Below is a message from Dr. Ellis regarding our HMS Math grading policy:
This year we will be using a mastery-based grading system. Similar to HMS Language Arts classes, your child’s math grade will be based on the level of achievement demonstrated on each Essential Outcome (or skill) being covered in class each grading cycle.
It takes time for students to practice and get good at a skill. Think about when you learned to ride a bike, bake a cake, or drive a car. Chances are you were not “proficient” on your first try. More than likely, you had to practice, study, and ask for help. Over time, however, your skill improved. Mathematics is no different. Students need time and practice to achieve proficiency with math skills.
One of the most important aspects of skills-based grading is that a student’s final grade is determined by his/her skill level at the end of the 6-weeks grading cycle, regardless of where they started early in the grading period. Traditionally, a student who scores a 60, 90, & 95 on three consecutive skill assessments would receive an average grade of 81, resulting in a “B.” With skills-based grading, this student would receive an “A” on this skill since they have demonstrated achievement above the 90 level on more than one occasion. This year, your child’s math report card grade will reflect their level of achievement of each skill attained by the end of the grading cycle.
It is also important to understand that we will not be grading homework this year. Math homework provides an opportunity for students to check their understanding and practice math problems on skills which were just taught, and students are not yet expected to have mastered. Since homework covers skills which have not yet been mastered, it will not be calculated into a child’s report card grade. Students will be given “check your understanding problems” for them to complete at home or on weekends in order for them to practice their math skills. Parents should still ensure students are completing these problems if they are not yet at a satisfactory achievement level on a skill.
Our System to Demonstrate Achievement in Mathematics
For each grading cycle, teachers have determined the Essential Outcomes which students are expected to master in the unit. For each Essential Outcome (EO), teachers have defined 3 levels of student achievement:
Developing (the basic level or the minimum standard needed to earn a “passing grade” on this skill)
Mastery (the level we want all students to attain to be successful in future units or math courses)
Advanced (the highest level of math attainment expected on this skill)
Students will be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate achievement of each Essential Outcome in the unit by successfully solving math problems created specifically for each level of math achievement on that skill (Developing, Mastery, and Advanced). Once a student has demonstrated the ability to successfully solve math problems 2 times in a row, at a particular level and over a period of time, they are considered to have attained that level of achievement.
Grading System in Mathematics
Students’ grades are entirely determined by the level of math achievement they are able to demonstrate on each Essential Outcome covered in the unit by the end of the grading cycle. Achievement level grades are assigned as follows:
No Evidence = 50 (is not completing work)
Emerging = 60 (has not achieved the minimum standard and is failing the skill)
Developing = 70 (minimum achievement standard to “pass” the skill)
Mastery = 90 (the target level of achievement we want all students to hit)
Advanced = 100 (the highest level of achievement demonstrable on that skill)
Skill level attainment will be updated in the Home Access Center (HAC) every 2 weeks to reflect your child’s most current level achievement on each Essential Outcome being covered in that grading cycle.
The final report card grade for students in a grading cycle is the average of the achievement levels taken together of all the Essential Outcomes (EO) covered in the unit. The following table illustrates the skill grade calculation of three hypothetical students in a grading cycle which covered 3 Essential Outcomes (EOs) and the final report card grade:
Achievement Levels Demonstrated
EO #1
EO #2
EO #3
Final Grade
Student A
Mastery (90)
Advanced (100)
Advanced (100)
(avg. of 90, 100, 100)
97
Student B
Developing (70)
Mastery (90)
Advanced (100)
(avg. of 70, 90, 100)
87
Student C
Emerging (60)
Emerging (60)
Mastery (90)
(avg. of 60, 60, 90)
70
We believe grading math students on demonstrated Essential Outcomes is superior to traditional grading systems for the following reasons:
Report card grades reflect the achievement level of math skills attained by the end of the grading cycle, and students are not penalized for the speed of their learning or by lower achievement levels demonstrated as they are mastering new skills.
Parents can clearly see in the HAC which math skills students have mastered and which skills students are still developing and need additional practice throughout the unit.
If you have any questions about how math achievement is being determined or how we are calculating grades in our math classes this year, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
David Ellis
Principal