BoardDocs Policy: GRADING AND REPORTING

	Cecil County Public Schools Regulations
Book:	Cecil County Public Schools Regulations
Section:	I - Instruction
Title:	GRADING AND REPORTING - Middle School
Number:	IKAF-RA
Status:	Active
Legal:	COMAR 13A.03.02.080
Adopted:	04/14/1986
Last Revised:	06/14/2008
Last Reviewed:	12/01/2009

Policy Detail

RELATED ENTRIES: IKAF, IKAA, IKAH, IKB, IKD, IKG, JED
OFFICE: ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT FOR EDUCATION SERVICES

MIDDLE SCHOOL
GRADING AND REPORTING

Introduction and Objectives

The evaluation and reporting of student academic progress is one of the most complex and important responsibilities of the Cecil County Public Schools. The purpose of grading and reporting is to communicate and document accurate and objective information to parents and students about student academic achievement. In addition, the reporting process should occur at regular intervals so that it can be the basis for important communication between the school and home. The following grading and reporting policies and procedures reflect the instructional philosophy of the curricula and are consistent with the vision, mission, and goals of the Cecil County Public Schools.

Progression through grade levels must be based on the knowledge that a student demonstrates toward achieving curricular standards. Reporting is to be a process in which student achievement is the focus of equitable and objective assessment. Therefore, the reporting process is: (a) the mechanism for communicating information which summarizes the degree of student mastery of content, skills, and processes, and (b) the instrument through which more effective future programming for the student is initiated.

It is essential to have a comprehensive process of reporting academic progress that is meaningful to and understood by students, parents, and teachers. Maximizing student learning must be the primary goal of the process. Such a reporting process should include a combination of report cards, interim reports, and conferences to communicate student progress to parents and students.

The middle school philosophy of reporting student progress is supported by the following objectives:

The system of reporting is one that is clear and can be communicated easily.
The evaluation of student progress is based upon all learning goals of a subject.
Each student's progress will be reported in terms of academic achievement that may be further clarified through the use of comments regarding work habits and attitudes.
The system of reporting may include written communication as well as teacher-parent and/or teacher-student conferences.

Reporting Marking Period Grades

Report cards will be issued four times a year to middle schools students.
Dates for interim progress reports and report cards will be communicated to students and parents.
Reports of progress on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) will be issued with interim reports and report cards to parents of students with disabilities. Progress will also be reported at each student's annual review.

Academic Achievement Grade

The academic achievement grade will be a report of the student's achievement in gaining knowledge of the content, skills and processes of the subject. It will be evaluated and reported using A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, F, P, I, or M for the marking period grade on the report card. Letter grades are to reflect academic progress based on what students know and are able to do. Likewise, grades are not to be adjusted by student personality factors or behaviors.

These grade ranges will be interpreted as follows:

A - excellent level of performance

B - good level of performance

C - satisfactory level of performance

D - less than satisfactory level of acceptable performance

F - failure

P - pass

I - incomplete

M - medical

W - withdrawn

The following subjects will be listed on the Middle School Report card and will receive an academic grade:

Algebra IA Health & Human Services
Algebra I Mathematics
Art Music
Band Physical Education
Computers Reading
Chorus Science
English Social Studies
Foreign/World Language Technology Education
Geometry World Language Connections

Additional courses may be added to the report card and given an academic achievement grade provided that:

• The course meets a minimum of 15 hours within a nine week marking period.

• Definite curriculum and student evaluation criteria have been established for the course.

• Prior approval has been received from the Associate Superintendent of Education Services.

Any course that does not meet these criteria should receive an academic grade of P (pass) or F (fail). Such courses will not be considered when determining eligibility for the Honor Roll.

Determining Grades

Evaluations must:

Be based on a variety of formative and summative assessments, distributed appropriately throughout the marking period, that measure a student’s mastery of the course standards. This distribution must be evident at interm time and at the end of the marking period
Provide clear evidence that the formative and summative measures are assessing what students know and are able to do.
Reflect that summative grades, as stated in the teacher's grading criteria, are inputted at the rate of their recorded value at a minimum of 60% to a maximum of 80%, and the formative grades are likewise inputted at the rate of a minimum of 20% to a maximum of 40% of the recorded value.
In order to demonstrate that there is an appropriate relationship between the number of formative and summative grade weights, it should be noted that:

- If the desired result is to have a marking period grade reflect a pre-designated split (for example, 80% summative and 20% formative), the total weights of the summative grades should equal the total weights of the formative grades.

- If summative grade weights are greater than the formative grade weights, the total grade will be influenced more by the summative measures.

- If formative grade weights are greater than the summative grade weights, the total grade will be influenced more by the formative measures.

- For certain content-based curricula, the demonstration of summative knowledge is paramount. Progress in courses such as mathematics, English/language arts, reading, science, and social studies is determined by students' demonstrated content proficiency. It is recommended that, in these subjects, summative grade weights should exceed formative grade weights.

- For certain performance-based curricula, student success is more appropriately measured by a combination of the continuous improvement of skills, processes, participation, and knowledge. Specific performance-based courses are in the areas of fine arts, health/physical education, and certain technology courses. It is recommended that, in these subjects, the formative grade weights should be no less than the total of the summative grade weights and could actually exceed the total of the summative grade weights."
Reflect that no single evaluation counts more than 25% in the computation of the final marking period grade.

Formative Measures (examples) Checks on learning	Summative Measures (examples) Comprehensive assessments used to document mastery of content outcomes.
Homework Class work assignments Class participation Teacher Checklists & Anecdotal Records Notebooks Quizzes Brief constructed response/extended constructed response	Tests Quizzes Projects Performances/demonstrations Brief constructed response/extended constructed response Presentations Reports of research Portfolios

Class	Minimum Number of Evaluations
Alternating block & non-block	12
Daily block (Includes semester and year-long courses)	15
Integrated block (e.g., Integrated Language Arts = reading & English class combination)	18 (9 grades per subject)

Recording Grades:

Grades in the grade book will:

Include all work that has received a grade.
Be consistently listed as percentages and may be weighted according to the teacher’s grading criteria.
BE RECORDED IN A TIMELY MANNER.

Any grade for an assessment or assignment that receives less than 50% is calculated at 50% when determining marking period grades.

Computing End of Marking Period and Final Course Grades

The following chart depicts the scales used to calculate end-of-marking period and end-of-course grades. Percentages earned for marking period grades as well as quality points will reflect actual scores and will not be "rounded up."

PERCENTAGE	LETTER GRADE	POINT RANGE	QUALITY POINTS
93-100%	A	3.75-4.00	4.00
90-BELOW 93%	A-	3.50- BELOW 3.75	3.62
87- BELOW 90%	B+	3.26- BELOW 3.50	3.38
83-BELOW 87%	B	2.75- BELOW 3.26	3.00
80- BELOW 83%	B-	2.50- BELOW 2.75	2.62
77-BELOW 80%	C+	2.26- BELOW 2.50	2.38
73- BELOW 77%	C	1.75- BELOW 2.26	2.00
70-BELOW 73%	C-	1.50- BELOW 1.75	1.62
67- BELOW 70%	D+	1.26- BELOW 1.50	1.38
65-BELOW 67%	D	0.60- BELOW 1.26	1.00
50- BELOW 65%	F	BELOW .6	0

FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSES:

Examples

Semester Course

Marking period 1 grade of D+ = 1.38
Marking period 2 grade of B = 3.00
Total = 4.38 � 2 = 2.19 = C

Marking period 1 grade of D = 1.00
Marking period 2 grade of F = 0.00
Total = 1.00 � 2 = .5 = F

Full Year Course

Marking period 1 grade of C = 2.00
Marking period 2 grade of B+ = 3.38
Marking period 3 grade of B = 3.00
Marking period 4 grade of B- = 2.62
Total = 11.00 � 4 = 2.75 = B

For High School Equivalent Classes: (Currently Geometry, Algebra, Algebra 1-A, and Foreign Language)

In computing the final grade for full year high school equivalent course each marking period grade shall be counted twice, and the mid-term assessment grade and the end-of-course assessment grade shall each be counted once. The total is divided by ten in order to reach the final grade. For the purpose of computing the final grade, the point scale shown in the previous chart shall be used.

Examples

Full-year Course

Marking period 1 grade of A- = 3.62 x 2 = 7.24 points
Marking period 2 grade of B+ = 3.38 X 2 = 6.76 points
Mid-term assessment grade of B = 3.00 X 1 = 3.00 points
Marking period 3 grade of B+ = 3.38 X 2 = 6.76 points
Marking period 4 grade of A = 4.00 X 2 = 8.00 points
End-of-course assessment grade of A- = 3.50 X 1 = 3.50 points
Total = 35.02 � 10 = 3.502 = A-

Marking period 1 grade of D = 1.00 X 2 = 2.00 points
Marking period 2 grade of D+ = 1.38 X 2 = 2.76 points
Mid-term assessment grade of F = 0.00 X 1 = 0.00 points
Marking period 3 grade of F = 0.00 X 2 = 0.00 points
Marking period 4 grade of D = 1.00 X 2 = 2.00 points
End-of-course assessment grade of D = 1.00 X 1 = 1.00 points
Total = 7.76 � 10 = .776 = D

In computing the final grade for a semester block high school equivalent course, each marking period grade shall be counted twice and the end-of-course assessment grade shall be counted once. The total is divided by five in order to reach the semester grade.

Examples

Semester Course

Marking period 1 grade of C+ = 2.35 X 2 = 4.76 points
Marking period 2 grade of C = 2.00 X 2 = 4.00 points
End-of-course assessment grade of B- = 2.62 X 1 = 2.627 points
Total = 11.38 � 5 = 2.276 = C+

Marking period 1 grade of B- = 2.62 X 2 = 5.234 points
Marking period 2 grade of B = 3.00 X 2 = 6.00 points
End-of-course assessment grade of C+ = 2.38 X 1 = 2.38 points
Total = 13.62 � 5 = 2.724 = B-

If a student has no grade for a marking period in a semester course, the report card marking period grade will be denoted as "NG" as will the final course grade. No final course grade or course credit will be given until the missing grade is resolved. This same procedure will be followed for full-year courses.

SITUATIONS RESULTING IN A FINAL GRADE OF F

A grade of F in the third and fourth marking periods of year-long courses.

An average below a .6.

A grade of F in the final marking period and any other two marking periods of year-long courses.

For courses that meet for a single semester, an average of below .6 (marking period grades are not counted twice, except for high school equivalent classes).

The following criteria apply for year-long courses taken in maiddle school for high school elective credit (Presently only applies to Geometry, Algebra I, Algebra IA, and Foreign Language)

The teacher and the principal may decide on the basis of evidence that the overall achievement of a student warrants passing the course.

TRANSFER STUDENTS' GRADES

In the case of a student who withdraws or transfers to another school during the year, the teacher will provide an academic achievement grade that reflects the performance of the student up to that point in the marking period. For a student who transfers into a school during the year, teachers will factor in the grades the student earned from the school previously attended.

ALTERNATIVE GRADES

Often, students' grades are affected by extenuating circumstances. Extended student illnesses, family issues, or other circumstances may prohibit a student from completing the required components of a course within originally designated time periods.

When situations like this occur, teachers have the option to notify students and parents that work has not been completed, and that the opportunity to complete required work may be extended by using alternative final grades.

With the approval of the principal, a Medical (M) may be issued when:

A student has not completed the minimum components of a course due to physical injury and/or absences for personal illness.

With the approval of the principal, an Incomplete (I) may be issued when:

A student who receives an incomplete (I) will be given a specified period of time to complete the work. If the work is not completed in the specified time, Incomplete (I) assignment grades need to be converted to an F to calculate the marking period grade.

All Medical (M) and Incomplete (I) grades need to be converted to the appropriate letter grade by the end of the next marking period.

COMMENTS

When appropriate, the grade should be clarified by the use of comments. A grade of D, D+, F, or I must be clarified by comments.

The following comments will be used:

The student has demonstrated

The student needs to

1 - outstanding effort and initiative
2 – consistent effort
3 - mastery of subject/content
4 – a high level of creativity
5 – an ability to work well with others
6 - positive leadership
7 – a self-motivation to learn
8 – a positive learning attitude
9 – improved academic performance
10- interest and enthusiasm
11- a high level of responsibility

12 - improve performance on tests and quizzes
13 - master skills and concepts
14 - complete assigned work on time
15 - complete long-term assignments
16 – participate in class
17 - complete work accurately
18 – turn in required work
19 - bring class materials
20 - follow directions
21 – improve time management skills
22 – complete homework assignments
23 – show more effort
24 – complete work after absence

25 - Behavior interferes with learning.
26 - Grade was affected by attendance.
27 – D or F interim was issued.
28 – Please arrange for a conference.
29 – Grade was affected by a transfer.

INTERIM PROGRESS REPORTS

Interim progress reports, reflecting current grades in each subject, will be issued at the midpoint of each marking period to all students.
Comments are required for all D, D+, and F grades.
Teachers may decide to notify students and/or parents of students who may be receiving a grade of D, D+, or F before interim progress reports are officially issued.
The report may be used to request a conference.
If a student’s work is satisfactory at the time interim progress reports are issued, it is EXPECTED that the teacher contact the parent if it appears that the student grade will be a D, D+, or F during the latter part of the marking period.

CONFERENCES

Parent-teacher conferences regarding reasons for unsatisfactory progress are strongly recommended and encouraged throughout the year.