Academics
Announcements
Each student is required to read three books from their grade level list OR three books of their choice.
All books can be found in print from the Marin County Free Library, as an Ebook or audiobook on Sora (accessed through the Kent Library Website), or on Learning Ally. Visit the Kent Library homepage for instructions on how to use these resources throughout the summer! Also, don’t forget to check out our amazing local bookstore Book Passage and mention Kent when you check out so we can earn funds to buy more books for next school year!
Grading and Feedback
Kent Middle School utilizes a standards Based Feedback and Grading system, new for the 2022-2023 school year. Current research in education suggests that traditional A-F grading systems can be detrimental to student learning, confidence, self-image, and academic progress. This year, Kent educators will provide feedback and grades to show each student’s progress on high-impact, essential standards (or learning targets) for each class, rather than simplifying the class experience down to one single letter grade.
Referred to as Standards Based Grading, feedback for students and families throughout each grading period will share whether each child is showing evidence of beginning, approaching, meeting, or exceeding grade level proficiency on the most essential learning targets identified for that trimester. Additionally, students will be provided feedback on their progress with the Kent Habits of Learning: Collaboration, Community-Mindedness, Engagement, Independence, Organization, and Work Completion.
Please see the below video for a further explanation of the rationale behind this change, and what students and families can expect this year.
Kent Habits of Learning – Habits of Learning are academic mindsets, ways of being, and behaviors that learners employ while engaging with tasks and with each other. At Kent, we are giving concrete feedback to students about how our children are approaching the process of learning, and the ways they take on their school responsibilities. Improving and advancing the ways our students bring themselves to learning tasks and classroom scenarios will enhance the benefit students realize out of engaging in those activities.
Independence, Engagement, Work Completion, Collaboration, Community-Mindedness, and Organization make up the six focus Habits of Learning at Kent. Periodically, teachers will ask students to reflect on one or more of these habits as they relate to their class. As with essential skill standards this year, we have developed proficiency scales that clearly articulate behaviors at each level of proficiency with each Habit of Learning, and children often reflect at school about their areas of strength and areas of challenge with learning habits. Linked here is a folder with proficiency scales for each of our Habits of Learning for your reference, with the English version on page 1 and the Spanish version on page 2. The power of a proficiency scale lies in how it clearly captures expected behaviors, and gives children concrete language and direction for what improvement looks like. Please feel free to explore any of these proficiency scales with your child, and discuss current school habits that may be leading to or interfering with academic success. We are confident that feedback about student progress with skills and content, as well as their learning habits, will help each student to make profound advancements in their learning and school experience this year.