SCHOOL NOTEBOOK | Manhattan Optimist Club names MHS Student of the Month

AJ Dome, The Manhattan Mercury, Kan.
·3 min read

Oct. 16—The Manhattan-Ogden School District will be changing the way elementary school students are graded starting with the 2022-23 school year.

During the school board meeting Oct. 6, director of elementary education Lucas Shivers said the district will be transitioning away from the traditional A through F grading system to what's called "standards grading." With standards grading, students' progress will be reported on a four-point scale that describes how they are performing in relation to state education standards. All K-5 students will receive numbers, 1 through 4, on their report cards indicating their proficiency in a subject.

No letter grades or other letter codes like "S" for satisfactory will be used starting next school year. Shivers said standards grading is being utilized in other Kansas school districts, and that USD 383 is "about a decade behind" in implementing this grading system.

"We want grades to be meaningful," Shivers said. "We like to ask, 'What's in a grade?' Probably too many things."

On the standards grading scale, 1 means a student needs more help in a subject, while 4 means the student understands the subject well. Shivers said the goal is to get children to a grade of 3, which effectively meets Kansas educational requirements. Bergman Elementary 5th grade teacher Jennifer Colp said at the board meeting that her class has been piloting the standards grading transition for the past several months.

"What standards grading has done in my classroom is narrow down specifically what students can do and allow us to work on what they still need help with," Colp said. "The parents I've heard from are also supportive of it, and they say it makes more sense than letter grades."

Marlatt Elementary 2nd grade teacher Barb McClintock told board members she felt standards grading is "the next logical step for us as teachers and team members in this learning community."

Superintendent Marvin Wade said he agreed that implementing standards grading is a "big step, a manageable step" for elementary school teachers. Board member Darell Edie said, "letter grades have been around since the dinosaurs" and that it's "time for a change."

Shivers said standards grading uses a student's highest score to show their overall growth, instead of averaging their scores out. He said that approach "makes for a more current reflection of where that student is academically." In standards grading, the most recent performance of a student has the most value. District officials said traditional averaging of scores isn't an accurate reflection of a student's academic performance.

The district will hold professional learning sessions on standards grading for teachers and staff in February and March of next year. Parents and families will learn about standards grading at future parent-teacher conferences.

Manhattan

Optimist Club names Student

of the Month

The Manhattan Optimist Club is congratulating Manhattan High School senior Ashi Wickramasundara as their first MHS Student of the Month for the 2021-22 school year.

Wickramasundara is the daughter of Ganga Hettiarachchi and Chatura Ariyaratne of Manhattan. She is a member of MHS Key Club, Student Council, Environmental Club, HOBY KS, Feminist Club and National Honor Society.

Wickramasundara is the student body vice president and held a leadership role in the International Science and Engineering Fair.

She received first place at the Kansas State Science and Engineering Fair two years in a row. She was also a volunteer at the Manhattan Public Library and has volunteered at Habitat for Humanity.

Wickramasundara plans to continue her education in psychology and criminology or anthropology at either University of Maryland, Barnard College, Amherst College or possibly Kansas State University. Her goal is to become a professor and researcher, work for a nonprofit organization, and work with teenagers in the foster care system.

The Manhattan Optimist Club's student of the month is meant to recognize Manhattan High School seniors that make a difference in their community through volunteerism and leadership activities that have a positive impact on MHS and/or the Manhattan community.