November 2026 Newsletter

November 2026

Dear ERMS Families,

Throughout this school year, I want to share more about the work taking place behind the scenes at East Rockford Middle School to strengthen teaching, learning, and how we communicate student progress. One of our priorities is to become more intentional and effective in how we communicate what students know, what they can do, and where they need additional support. Our hope is that you'll better understand not only what we're doing, but why we're doing it. Our goal is simple: We want students to understand what they're learning, what success looks like, how they can measure their own progress, and what to do when they haven't yet demonstrated proficiency.

What Does a Grade Really Tell Us?

Traditionally, grades have represented a combination of student learning and academic behaviors. For example, a student might earn 10 out of 10 points for completing homework, 5 out of 10 for partially completing it, or 0 out of 10 for not completing it. Those scores communicate assignment completion, but not necessarily what a student has learned. Homework provides an opportunity to practice, receive feedback, and improve. Academic learning and academic behaviors are both important, but they communicate different things. Our responsibility is to communicate both accurately.

Practice Versus Performance

Over the past several years, we've placed greater emphasis on summative assessments, which measure what students have learned, and less emphasis on formative assessments, which provide opportunities to practice, make mistakes, and receive feedback. Think about athletics or the fine arts: Whether preparing for a game, concert, or performance, practice is where students develop skills, receive feedback, make adjustments, and improve. The performance is where they demonstrate what they've learned.

Learning in the classroom should work similarly. Practice and meaningful feedback are essential to student success. When students don't demonstrate proficiency, our responsibility doesn't end with the assessment. We must provide additional instruction, meaningful feedback, and opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning.

Developing student ownership of learning is one of our building priorities, and it requires a shared commitment between students and staff. As educators, our responsibility is to clearly communicate what students are expected to learn, what success looks like, and how we will respond when learning hasn't yet occurred. Students also have an important responsibility: to reflect on their progress, evaluate their learning against clear expectations, use feedback to identify areas for improvement, and take action when they haven't yet demonstrated proficiency. This includes asking questions, seeking support from teachers, and using opportunities like RAM Time to strengthen their understanding.

Where We're Growing

As we've implemented these changes, we've recognized that in some areas, we moved ahead with grading practices before fully developing the intervention and reassessment processes needed to support them. We're addressing this through our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), including our early release days. Teachers are working to develop assessments, examine student performance, and plan how to respond when students need additional support. RAM Time is an important part of this work, providing dedicated time for students to receive additional instruction, practice skills, and extend their learning. We're working to better connect assessment results with how students use that time.

Our direction hasn't changed. We are growing in our ability to clearly communicate student learning, and that means examining not only how we teach and assess, but also how we report progress to students and families. We want our grades and feedback to provide a more accurate picture of what students know, what they can do, and what they need to learn next. Ultimately, we're working to become better at communicating learning, not simply reporting grades.

How You Can Help at Home

Here's where you can make a meaningful difference! Instead of asking only, "How was your day?" try asking your child three questions:

• What are you learning?
• How do you know you've learned it?
• What will you do if you haven't learned it yet?

Encourage your child to explain what they're learning, describe what success looks like, and think about how they can use feedback, their teachers, and RAM Time to continue improving.

magine the impact if every student could confidently answer those three questions! Ultimately, our work is about more than grades. It's about developing confident, independent, lifelong learners who know how to seek support, take ownership, and continue growing.

Thank you for your partnership. I look forward to sharing more throughout the year.

Adam Burkholder
Principal
East Rockford Middle School

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