Grading Information

Middle School Science Grading Information

Here is information that will help you better understand how your child will be assessed in science this year.

What type of grades will my child receive?

There will be two main types of assignments in PowerSchool: classwork and summative labs/projects.

• Classwork
  • The classwork assignments are day to day assignments that range in size and difficulty. Examples of these assignments include, but are not limited to, reading summaries, journal entries, reflections, lab analysis questions. These assignments will be marked as “complete” and will not impact the overall class grade for the quarter.
• Summative labs/projects.
  • Summative labs and projects are multi day assignments that will measure your understanding of the science standards. Examples include building models, constructing arguments, and planning and carrying out investigations. These grades will be assessed using rubrics and will count toward your overall class grade for the quarter.

Can my child revise my work if they are not happy with their grade?

• YES! All revisions must follow the guidelines for the assignment and should be turned in before the end of the quarter.

Where will assignments be turned in for science?

• Students will keep a digital portfolio for science using the app called, “Seesaw.” There is a parent version of the app that allows you to see and comment on your child’s work. Your child was given the information on how you could access their account.

Where can I find my child’s grade for science?

• Scores are recorded in PowerSchool. You can access PowerSchool using your child’s district issued username and password.
• The assignment will be listed by the title of the assignment. The NGSS standard may also be linked to the assignment.

Checking Your Child’s Progress in Science Throughout the Quarter

• If you login to PowerSchool you will see a list of all of your child’s classes and teachers. Next to each class is a spot for the trimester grades. Science grades are not calculated until a final standard is completed within a unit. Some standards can take several weeks to be completed. If you see a “--” next to your child’s science class, your child does not currently have a letter grade, but assignments have still been recorded for your child. Click on the two dashes and it should pull up all of the assignments that have been collected.

• Some assignments will be marked as “collected” and some assignments will have a letter grade assigned to them. If the assignment has a yellow asterisk and says, “excluded,” it will not be calculated in the final grade. IGNORE THE SCORE AND PERCENTAGE COLUMN. This will not calculate into their final quarter grade on assignments that have been excluded.