What to know about student report cards

Posted: Mon, Apr 27, 2020 12:12 PM

When the emergency closure began and closed the doors to all schools in the Decorah School District, the last day of the third quarter was in sight. Under normal circumstances, report cards would have been issued, but this school year has been far from normal. The Iowa Department of Education has provided guidance to Iowa schools regarding what districts can consider learning and work for which credit can be given.

For grades 9th through 12th, work completed during second semester (January 21st to March 13th and then April 14th through May 27th) will be graded and is for credit on the final report card of the academic year. Second semester progress reports will be available after grades have been entered and GPAs have been calculated. In an email announcement, Superintendent Mark Lane said, "This process typically takes two weeks to complete, as we want to make sure final transcripts for the year are accurate. We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we work through this process."

Now that PK through 8th grade students are engaged in voluntary learning opportunities, report cards will only reflect the learning and coursework that was competed before the emergency closure began. Work completed during the voluntary learning cannot be graded and is not for credit.

3rd quarter progress reports will be available on the morning of May 6th through Powerschool for students in PK through grade 8. Lane reminded students and parents, "We want to share this information in a timely fashion, but we also want to be sure people are aware that these reports are likely an incomplete picture due to the fact that the emergency closure interrupted learning while there were still several days left in the third quarter.

Families can expect to receive more detailed progress report information from building principals in the days to come.