Welcome to the New York City Academy for Discovery P. S. 306

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Grading Policy

2020-2021 School Year

Students’ grades are evaluative and descriptive tools that help communicate 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 virtually to obtain their child’s grades and discuss his/her progress. Parents may also make appointments to meet with their child's teacher on Tuesday afternoons.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

November 5, 2020

Afternoon Conferences 12-2 PM

Evening Conferences 4:30-7 PM

March 4, 2021

Afternoon Conferences 12-2 PM

Evening Conferences 4:30-7 PM

In the event that changes need to be made to a student’s report card, the teacher who gave the grade will make changes on both copies of the printed report card and in STARS. All written changes must be initialed by the teacher who is making the change.

Scale of Marks Awarded

The following chart provides the percent equivalent for each performance level. Teachers use this chart to translate exam and project grades to performance levels for uniformity. The minimum grade a student must achieve in order to pass an exam or project is a 3- or 65%. Students may receive a 3+ or a 4+ on the report card for each marking period based on the percent equivalent. 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.

Performance Level - Percent Equivalent

4+ 96-100%

4 90-95%

3+ 85-89%

3 75-84%

3- 65-74%

N 64-0%

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 five point 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% to 85%. If it is handed in on Friday, the grade decreases from 85% to 80%. If it is handed in the next Monday, the new grade is 75%. 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 five point penalty 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: art, technology, theater, physical education, and science. The grades in the “Final Grade” column are not cumulative. They reflect the third marking period grades.

Grades K-5

ELA, Math, Sci, SS

Exams, Performance Tasks, and Projects - 60%

Classwork - 20%

Homework - 10%

Participation - 10%

ESL

Listening - 20%

Speaking - 20%

Reading - 20%

Writing - 20%

Participation - 20%

Physical Education

Classwork and Participation - 80%

Projects/ Assessments - 20%

Art

Classwork, Projects, and Participation - 60%

Participation - 40%

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.

***New for 2020-21: NL must be used in cases where there is insufficient information to determine whether a student has met standards.

Honor Roll

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

Implementation

In addition to discussing student progress during Student-Led Conferences, parents may discuss their child’s progress with teachers on Tuesday afternoons (2:35-3:15 p.m.) during Parent Engagement time. Please contact your child’s teacher to make an appointment.

Other Considerations

Special Student Populations

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

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

Updating Our Grading Policy

Each year, teacher teams will have time to review and discuss policies before sharing them with school communities at Family Night, Student-Led 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.

Outdated Material

Old grading policies and teachers’ grade books will be collected and maintained in the school building for at least two years.

Scale of Marks Awarded

The minimum grade a student must achieve in order to pass an exam or project is a 3- or 65%. Students may receive a 3+ or a 4+ on the report card for each marking period based on the percent equivalent. 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.

4+ 96-100%

4 90-95%

3+ 85-89%

3 75-84%

3- 65-74%

N 64-0%

Message from the Chancellor

October 26, 2020

Dear Families,

Over the past month, I’ve been visiting schools throughout the city and have felt such a strong sense of community both in-person and virtually. I’ve been especially proud to see our schools promoting safe and healthy learning environments—both indoors and outdoors. In every class I see, students and staff members have been diligent about protecting one another’s health and safety, wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, and more. Whether your child is learning in school for part of the week or fully remotely, ensuring safe, high quality learning experiences remains our number one priority. 

As your child’s learning journey continues this year, it is critical that you have a clear picture of their progress. Grades provide a common language for understanding and communicating with your child’s teacher(s) about their strengths and areas for growth. However, given the challenges we have been navigating together throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have recognized the need to update our grading policy. In this letter, I will share information about the grading policy for the 2020-21 school year.

Please note that our policy reflects feedback from school communities, school leaders, and many other stakeholders across the city. We have heard loud and clear that as students continue to adapt to remote and blended learning, our grading policy must also evolve to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of our students. The 2020-21 grading policy aims to provide you with a clear picture of your child’s progress while honoring each individual student’s experience adapting to new ways of learning.

What You Need to Know About Grading in the 2020-21 School Year

Here are key elements of this year’s grading policy:

Student grades will still be based on academic progress and performance, considering students’ entire body of work in each subject. Grades reflect students’ level of understanding and skills in a subject as of a specific point in time.
This year, each school selects its own grading scale from among several options. Examples of common grading scales include the 1-4 scale, the numerical scale (100 points), and the alphabetical scale (A-D).
Schools’ grading policies will reflect the new ways students complete their work in blended and remote learning models. This means flexibility with assignments, giving students different ways to show what they have learned, and more.
Families have flexibility in determining how passing final grades are reflected on student records. This is an option for families who prefer to have their child’s performance reflected more generally (such as “Pass” instead of a numerical grade) as they continue to adapt to blended and remote learning.
Additionally, students will not receive failing grades if they have not yet met the learning outcomes for their courses; instead, they will receive another mark (“needs improvement” or “course in progress,” depending on grade level) and will be provided with additional time and support to ensure they can master course concepts and earn credit as appropriate.
While students must continue to participate in remote and blended learning each day, attendance will not be a factor in student grades. Attending school, participating in class, and demonstrating understanding are all essential components of student learning, and school communities must make every effort to ensure that students attend school, with a goal of every student, every day.

Summary of Key Components of Grading Policy in 2020-21

3K & Pre-K

No change because students do not receive report cards or grades.

K – 5th

Schools select their grading scales for marking period and final grades. Students will receive grades of “needs improvement” (N) in place of failing grades. Parents/guardians may choose to have any passing grade updated to a passing grade of “meets standards” (MT).

6th – 8th

Schools select their grading scales for marking period and final grades. Students will receive grades of “course in progress” (NX) in place of failing grades. Parents/guardians may choose to have any passing grade updated to “pass” (P). Grades of “P” will not be factored into students’ GPAs.

9th – 12th

Schools select their grading scales for marking period and final grades. Students will receive grades of “course in progress” (NX) in place of failing grades. Parents/guardians may choose to have any passing grade updated to a passing grade of “credit” (CR). Grades of “CR” will not be factored into students’ GPAs.

If your middle or high school student receives a “course in progress” grade, their school will support them in continuing with their learning beyond the end of the term, as appropriate for the grade level and subject area. Teachers will target instruction to the individual needs of each student. Together, this will help your student make progress toward the learning outcomes for their courses.

If You Need More Information

You should reach out to your child’s teacher or principal for more information about your child’s progress and your school’s expectations and scales for grading. When your child’s school issues report cards, your child’s grades will also appear in your New York City Schools Account (mystudent.nyc). If you do not have a New York City Schools Account, visit schools.nyc.gov/nycsa or contact your child’s school for more information.

Blended Learning Opt-In Period: November 2–15, 2020

Please also note that fully remote families will soon have the option to opt-in to blended learning, meaning that students will learn in the school building for part of the week, and remotely at home the rest of the week. From Monday, November 2 through Sunday, November 15, families will have the option to fill out a form indicating their wish to change learning preferences. Students who change from remote to blended will begin in-person between the weeks of November 30 and December 7, and will be informed by their school their start date and schedule. Schools will make every effort to accommodate these requests based on programming and space capacity.

As always, we are grateful for your partnership in your child’s education. We remain focused on delivering a strong, supportive, engaging learning experience for your student, no matter where they are learning. Our new grading policy honors their hard work—and yours—during this unprecedented time. We will continue to support you and your child every step of the way.

Sincerely,

Richard A. Carranza Chancellor

New York City Department of Education