The purpose of standards-based progress reporting is to let parents and students know how the student is doing on concrete learning goals, and to encourage students to improve. All students are evaluated on the same key skills, creating more consistency in course content. With a single letter grade, it is harder for parents to tell which skills their children have mastered or to understand what students are expected to learn. This format for reporting is a key part of educational reform being adopted nationwide, supported by the work of researchers including Robert J. Marzano (Classroom Assessment & Grading that Work).

The Saint Paul Public Schools Elementary Progress Report was created by district educators based on Minnesota State Standards. Content area specialists and teachers reviewed the standards for their fields and selected key concepts and skills for reporting. 

• Communicates to parents about their child’s progress toward meeting standards
• Shows growth during the year
• Has bar graph visual representations of data
• Includes all specialist and English Language Services reporting in one document; sections appear only if a student is enrolled in that course
• Accessed by teachers online through the Campus student information system, allowing for multiple users and ongoing data input
• Automatically includes data that exists in Campus, such as attendance
• Includes MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) results

Sample Progress Report