If a student has not turned in assignment and I am entering class grades, the missing work will be entered as a grade of 0. If the work is turned in late for credit I will change the grade at that time. If the assignment is never turned in the 0 will stand.
Middle School Grading Policy
Waddell Language Academy
2014-2015
Informal Assignments
Formal Assignments
The primary purpose of our school is to ensure students achieve their full academic potential. Grades are intended to capture students' progress toward meeting grade level benchmarks as students move toward high school graduation. Grades are not intended to be punitive. Grades should reflect student mastery, as opposed to student effort or participation. Grades should motivate students to work hard and improve their academic performance over time. Grades provide critical feedback to student and parents and thus should be updated on a regular basis by teachers. The policy below is intended to ensure fair and consistent grading practices in alignment with mastery learning.
Grading Metrics
Grades are assigned based on a seven-point grading scale, as dictated by the State of North Carolina Board of Education:
A = 100 - 90
B = 89 - 80
C = 79 - 70
D =69 - 60
F = below 59, failing
· Partial credit is awarded for partial completion based on teacher-created rubrics.
· An attempt at an assignment requires a student to provide an educationally relevant response to each item on the assignment in the format outlined in the assignment directions.
Number and Frequency of Grades
· A student should be assigned grades often enough that the student is able to learn and improve based on the feedback provided by the grade. The following chart captures the number of grades (at a minimum) that should be assigned to a student each quarter:
Classes that Meet A/B Day
Formal Assessment Grades per Quarter- 2
In-Class Assignment Grades per Week - 1 graded for accuracy
Homework Grades per Week -
· Grades for all assignments must be entered in the grade book within ten (10) school days of the assignment due date. This includes makeup work.
Feedback
· Work must be returned to students within six (6) days of the assignment due date. This means students must see the graded assignment with any corrections/feedback provided.
· Feedback on work graded for accuracy must include marking correct items as correct. Scored rubrics must be provided for open-ended responses (short-answer, essay, labs, other performance tasks).
Mastery Learning
· If a student earns below a B (80% or below) on an assessment, the student may have the opportunity to retake the assessment within two weeks of the original assessment administration date (or due date).
· To re-take an assessment, a student must qualify by demonstrating the student's readiness to demonstrate improved mastery. To qualify, the student must complete all homework and class assignments for the unit of instruction, in addition to completing test corrections on the first administration of the assessment. One additional review assignment may be provided by the teacher for a student to qualify to re-take the assessment.
· An assessment is any assignment included in the "formal assessment" section of the grade book for the course. This may include large projects or presentations, formal lab reports, and performance tasks, in addition to traditional "tests."
· If a student re-takes an assessment, the new grade will replace the first grade not to exceed a C. Thus the highest grade a student can earn on a re-test is an 80%. The re-test grade will replace the initial grade regardless of whether the re-test grade is higher or lower than the initial grade; this captures the student's current level of mastery.
· Students may improve their grades by increasing their mastery of the content and demonstrating that improved mastery on assignments or assessments. "Extra credit" is not awarded without improved mastery.
Late Work/Makeup Work
· If a student is absent, the student is given the same number of days as the student was absent to complete the makeup work. For example, if a student was absent for three days, the student has three days from the time the student returns to school to complete the missed assignments.
· It is the student's responsibility to communicate with the teacher regarding missed assignments from an absence.
· A teacher may choose to provide extended time for a student to complete missing assignments.
· Grades for late assignments will be lowered based upon the due date and turn in date. Teachers may lower the grades 10-30% (Mrs. Klesser deducts 20%) if work is turned in within one week of the original due date. After one week, the grade may be lowered by 50%.
Middle School Grading Policy
Waddell Language Academy
2014-2015
Informal Assignments
- Will count as 35% of grade
- Informal assignments may include (but are not limited to):
- in class assignments
- homework
- warm ups
- quizzes
- journals
- logs and notebooks
Formal Assignments
- Will count as 65% of grade
- There will be a minimum of 2 formal assignments each quarter
- Formal assignments may include (but are not limited to):
- portfolios
- projects
- tests
- quizzes
- presentations
- in class assignments
- homework
- notebooks and journals
The primary purpose of our school is to ensure students achieve their full academic potential. Grades are intended to capture students' progress toward meeting grade level benchmarks as students move toward high school graduation. Grades are not intended to be punitive. Grades should reflect student mastery, as opposed to student effort or participation. Grades should motivate students to work hard and improve their academic performance over time. Grades provide critical feedback to student and parents and thus should be updated on a regular basis by teachers. The policy below is intended to ensure fair and consistent grading practices in alignment with mastery learning.
Grading Metrics
Grades are assigned based on a seven-point grading scale, as dictated by the State of North Carolina Board of Education:
A = 100 - 90
B = 89 - 80
C = 79 - 70
D =69 - 60
F = below 59, failing
· Partial credit is awarded for partial completion based on teacher-created rubrics.
· An attempt at an assignment requires a student to provide an educationally relevant response to each item on the assignment in the format outlined in the assignment directions.
Number and Frequency of Grades
· A student should be assigned grades often enough that the student is able to learn and improve based on the feedback provided by the grade. The following chart captures the number of grades (at a minimum) that should be assigned to a student each quarter:
Classes that Meet A/B Day
Formal Assessment Grades per Quarter- 2
In-Class Assignment Grades per Week - 1 graded for accuracy
Homework Grades per Week -
· Grades for all assignments must be entered in the grade book within ten (10) school days of the assignment due date. This includes makeup work.
Feedback
· Work must be returned to students within six (6) days of the assignment due date. This means students must see the graded assignment with any corrections/feedback provided.
· Feedback on work graded for accuracy must include marking correct items as correct. Scored rubrics must be provided for open-ended responses (short-answer, essay, labs, other performance tasks).
Mastery Learning
· If a student earns below a B (80% or below) on an assessment, the student may have the opportunity to retake the assessment within two weeks of the original assessment administration date (or due date).
· To re-take an assessment, a student must qualify by demonstrating the student's readiness to demonstrate improved mastery. To qualify, the student must complete all homework and class assignments for the unit of instruction, in addition to completing test corrections on the first administration of the assessment. One additional review assignment may be provided by the teacher for a student to qualify to re-take the assessment.
· An assessment is any assignment included in the "formal assessment" section of the grade book for the course. This may include large projects or presentations, formal lab reports, and performance tasks, in addition to traditional "tests."
· If a student re-takes an assessment, the new grade will replace the first grade not to exceed a C. Thus the highest grade a student can earn on a re-test is an 80%. The re-test grade will replace the initial grade regardless of whether the re-test grade is higher or lower than the initial grade; this captures the student's current level of mastery.
· Students may improve their grades by increasing their mastery of the content and demonstrating that improved mastery on assignments or assessments. "Extra credit" is not awarded without improved mastery.
Late Work/Makeup Work
· If a student is absent, the student is given the same number of days as the student was absent to complete the makeup work. For example, if a student was absent for three days, the student has three days from the time the student returns to school to complete the missed assignments.
· It is the student's responsibility to communicate with the teacher regarding missed assignments from an absence.
· A teacher may choose to provide extended time for a student to complete missing assignments.
· Grades for late assignments will be lowered based upon the due date and turn in date. Teachers may lower the grades 10-30% (Mrs. Klesser deducts 20%) if work is turned in within one week of the original due date. After one week, the grade may be lowered by 50%.