at tables during our Open House.  Make sure you stop by and check out all the wonderful things the PTO does for the students and staff at Harter.  You can also find more information on their website (khmspto.org)  

Extra-Curricular Offerings at Harter

At Harter, we offer numerous extra-curricular offerings and they are listed below.  Other offerings may be added during the school year based on interest.  Please note that some athletic teams and after-school offerings require a student to tryout or audition to make the team/activity.  All athletics/activities that require a tryout or audition have an asterisk next to it.  

Athletics

• Cross Country (grades 6-8) - August (Registration Information)
• * Girls Volleyball  (grades 7 & 8) - August (Tryout Information)
• Boys & Girls Golf (grades 6-8) - August
• * Boys Basketball  (grades 7 * 8) - October
• Wrestling (grades 6-8) - October
• * Girls Basketball  (grades 7 & 8) - January
• Bowling (grades 6-8) - Winter
• Track & Field (grades 6-8) - March 

* Tryout Required  

More information regarding sports at Harter can be found on our athletic website.  For all athletic teams, students are required to have a current physical on file to tryout or be a part of a team.  Physicals are considered valid for 13 months.  Physician's offices fill up quick and it is encouraged to get your child's physical done well before the first day of tryouts or practice.    

Activities 

• * School Play (grades 6-8) - Fall
• * School Musical (grades 6-8) - Spring
• * Jazz Band (grades 7 & 8) - All Year
• * Jazz Lab Band (6th grade) - All Year
• * KnightShift Acapella Choir (grades 6-8) - All Year
• Art Club (grades 6-8) - All Year
• Snowflake (grades 6-8)  All Year
• Knight Writers School Newspaper (grades 6-8) - All Year
• Student Council (grades 6-8) - All Year
• Yearbook (grades 6-8) - All Year

*Audition Required 

With any afterschool athletic team or activity, announcements will be made during the school day and we will also post the information online.  

Parent Drop-off/Pick-up Procedures 

If you are a returning parent, drop-off and pick-up procedures have not changed.  Morning drop-off occurs in the front circle (door 1) and the afternoon pickup will occur in the south lot by door 20.  

Please make sure you read our procedures (click here) to familiarize yourself with our process.  

 

School Expectations 

Attendance - Start of the School Day

Please note that students are marked as tardy to school if they arrive after 7:25 a.m.  We want all students to start school on time.  Consequences may be issued for excessive tardiness.        

Behavior Expectations

Our staff and students will extensively review our school expectations in all areas of Harter at the beginning of the year and throughout the year.  We want to prepare our students for success and teaching our expectations explicitly will help our students.  We know the more structure we provide, the more our students will thrive.     

Cell Phone Expectations 

While we've always advocated for students to learn how to utilize technology appropriately, including cellphones, we have experienced numerous distractions and disruptions over the years.  Due to this, we are continuing our expectations regarding students' use of cellphones during the school day.  All phones must be put away during the school day (not seen, used, or heard) unless a teacher gives permission.  Students will still be allowed to use their phones at lunch.     

We realize that cellphones make it easy to communicate with your child and this is why we will continue to allow them at lunch. This will be the time when students can check in with you in case you message them.  If there is an emergency or you need to get a hold of your child, please call the main office (630-466-8400) and we will relay the message or call them to the office to reach out to you.  

Our expectations will reduce the amount of distractions phones have caused and allow our students to experience success at higher rates.  Thank you for your understanding in this matter.  

 

Lunchroom Supervisors Needed

Harter is looking for lunchroom supervisors (paid position).  If you are interested, please fill out an application and contact Kris Weiss (10535@kaneland.org).  

August 2023 Important Dates

August 7-11 - 6th Grade Jump Start (8:00-10:00 a.m.)

August 9 - Open House (10:00-11:30 a.m. & 4:00-7:00 p.m.)

August 16 - First Day of School 

August 24 - School Picture Day

August 28-Sept 1 - iReady Testing

Enjoy the Rest of Your Summer!

Proud to be a Knight!!!