Grading Policy

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Students’ grades are evaluative and descriptive tools that help convey what they have learned. Grades provide feedback to parents and students about the student’s individual understanding of and progression through a subject. As such, we are committed to providing parents and students timely notice of student grades. The grading policy outlined below is a school-wide policy unless otherwise noted. Each family will receive a printed copy of the policy and it will be available on our website. 

Timeline

Students will receive official grades in all subjects three times per year. Parents should make an appointment to meet with their child’s teacher during Parent-Teacher Conferences to obtain their child’s grades and discuss his/her progress. Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held virtually twice a year.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

November 3, 2022 and March 9, 2023

In the event that changes need to be made to a student’s report card, the teacher who gave the grade must make the changes in STARS Classroom. 

Late Work/Projects

All students will have ample time to complete class projects. We encourage our students to be self-aware and responsible. In the event that a student realizes that he/she will not be able to complete the project by the due date, he/she should request an extension in writing that is signed by the parent and give it to the teacher one day before the due date. If a student requests the extension before the due date, he/she will receive a two-day extension without a penalty. If the student doesn’t hand in the project by the second day after the due date, he/she will have three more school days to hand in the project. However, the student will receive a one (1) performance level decrease for each day it is not handed in. 

For example, if the project is due Monday and the student has given the teacher a letter before Monday to request an extension, he/she has until Wednesday to hand in the project without penalty. If he/she hands it in on Thursday, the grade decreases from the original grade of 90% (4) to 85% (3+). If it is handed in on Friday, the grade decreases from 85% (3+) to 80% (3). If it is handed in the next Monday, the new grade is 74% (3-). The project won’t be accepted after that Monday.

If a student hands in a project late within five days of the due date and without having requested an extension, the teacher will accept the project and there will be a one (1) performance level decrease for each day it is not handed in. No projects will be accepted more than five days after the due date. Any exceptions made will be on a case-by-case basis by the classroom teacher. If a student is absent on the day the project is due, he/she may hand in the project the day he/she returns to school without penalty. 

In the event that a grade is lowered due to lateness, both the original grade and the final grade will appear on the rubric or score sheet.

Report Card Subject Grades

Students will receive grades in all applicable subjects, including the following cluster subjects: STEAM, physical education, and dance. The grades in the “Final Grade” column are not cumulative. They reflect the third marking period grades. A student’s grade should reflect your knowledge of the student based on your expertise as a pedagogue, not just assessment grades. Please have evidence to support the grades each student has earned.

Grades K-5 

ELA, Math, SS/ ENL

Exams, Performance Tasks, and Projects: 60% / ENL: Listening 25%, Speaking 25%

Classwork: including engagement in independent & group tasks or assignments; partner/group/class discussions; self- & peer-assessment: 40% / ENL: Reading 25%, Writing 25%

STEAM PK-2 : 

Classwork: including engagement in independent & group tasks or assignments; partner/group/class discussions; self- & peer-assessment: 80%

Projects/Assessments: 20%

STEAM 3-5

Classwork: including engagement in independent & group tasks or assignments; partner/group/class discussions; self- & peer-assessment: 80%

Projects/Assessments: 20%

Physical Education

Classwork: including engagement in independent & group tasks or assignments; partner/group/class discussions; self- & peer-assessment: 80%

Projects/Assessments: 20%

DANCE

Classwork: including engagement in independent & group tasks or assignments; partner/group/class discussions; self- & peer-assessment

80%

Projects/Assessments

20%

Comments

Our school provides personalized feedback on the report card in addition to grades through written narratives and comment codes. Year-end final grades are a reflection of final marking period progress. 

Grade of NL

If a student has been newly or recently admitted and has missed assignments or assessments to generate a complete grade in a given marking period, he/she may receive a grade of NL. NL does not have a pass/fail or numeric equivalent. Students must be present for less than half of the marking period in order to receive a grade of NL.

Honor Roll

High performing students may achieve Honor Roll each marking period if they have earned either a 3+, 4, or 4+ in every graded component on their report card, including Academic and Personal Behaviors.

Implementation

In addition to discussing student progress during Parent-Teacher Conferences, parents may discuss their child’s progress with teachers during preps or other times convenient for the parent and teacher. Parents may contact their child’s teacher to make an appointment. Appointments may be conducted via video conference.

Other Considerations

Special Student Populations

Our grading policies apply to all students, including students with disabilities and Multilingual Learners(MLLs)/English Language Learners (ELLs). 

• MLLs/ELLs- Teachers will consider these students’ English as a New Language (ENL) proficiency level when grading and will include opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of the New York State Learning Standards in their native language when possible. 
• Students with Disabilities- Students will receive report card grades based on how well they master the subject matter, concepts, content, and skills addressed in the subject. The annual goals, plans for progress monitoring, and promotion criteria are documented in the IEP, while the report card documents progress made in the general education curriculum. These students receive progress reports on their annual goals, which are distributed with the report card.

Promotion

• Promotion decisions in grades K-2 rely on several measures: exams, performance tasks, projects, classwork, and engagement.
• Promotion decisions in grade 3-5 rely on several measures: NYS ELA and Math Exams, report card grades, class portfolio, promotion portfolio performance, exams, performance tasks, projects, classwork, and engagement.

Updating Our Grading Policy

Each year, teacher teams will have time to review and discuss policies before sharing them with school communities at Parent-Teacher Conferences or another time before they release their grading policies. The school grading policy will be updated yearly, and will apply to the next school year.  

Grade Books

All teachers will maintain accurate updated data on their students in the manner of their choosing. Academic grades should be labeled with the task or unit title and the date. Teachers are also responsible for maintaining grades for non-academic domains (classwork, projects, and engagement) in their data. When teachers meet with their immediate supervisors in November, March, and May, they must review their data, which should be updated prior to the meeting. 

Outdated Material

Old grading policies and teachers’ grade books will be collected and maintained in the school building for at least two years. Electronic copies of your grade book can be emailed to your immediate supervisor.

Progress Monitoring in SESIS

Teachers and providers are required to complete progress monitoring in SESIS for each goal as described in the I.E.P. With each report card, the teachers and providers are required to give the printed progress monitoring to the family and conference with the family about the child’s progress in meeting I.E.P. goals.

Progress Monitoring outside of SESIS

Teachers and providers are required to complete progress monitoring outside of SESIS for each goal as described in the I.E.P. goal. These records of progress monitoring will be kept in the teacher’s I.E.P. binder and should be shared with the families during Parent Teacher Conferences. I.E.P. binders will be collected at the end of the year.