Timberline's Mathematics Department endeavors to implement grading policies that are evidence-based and reflect student understanding as accurately as possible. In order to meet these goals, several courses will be using standards-based grading (SBG). During the Spring semester of the 2019-2020 school year Integrated III, Accelerated Pre-Calculus, AP Statistics, and BC Calculus will be implementing the SBG policy outlined below.
Concepts for each course are broken down into a set of individual standards. Each individual standard defines what students are expected to understand and/or be able to do by the end of the semester. A list of standards is published for each course (see course specific documents below). Individual standards will be assessed multiple times over the course of the semester. The level of proficiency for each individual standard is determine based the multiple assessments that are given. Students will have a minimum of 5 opportunities to demonstrate understanding of each individual standard. The level of proficiency for each individual standard is shown in Infinite Campus. The proficiency scale is given below:
Proficiency Scale:
Exemplary Understanding - The evidence demonstrates an advanced understanding of the concepts with no misunderstandings.
Proficient Understanding - The evidence demonstrates a clear understanding of the concepts with only minor misunderstandings
Basic Understanding - The evidence demonstrated is progressing towards proficient, but there are meaningful misunderstandings of the concept.
No Evidence of Understanding - The evidence demonstrated is insufficient to show a basic level of understanding or no evidence has been provided.
The overall grade for standards is determined using a grading matrix. The grading matrix will be different for each course and is based on the number of standards covered in the course.
An assignment labeled “Standards” will be in Infinite Campus and will be used to communicate the grade students currently have according to the grading matrix. Due to the limitations of the Infinite Campus program, the following numerical grades will be entered in the “Standards” assignment in order to communicate students’ letter grade.
A - 95
B - 85
C - 75
D - 65
F - 55