Evening star., 1955-11-03
G Corning Posfpones
A B G Report Cards
New System,
Use Is Put off
Until February
By JAMES G. DEANE

AISAlOUA 0HRt. 11Q1ol y N1s NOl4k1klH
today announced postp0nement
of the Districts new A-B-C-type
reporting system until February.
Elementary pupils viii get
new-style report cards on sched-
ule November 81. but teachers
won't use letter marks until the
cards 60 home the second time
February !. This month, only
check mark sections Of the cards
win be filed in.
DR.. Corning said delay in using
the letter grades being revived
after being out Of use in WASH
|ington elementary schools since
l937iad been planned some
time ago. The announcement.
however, came on the heels Of
sharp criticism Of the new report
cards earlier this week by par
nt-teacher leaders.
TO Canvass Parents
Mrs. Willard r. Culver. par-
lent who served on q school sys-
item report card revision commit
|tee. told board members Of the
District Congress Of Parents and
Teachers on Tuesday that A and
IB would be given only 10 pupils
doing work ahead Of their own
grade level, ana that most pupils
faced the prospect Of getting
Ionly Cs.
Board members reacted unfa-
lvorabIy, and voted to create >
special committee to canvass
parents after November q on
their reaction.
DR.. Corning today said Mrs.
ICulyer's report was not correct.
HE also said he felt that the
Icriticisn was wholly premature
land that school officials and
principals themselves haven't
entirely settled yet how the new
letter marks are to be used.
It is because meetings are still
being held to decide what the
NEW marks win mean that they
won't be used this month, the
superintendent said.
Cites Wording In Cards
Or. Corning said it Is not true
that a and 3 will be withheld
lexcept for progress beyond q pu-
ipil's grade level. He cited word.
ing in the new card itself, which
defines the letter marks as fol-
lows: ..excellent progress for
grade: B very good progress
for grade. Ctgood progress
for grade: D.acceptable prog
ress. but improvement is need
ed"; u" Unsatisfactory prog-
ress; much improvement is
needed:
A teacher would not be able
ito award q mark for work on q
higher grade level even II she
wanted to. DR.. Corning asserted,
because she would have no way
iof knowing what the higher
level work was.
The superintendent said. how
ever, that he could not state in
detail just what would entitle
Ia pupil to q particular mark. ex-
lplaining, we are now trying to
decide what constitutes Al. B, G
land SO on.
I'VE ourselves don't know ex-
lactly how to interpret them yet" "
he declared. s.
Vary With Tradition
One Of the criticisms voiced at
Tuesdays PTA meeting was that
the new letter marks do not con-
form to the traditional A-B-c-
ID-P formerly used in the ele-
lmentary schools and still used
lin District secondary schools.
Or. Corning agreed that this
was true. But he said that par.
Ients should not judge the new
card in terms Of traditional
ideas.
This report card was devised
after the insistence Of parents
that more specific information
be given about the standing Of
their children, " he asserted. Old
cards. he pointed out, concen-
trated entirely on the individual
child, while the new ones in
addition to checking of irdivid-
ual improvement needs--are in-
tended to relate the children TO
their group and grade level.
The superintendent said it was
correct to state, as school ON
GERS have previously, that one Of
the purposes of the new card is
to raise academic standards.
which have shown up poorly in
some recent District achieves
ment tests.
He stressed, however, that tl1e
new cards are wholly experi-
mental and that they may be
revised after this years expert-
ence. A
Four Issues Yearly
The new report cards will be
issued four times during the
school year. Actually there are
three new cards--one for kim
dergarten, first and second
grades; another for the third
through sixth grades, and sep-
arate card for retarded pupils.
The retarded pupils will get let-
ter marks in courtesy. RESPONSE
bility and effort. but only '.sat-
isfactory" or unsatisfactory in
academic subjects.
The school systems old ele-
mentary cards gave only three
ratings to pupils outstanding
progress, satisfactory progress"
or unsatisfactory. = Like the new
cards, they also included provir
sion for checking Of a number ok
detailed items, however
Or. Corning said there is no
present plan to revise secondary
report cards. which use the tra-