Grading Practices

Standards-Based Grading (SBG) is an intentional way for teachers to track their students' progress and achievements while focusing on helping students learn and reach their highest potential. It is based on students showing signs of mastery or understanding various learning targets and skills. Standards-based grading is a way to view student progress based on proficiency levels for identified standards rather than relying on a holistic representation as the sole measure of achievement.

Click here to access the standards grading table to know when to grade standards

• All K-2 classroom teachers will utilize Standards based grading for all content areas. 

• Progress reports and Reports cards will reflect standards based grading,  including final marks- M, P, LP or WA

• Teachers’ electronic gradebooks should reflect standards based grading including data points/marks - M, P, LP, or WA

• Students learning and work products are assessed against specific criteria and marks are provided to capture the student’s progress towards the standard.- M, P, LP or WA

• Marks-  Are the codes (M, P, LP, WA) used to describe the product/work samples/etc that are recorded in the grade book (data point)

• Final Marks- are a compilation of all of the marks that have been entered into the gradebook for a standard and will appear on the report card or progress reports (M, P, LP and WA). These are sometimes referred to as proficiency scores.  

• Standards to be assessed for each quarter have been identified and are shared through a google document with all K-2 teachers.

• It is important to know that standards that do not have any marks attached to them in the gradebook will appear blank on the progress report and report card.  

• Therefore, standards that must be reflected on the progress reports have been identified (marked in orange in documents in google folder)- this means they must have at least 1 mark in the gradebook in order to be displayed on the progress report. 

• For Reading and Math, standards have been identified as Focus Standards (FS) or Supporting Standards (SS)

• Focus Standards- standards essential for students’ success in current grade level, important for preparedness for the next grade level

• Supporting Standards- they follow or support another more primary or focus standard

• Math and Reading Focus Standards should have a minimum of three marks recorded in the gradebook

• Math and Reading Supporting Standards should have a minimum of one mark recorded in the gradebook

• Spelling, Writing, Science and Social Studies standards should have a minimum of three marks for them 

• Comments should be used to describe learning behaviors that may be hindering student progress, to note that modified assignments and/or below grade level materials are being used, or to note significant improvement or regression

• ONLY LEVEL 4 comments appear on the report card (however, any comment in the gradebook will appear in the parent portal.)

• The gradebook will take the three most recent marks to yield a final mark for each standard.

• Marks are going to be reported in relation to how a student is doing for what is expected at the end of the year.

• Homework should not be graded or included in determining marks. 

• Assessments should be entered no later than 1 week after administered or due date. Marks need to reflect weekly learning.

• Marks need to show consistency within the grade level; weekly PLC conversations should include which standards to collect data for marks. Grade levels need to determine and define the criteria for each mark for assignments.

• Coaches and Administrators should monitor the SBG in their schools by periodically reviewing gradebooks (are teachers entering the required number of marks? Following the intent of SBG?), by comparing progress reports and report cards to see if similarities exist between teachers within the same grade (do report cards look similar across the grade level regarding what standards are being reported on each quarter?), and by meeting with PLCs to discuss criteria for grading and marks. 

• Grading will be reported at the end of each semester for all elementary schools

• The grading scale for resource classrooms will be the O, S, N, U scale

• Students can only be graded on participation while they are in the class (attendance cannot be a factor in their grade). We cannot give an N or U to students who frequently miss class due to illness, being pulled for tutoring, suspension, etc.  

• Teachers will be encouraged to use “no grade” or “exemption” for students who do not physically attend the class (ex. homebound)

• Teachers will be required to have a minimum of 4 grades per semester consisting of at least 2 for assessment and no more than 2 for participation in Powerschool. Therefore, resource teachers will enter 4 grades for each student each semester.  

• All assessments will be tied to standards and graded on the O, S, N, U scale.