6146.1

Instruction

Grading/Assessment Systems/Weighted Grades

It is the philosophy of this district that students respond more positively to the opportunity for success than to the threat of failure.  The district seeks, therefore, through learner objectives and its instructional program, to make achievement both recognizable and possible for students. Achievement will be emphasized in the process of evaluating student performance.

Evaluation of student progress is a primary responsibility of the teacher.  The highest possible level of student achievement is a common goal of both school and home.  A close working relationship between home and school is essential to the accomplishment of this goal.  Regular communication with parents or guardians, utilizing a variety of means, about the scholastic progress of their student is a basic component of this working relationship.  It is the responsibility of the school and individual staff members to keep parents or guardians well informed.

Regularly used report cards, combined with scheduled parent-teacher conferences, and other communication vehicles helps promote a process of continuous evaluation of student performance.

The grading and reporting systems as developed by the administration and faculty are subject to the approval of the Superintendent and/or Board of Education.

Alternate language: The Board of Education shall approve the grading and reporting systems as developed by the administration and faculty and upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools.

Weighted Grades

The curriculum contains a wide variety of courses at various levels of academic challenge.  Students are allowed considerable choice and are encouraged to strive for academic excellence. A system of grade weighting recognizes the differences in student achievement. Grade weighting encourages and rewards students for selecting courses at more challenging levels of difficulty.

A grade weighting/class ranking system shall be implemented for the high school in accordance with the guidelines set forth and published annually in the high school parent/student handbook.

Parents and students shall be advised annually, via the schools' parent/teacher handbook, of this position and the specifics of the weighted grading program.

Rank In Class

Rank in class will be determined by adding up the grades for all courses and dividing by the number of credits.

For rank in class purposes only, three percentage points will be added to the number resulting from the conversion from letter grades to numerical grades for all courses designated "honors" and for all advanced placement courses. Subject to the Principal's approval, every department will select those courses which deserve an "honors" designation.

Weighted Quality Points:

A.  Independent Study shall be an unweighted course.

B.  A student's transfer grades from other schools shall be evaluated by the Principal or his designee in accordance with the established criteria so that all grades will be included in the student's quality point average.

(cf. 5124 - Reporting to Parents)

(cf. 6141.5 - Advanced College Placement)

Legal Reference:  Connecticut General Statutes

10-220g Policy on weighted grading for honors and advanced placement classes

Policy adopted:

6146.1

Instruction

Grading and Reporting System

A sample policy to consider based on a model from the Great Schools Partnership, for use by districts transitioning to a mastery-(proficiency)-based system of teaching and learning.

The purpose of the __________ High School grading policy is to establish a set of guiding principles that all District educators will use to establish a system of grading that fairly, clearly, accurately, and consistently communicates student learning progress and achievement.

A.  Communicating the Grading System

To ensure that every student and family has the information and resources they need to understand and appropriately plan a student's educational decisions, our schools, educators, and staff will clearly and consistently communicate prior to entering high school and throughout the student's educational career all important and relevant information related to the grading systems used at the high school level.

The Superintendent, through the Principal or other designee, shall be responsible for ensuring that accurate, up-to-date information concerning the District's High School grading system is (1) readily available to all incoming students and their families in the spring preceding the start of each school year, and (2) published on the District and High School websites. A detailed guide to grading and reporting practices will be disseminated to all incoming ninth-grade students and their families at the time of course selection. This policy will also be referenced in each edition of the student handbook and on the District and High School websites. As soon as it is practical and feasible, the Board expects the Superintendent or designee to inform all students and their families of any modifications made to the grading system.

B.  Academic Grading

All grading and reporting practices at __________ High School will reflect the following design characteristics:

1.  The primary purpose of the grading system shall be to fairly, clearly, accurately, and consistently communicate learning progress and achievement to students, families, postsecondary institutions, potential employers, and other relevant stakeholders and audiences.

2.  The grading system shall be designed to ensure that students, families, teachers, counselors, advisors, and support specialists have the detailed information they need to make important decisions about a student's education.

3.  The grading system will measure, report, and document student proficiency against a set of clearly defined cross-curricular and content-area graduation standards developed by the administration, faculty, and staff of __________ High School.

4.  The grading system will measure, report, and document academic progress and achievement separately from Habits of Scholarship, character traits, and behaviors.

5.  The grading system will ensure consistency and fairness in the assessment of learning and in the assignment of scores and proficiency levels, across students, teachers, assessments, learning experiences, content areas, and time.

6.  The grading system shall not be used as a form of punishment.

C.  Habits of Scholarship Grading

All grading and reporting practices for Habits of Scholarship, character traits, and behaviors at __________ High School will reflect the following design characteristics:

1.  The High School administration, faculty, and staff will develop and apply a common set of Habits of Scholarship standards, and rubric-based scoring criteria, that teachers will use to grade students on work habits, character traits, and/or behaviors.

2.  The Habits of Scholarship grading system will measure, report, and document habits of work, character traits, and behaviors separately from academic progress and achievement. A student achieving a high level of academic proficiency may demonstrate a low level on Habits of Scholarship proficiency, and vice versa.

3.  Habits of Scholarship will be monitored over the duration of a learning experience and scores, as measured and determined using common assessment methods and scoring criteria will be reported for each student at the end of a term or grading period.

4.  The Habits of Scholarship grading system will ensure consistency and fairness in the assessment of work habits, and in the assignment of scores and proficiency levels, across students, teachers, assessments, course, learning experiences, content areas, and time.

5.  Habits of Scholarship grades shall be communicated using the same performance levels used for academic reporting.

6.  Habits of Scholarship grades shall not be used as a form of punishment.

7.  Habits of Scholarship will be unweighted and will be indicated on the official __________ High School transcripts as a separate average from the academic grade point average.

D.  Grading Courses and Learning Experiences

The District's High school will employ a consistent system of grading that reports student learning progress and achievement across two aligned categories on a 4.4-point scale that aligns Standards Levels with Standards Descriptions. The point scale will be used for the purpose of calculating out averages for colleges/universities in the student's senior year. 

Note: GPA is not calculated except for the senior year.

Standards Descriptions are as follows:

ES - Exceeds Standards: Student applies skill in a complex and authentic manner.

MS - Masters Standards: Student demonstrates skill independently and in a variety of ways.

PS - Progresses Toward Standard: Student demonstrates timely, appropriate growth.

LP - Limited Progress Toward Standard: Student demonstrates minimal growth.

NE - No Evidence Shown

Standards                          Levels: Standards Descriptions

Academic/Honors/AP

4.0/4.2/4.4                          Exceeds Standard

3.0/3.2/3.4                          Masters Standard

2.0/2.2/2.4                          Progresses Toward Standard

1.0/1.2/1.4                          Limited Progress Toward Standard

E.  Changes to the Grading System

The school administration, faculty, and staff, under the leadership of the Principal, may modify the reporting system based on the evolving needs of students, teachers, families, and other stakeholders, but the Proficiency Levels shall remain fixed, and will continue to measure, report, and document student proficiency against a set of clearly defined and consistently applied cross-curricular and content-area standards.

F.  Grade Point Average

The District's High School will employ a consistent system of grading, scoring, and aggregating proficiency that will produce a rolling and cumulative Grade Point Average for each student. The Grade Point Average will be reported on the official high school transcript and will be used to determine Latin honors in accordance with the following categories of academic distinction described in the District Academic Recognition policy:

Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors): a minimum GPA of 3.9

Magna Cum Laude (with great honors): a minimum GPA of 3.7

Cum Laude (with honors): a minimum GPA of 3.5

(cf. 5123 - Promotion/Acceleration/Retention)

(cf. 5126 - Academic Recognition)

(cf. 6146.12 - Dual Enrollment and Early College)

(cf. 6146.13 - Multiple Pathways)

Legal Reference:  Connecticut General Statutes

10-5c Board examination series pilot program. Issuance of certificate (as amended by P.A. 13-247 and P.A. 15-215)

10-14n State-wide mastery examination. Conditions for reexamination. Limitation on use of test results. (as amended by Section 115 of PA 14-217)

10-16(l) Graduation exercises. (As amended by P.A. 96-108, An Act Concerning Student Use of Telecommunication Devices and the Establishment of Graduation Dates)

10-221a High school graduation requirements. (As amended by P.A. 00-124, An Act Concerning High School Diplomas and Veterans of World War II, P.A. 00-156, An Act Requiring A Civics Course for High School Graduation, P.A. 08-138, An Act Concerning High School Credit for Private World Language Courses and Other Subject Areas, P.A. 10-111, An Act Concerning Education Reform in Connecticut, P.A. 11-135, An Act Concerning Implementation Dates for Secondary School Reform, P.A. 13-57, An Act Concerning Honorary Diplomas for Vietnam Veterans, P.A. 13-122, An Act Concerning Minor Revisions to the Education Statutes P.A. 13-247, Budget Implementer Bill and P.A. 15-237,  An Act Concerning High School Graduation.)

10-233(a) Promotion and graduation policies. (as amended by PA 01-166)

P.A. 13-108 An Act Unleashing Innovation in Connecticut Schools.

P.A. 13-247 An Act Implementing Provisions of the State Budget.

P.A. 15-237 An Act Concerning High School Graduation.

Mastery-Based Learning-Guidelines for Implementation, Connecticut State Department of Education, June 3, 2015.

Policy adopted: