Academics

As part of our efforts to empower all learners, the Ballard Community School District is transitioning to Standards Referenced Grading (SRG) to improve our grading practices. 

​SRG will allow us to consistently and clearly communicate students’ current proficiency in meeting standards so that grades are an accurate reflection of their learning. With SRG, students will understand where they are and where they need to be by the end of each class or grade level. ​

​This webpage serves as a clearinghouse for information, key links, fact sheets, and other resources for our students and families as we make this important transition. 

About the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP)

• Developed by Iowa Testing Programs at the University of Iowa in collaboration with Iowa educators
• First administered in spring 2019 to students in these subjects and grade levels:
  • Math: Grades 3-11
  • English Language Arts: Grades 3-11
  • Science: Grades 5, 8 and 10
• Includes an online format and assessment of student writing
• Better reflects what is being taught in classrooms because it is more aligned with Iowa’s academic standards
• Find more information about the test at: http://iowa.pearsonaccessnext.com/

The ISASP informs students, parents, educators, and the state, on how Iowa students are performing on the Iowa Core Standards. It is intended to provide helpful information on areas where students are performing well and where they may need additional support. Students and parents are encouraged to review the results from the Individual Student Report and reach out to their schools for additional feedback.

A Higher Bar for Iowa Students

Iowa adopted statewide standards in English language arts, math and science to ensure all students move from grade to grade with the skills and content necessary for success beyond high school.  Because Iowa raised the bar for what students are expected to know and be able to do, the state also changed the way progress is measured through state tests.  A new state test, the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, replaced the Iowa Assessments. Students in grades 3 through 11 took the new test for the first time in spring 2019.  School-level results will be available to schools, parents and other stakeholders in November.

How Proficiency was Determined

Iowa Testing Programs and its vendor, Pearson, convened 185 Iowa educators and experts in July to determine through a collaborative, scientific process what “proficient” and “advanced” mean on the new state test.  The performance levels that resulted from that process were recommended for State Board of Education adoption in September.

Interpreting your Student’s Results

Iowa adopted statewide standards in English language arts, math and science to ensure all students move from grade to grade with the skills and content necessary for success beyond high school.  Because Iowa raised the bar for what students are expected to know and be able to do, the state also changed the way progress is measured through state tests.  A new state test, the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, replaced the Iowa Assessments. Students in grades 3 through 11 took the new test for the first time in spring 2019.

Every Student Succeeds Act

The Every Student Succeeds Act, signed in 2015, replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. It maintains a focus on equity for all students, while giving states and local school districts much more ownership over systems of school accountability and support. In Iowa, ESSA has been a great opportunity to build on bold education improvements under way that align with ESSA requirements, including clear and rigorous standards for what students should know and be able to do, a school accountability system that targets support where and when schools need it most, and a structure for professional learning that emphasizes teacher leadership and evidence-based practices.

ESSA Accountability/ISPP

ESSA requires an accountability index to identify schools for comprehensive assistance and targeted assistance. Schools who need comprehensive assistance are the lowest 5 percent of Title I schools as identified by the index. Schools identified for targeted assistance have one or more student groups who perform at or below the benchmark for the lowest 5 percent of Title I schools. Once identified, the schools would be offered help and planning with the goal of increasing student performance.

Multiple indicators will be used in the ESSA accountability index to determine building-level performance.  For the Iowa School Performance Profile (required by 2013 Iowa state legislation), the state chooses to use the same indicators:

• Student Participation on State Assessments: Requires a minimum of 95 percent of a school’s enrollment participate in annual state assessments.
• Academic Achievement (measures the following):
                 Proficiency: Percentage of students in a school who are proficient in math and reading based on assessment results.
                 Average Scale Score: Information about the average performance of students in reading and mathematics in a school.
• Student Growth: Measures overall student growth by looking at student percentiles and determining whether the student is meeting or exceeding growth targets.
• Graduation Rate (high schools): Determines percentage of students who graduate from high school in four or five years.
• Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency: Measures a student’s progress in obtaining English language proficiency across the domains of reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• Conditions for Learning: Measures a school’s safety, engagement and environment based on a survey of students in grades 6 through 12.
• Postsecondary Readiness (high schools): Includes student participation and scores on college entrance exams, participation in postsecondary or advanced coursework, and percentage of students who are CTE concentrators.

You may access the Iowa School Perfomance Profiles site here

Conditions for Learning Survey

Each spring, our district administers an annual school climate and culture survey called Conditions for Learning to students in grades 3-12. This survey administration is required by the state’s plan to meet a federal law called the Every Student Succeeds Act. All Iowa public school districts will use the Conditions for Learning Survey to improve safety, student engagement, and the overall learning environment, so all Iowa students have the optimum conditions for learning. This survey is adminsitered during the month of April at Ballard East, BMS and BHS.

All public schools in Iowa will use an online survey to assess the conditions for learning in their school for students in grades 3-12. Student responses will be confidential, and individual response data will not be available to anyone in the survey reporting platform. Each school will receive aggregated data annually at the building level to support the alignment of professional development with identified culture and climate needs.

We will ask your child to fill out a confidential survey. The survey will focus on issues ranging from student safety to positive student relationships to school rules and how they are enforced.

Thank you for partnering with Ballard schools to improve conditions for learning in our schools throughout the state. Included is an overview of this opportunity, as well as:

1.  An information summary of the Survey.
2.  Survey Links: Grades 3-5 Survey English | Spanish; Grades 6-12 Survey English | Spanish
3. A written refusal form is required if you do not want your child to particpate in completing the survey.