Report Card Information

Report Cards

Progress Reports are sent home every nine weeks.

This guide shares information about the elementary progress reports. Elementary Progress Report

Reading

The way students learn to read and write in Salem City Schools is based on Virginia's English Standards of Learning and the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA). We focus on the key skills that make up good reading, like:

• Phonological Awareness: Understanding how sounds work in words.
• Phonics: Learning the connection between letters and sounds.
• Fluency: Reading smoothly and with understanding.
• Vocabulary: Knowing the meaning of words.
• Comprehension: Understanding what you read.
• Writing: Putting your thoughts into words.
• Oral Language: Speaking and listening skills.

Teaching Methods

We know that learning to read and write is a complex process, so we use a wide range of methods to help students succeed. Teachers teach both how to recognize words and how to understand what they read. This approach helps students meet the learning goals set by the state and ensures our teaching is based on the best research available.

Our teaching methods are based on research from different fields, like psychology, education, language, and how the brain works. We use a curriculum that focuses on big ideas and concepts. Teachers use these methods to help students learn:

• Grade-Level Curriculum: Students learn material that is expected for their grade level.
• Explicit Instruction: Teachers clearly explain new skills and concepts.
• Guided Practice: Students practice new skills with help from the teacher.
• Independent Practice: Students practice skills on their own.

Salem City Schools students get direct instruction in all components of reading and writing during whole-group lessons. Students also have time to read and write on their own, while teachers work with small groups to give extra help or challenge them with more advanced work. Students also use computer-based programs like EL Imagine Learning (for grades K-5) and Reading Horizons (for grades K-12) as needed to support their reading and literacy skills.

In grades K-6, Salem City Schools uses a program called EL Imagine Learning. The instructional framework is built around knowledge strands that focus on one topic which runs across all grade levels. This allows students to build knowledge, language, and vocabulary across their entire elementary career. Topics of study are from social studies, science, and language arts. This program includes instruction in:

• Foundational Skills: Students learn about sounds in words, how to read and spell words, and how to use words in sentences.
• Language Comprehension: Students learn how to understand what they read by building their background knowledge, learning new words, and using different reading strategies.
• Writing: Students learn how to write by practicing their handwriting, grammar, and punctuation. They also learn how to organize their ideas and write different types of writing.

In grades 6-8, Salem City Schools teachers use a variety of research-based methods to help students learn to read and write. this includes Study Sync by McGraw Hill. StudySync’s core English Language Arts curriculum centers on six units of instruction at each grade level, which, in total, provide instructional content, lesson plans, and all other resources necessary for 180 days of instruction. Each of the six units of instruction at a grade level is united by a single theme and essential question. Multi-faceted exploration of this theme and essential question allows students to write, read, and engage in academic conversations with opportunities for cross-curricular content and student choice. This investigation also provides students with the opportunity to apply learning across a wide range of texts as they apply earlier standards with greater depth to increasingly complex texts in multiple genres so that they become self-directed, critical learners who workcollaboratively while continuously using metacognitive skills.

Making Sure Every Student Succeeds

Salem City Schools teachers use screening and growth assessments to see how students are doing and to decide what they need to learn next. These tests include:

• Grades K-8: Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS)
• Grades 3-12: STAR Reading

Salem City Schools also provides extra help for students who need it. This includes:

• Differentiated Instruction: Teachers adjust their teaching to meet the needs of each student.
• Scaffolds and Supports: Teachers add components to the lesson to provide more support for students who need it so they can access the lesson.
• Extensions: Teachers provide more challenging work for students who are ready for it.
• Intervention Blocks: Students who need extra help in reading or writing get extra time and support in small groups.

Virginia Literacy Partnerships - Parent Resource Center
Virginia Literacy Partnerships has developed a variety of resources for parents and families, including activities to support literacy development at home.

Virginia Department of Education
Literacy resources for families and communities are provided by the VDOE

Math 

Virginia Department of Mathematics Resources for Families