GRADE NUMBERING SYSTEM CAUGHT BOARD BY SURPRISE.

Byline: David R. Baker and Sherry Joe Crosby Staff Writers

Saying they had little warning of a major change in student report cards, several Los Angeles school board members insisted Tuesday that any further revisions require their vote.

``I'd like to see what we're doing before we do it,'' said board member Valerie Fields. ``And if it's a serious change like this, I'd like to see it piloted first.''

But the board stopped short of trying to block or change the new elementary school report cards, which use numbers instead of the traditional A-F marks and other grades previously used by the district.

The idea was part of a large package of reforms presented to the board in February, but was limited to just two pages.

``It wasn't the core issue. It wasn't even a significant part,'' said board member David Tokofsky. ``The rollout of this report card, I'd give a `1.' ''

Parents have complained that the new cards lack precision, but several district officials defended them.

Numbers scale

The new cards measure performance on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 representing mastery of a subject and 1 marking a lack of proficiency. While some parents hate the way the new system removes many of the steps that used to pinpoint student achievement - C+ or B-, for example - Superintendent Ruben Zacarias said the numbers would be more exact than the old grades.

``Limiting it to four (steps) forces people giving the grades to be more precise,'' he said. ``It takes out some of the fuzziness.''

Santa Calderon, principal of Canterbury Avenue School in Pacoima, also praised the new number system. She said it will more accurately measure student knowledge and, because it is tied to statewide curriculum standards, it reduces fluctuations in grading among different teachers.

``I think this is the closest we've ever been to clearly marking what a student needs to know,'' Calderon said. ``A, B and C were not quite connected to the standards.''

State standards

The new report cards are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District's effort to change the way it promotes students. Whereas before grades could be based on many factors and could vary from school to school, the new number grades are tied to learning standards developed by the state and taught by the district.

While school board members received in February a report outlining that entire package of reforms, the idea of changing report cards was limited to two pages, which discussed creating a new ``reporting format to be used districtwide for report cards.''

The new cards were not subject to a board vote, said Robert Collins, director of the district's Curriculum Instruction and Assessment branch. Several board members said they did not even realize the cards would be changed.

The new report cards will be used at all LAUSD elementary schools, replacing a series of grading systems previously in use. Children in grades kindergarten through three, for example, formerly received report cards with one of three letter grades for each subject: S for area of strength, G for work showing growth and N for performance that needs improvement.

In grades four, five and six, report cards at the end of each academic period gave standard A-F letter grades for each overall subject, while progress reports in between those report cards used S, G and N.

Easy to decipher 

Elisabeth Douglass, principal of Fernangeles School in Sun Valley, said the new grades are easy to decipher but it will take time for parents, students and teachers to grow accustomed to the change.

``It's pretty clear but it will take a lot of time to understand the report card,'' Douglass said.

To educate parents about the grading system change, teachers at Fernangeles held parent-teacher conferences for one week. Because the school is on a year-round calendar, Douglass said teachers did not have much time to learn about the report card changes.

Douglass said the new number system abolishes the stigma of letter grades such as C, D and F.

``People assume if you get a C or D, you're not trying hard enough,'' Douglass said.

Many schools belonging to the LEARN reform effort had devised their own report cards, which now must be abandoned.

The Canterbury Avenue school in Pacoima is a LEARN school that used traditional letter grades for students in third, fourth and fifth grades. Younger students were under the ``Outstanding,'' ``Satisfactory'' and ``Needs Improvement'' system.

``It's going to be an adjustment for us to use the report card the district wants us to use,'' said Calderon, the principal, adding she will inform parents of the grading change Thursday during the school's annual back-to-school night. She also will publish information in the school's newsletter.

``We're getting the parents ready,'' Calderon said.