Grading: World Religion

Grades are neither prizes nor rewards; rather they are just the natural byproduct of students following through on their own intellectual curiosity. While student-centered, meaningful learning is the focus of this course, for those of you who like the numbers, evaluations are broken down into the following percentages:

Weekly Core Value Reflections - 10%

A student’s eval is reported in two ways. Each week, I'll ask students to reflect on how they did embodying a particular Core Value. This reflection is worth 3 points based upon timeliness and the quality of their response. These will make up 10% of a student's grade. The data from these reflections will be inputed into Gradescape. While not factored into the student's grade, comparing the student's averages across Core Values and the averages of the score's I've given them based upon their reflection and observation provides a rich look into the intersection between who they are as human beings and who they are as students. This practice is extremely beneficial in determining whether the student and I have completely different perspectives on things like the learning environment, their strengths as a student, their relationship to the school community, and so much more!

Formative Assessments – 50%

These are varied assignments used to evaluate how a student is doing as they are learning the material. As these assignments are given as a student's knowledge is still in the process of developing, they are all eligible for revisions through our Master Learning Policy.

• Creative Assessments are graded on a 10 point scale and are designed to help a student find parallels between their view of the world and those of other religions. (Up to 20% deducted for late completion.)

• Weekly Question Responses are part of a reflective journal that is a collaboration between each student and I where we engage in a Socratic dialogue on a topic given weekly, graded on a 4 point scale.

  • 4 points:

    • Overall quality and accuracy in answering one of the two prompts (2 points)

    • Turning their response in on time (1 point)

    • Answering a follow-up question that I'll post after their initial response (1 point)

• Field Trip/Guest Lecture Ethnographic Questions are assigned before each field trip or guest lecture (and we have a lot) to give students a chance to formulate a question they want to ask. After the field trip/guest lecture, I'll follow up with the student to see what they learned. Like the Weekly Reflection Question Responses, these are an opportunity to us to have a private, written dialogue.

  •   4 points:

    • Identifying a question they want answered before the field trip/guest lecture (2 points)

    • Turning their response in on time (1 point)

    • Answering a follow-up question that I'll post after their initial response (1 point)

Summative Assessments – 20%

Summative Assessments are assignments given at the end of unit or term designed to evaluate final student mastery, the product that results from the process of formative assessments. As such, summative assessments are not revisable. That being said, any student that practices Grauer School core value of self-advocacy and asks for an extension or postponement of a summative assessment because they do not yet feel like their learning is complete, may do so without penalty. If a student turns in late work without making arrangements in advance, they will lose 2% off their grade per day, with a maximum penalty of 20%.

• Reading Assessments  are online questions posted in Google Classroom in association with an assigned reading to give students a little background information to help facilitate Socratic class discussions. Reading Assessments are between 5 and 10 questions and are graded on a 5 point scale based on a percentage of accurate answers. (Up to 20% deducted for late completion.)

• Online Resource Responses are assignments posted in Google Classroom in association with online content students are expected to review independently. These assignments can range from a set of short answer questions to a prompt for a discussion topic to an evaluation of the source's validity. Like Reading Assessments, these are assigned to give students a little background information to help facilitate Socratic class discussions. (Up to 20% point deducted for late completion.)

• Projects are given after each unit to evaluate what information students have retained and how they an apply this information knowledgeably. They are delayed well after the unit to make sure students have time to really review the material, get any lingering questions answered, and complete revisions.

Semester Assessments – 20%

Students will receive a comprehensive study guide that will refresh their minds as to all the new, amazing information they have learned during the semester and how I plan on assessing just how well they can use it. Final Exams are NOT revisable.

AI Policy

The use of AI or other automated technologies to complete assignments is not allowed unless explicitly authorized by the teacher. When authorized, the student must use proper quotes, footnotes or attribution to avoid an academic integrity violation. If you have any questions about what is allowed, please speak with your teacher in advance.