FOR ALL CURRENT AND FUTURE LAKOTA FAMILIES: Beginning in the 2015/2016 academic year, the Lakota Local School District (Butler County, OH) plans to utilize Standards Based Report Cards (SBRC) in Grades 3-6, in place of the traditional A-F system that is used currently. Instead of a letter grade for each subject, students will receive a number (1, 2 or 3) for several learning standards in each subject area. The goal is to receive a “3” (3 = meets expectations) for each one by the end of the year, which indicates that the student has met the learning standard. Students will no longer receive letter grades at the elementary level. The numbers are not equivalent to letter grades in any way. There is also no opportunity to be recognized for exceeding the standard. As concerned parents of students in this district, we feel that letter grades still have value and that we should be allowed to provide input before the decision to eliminate letter grades is made.

1) We request that letter grades continue to be given in conjunction with the SBRC when SBRC are rolled out to all Lakota Local School District students in grades 3-6 in the 2015/2016, 2016/2017, and 2017/2018 academic years.

2) We request that during the 2017/2018 academic year the Curriculum Department provide a survey to all Lakota parents who have children in Kindergarten through Grade 6 to determine how the involved families feel about eliminating letter grades from the SBRC. The survey opportunity must be prominently advertised and the survey results must be prominently published.

3) We request that Community Conversations be held at least once at each elementary school and early childhood school during the 2017/2018 academic year in order to inform parents about plans to eliminate letter grades and to hear their responses. These Community Conversations must be prominently advertised, so as to reach the maximum number of affected individuals. Any communication about these meetings must include the phrase "discuss the elimination of letter grades."