Jamestown schools welcome new psychologist
By Michaela Kennedy

The Jamestown School Committee, by unanimous vote at its Oct. 4 meeting, appointed Raymond Marcotte to a part-time position as school psychologist. The board spent the rest of the evening in a discussion about report card formats used at both schools.

Committee member William "Bucky" Brennan opened the work session with a request that the report card formats be reviewed and updated. He criticized the multipaged report cards used in the district, and called for simplification. He noted that North Kingstown high school administrators paid little or no attention to the standardsbased system used on the island. "By better aligning the report card to North Kingstown, the smoother the transition for the students," he commented.

Committee member Julie Kallfelz admitted the reports were complicated and could be streamlined in some areas, but defended its style. "I feel it is my job as a parent to go through it and learn about my child," Kallfelz said. "Teachers have to address each of those things (listed) on the report card. It keeps the teacher honest."

Kallfelz praised the level of detail in the cards, and discounted worries of transitioning. "I understand kids are placed in classes based on recommendations from our teachers. There isn't a lot of problem with placement," she said.

Committee Chairwoman Catherine Kaiser offered more general comments in support of the current cards. She found through research on the Internet that standardsbased report cards "seem to be the wave across the country."

Principal Kathleen Almanzor spoke up in defense of the assessment reporting system in place. "These report cards are a result of a lot of work from the staff. What you see is the result of many aspects drawn together," she said, adding that the format emerged from many hours of scrutiny and development.

Brennan drew attention to the performance summary sheet and asked if it was necessary to keep. Almanzor responded that teachers and counselors relied on information in the summary sheets for placements in honors level classes.

Some committee members mentioned grade inflation and asked what measures were followed to avoid discrepancies of assessments given within a grade level. Almanzor emphasized that the standards-based approach to grades, with the use of grade-level rubrics, has helped keep teachers better aligned with assessment criteria. "Of course, it will never be perfect," she added, referring to human subjectivity.

Committee member David Dolce agreed with Brennan that simplification of report cards for grades 5 to 8 was a good idea. He complained that, with three children, he did not want so much detail. "I want to know what the issues are," he said.

Other ideas offered about report cards included:

• making stronger efforts to connect individual student grades with performance on New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests.

• featuring grade-level rubrics on the website could help parents better understand grading criteria.

• hosting a discussion of report card formats at the annual School Report Night may increase parent participation at that event.