By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

PELHAM—Parents of Pelham City Schools kindergarten through fifth grade students may have noticed a difference in the recent report cards sent home in mid-October.

“We went back to reporting the standards,” PCS Curriculum Coordinator Dr. Elisabeth Davis said, adding the recent report cards were more uniform that what parents may have seen last year.

The change was inspired by PCS teachers who were concerned last year’s report cards were difficult to understand due to “education jargon” and the two-part format, Davis explained.

“One of the things they were concerned with is that it wasn’t a very user-friendly format for both sides,” Davis said.

Last year’s report cards from the Shelby County School System came in two parts because “one component for language arts” was not in iNow, the record management and grading software used by both the Shelby County and Pelham school systems.

PCS has moved all components into iNow, creating one uniform report card. The move also eases the transfer of information between schools as students transition into new grade levels, Davis explained.

“Instead of focusing on the skills, we’re focusing on the standards,” Davis said, adding the new report cards better reflect the yearlong learning process of the school year.

In addition to the new look, the report cards also included a parent guide or “cheat sheet” with it, explaining the format and standards to parents.

Parents can expect to receive the next report cards after the Christmas holiday, Davis said.