Grading Policy 

• Late work will be reflected in the Commitment to Learning category. Students can receive a 100 if completed correctly and turned in on the due date. Students are expected to turn in work on time. If students turn in the assignment late, 5 points will be docked per school day past the due date. If the assignment is over 8 days late, the student can only earn a 60 if completed as instructed. 

• If work is not turned in on time, students have until the last Wednesday of the grading cycle to attempt mastery, and can receive full credit in the Language Arts Skills category. If work is not received by the last Wednesday of the grading cycle the student will receive a zero for the assignment. 

• Students have until the last Wednesday of the grading cycle to attempt mastery, and can receive full credit in the Language Arts Skills category. To redo, retake, or revise an assignment, students will need to complete a teacher tutorial within two days after it is graded. The teacher may provide an additional assignment covering the skill(s) the student is trying to master. 

• If a student is absent from class for any reason outside of their control (illness, family emergency, etc.) they will have the amount of time equal to their absence. They will be responsible for their missing assignments and will not be given additional time outside of the allotted. This does not include extracurricular events like, but not limited to, sporting events, UIL competitions, and field trips.

Purpose of Grades:

• The focus of a skills-based grading system is to measure student mastery on their learning targets. The purpose of grades is to provide students with feedback about their progress and achievement, guide students about future coursework, provide guidance to teachers for instructional planning and communicate progress to parents. 

LISD Grading Policy Expectations: 

• Grading policy should be focused on student learning and mastery of skills 

• Grading policy must be consistent by grade level or course by campus 

• Retake or redo opportunities should focus on opportunities to relearn concepts 

• Retake or redo opportunities should scaffold based on age level appropriateness  

• In order to report the most accurate snapshot of a student’s current level of skills mastery, LISD ELA teachers are committed to the following five components of skills-based grading:

• Report out scores/grades according to content area proficiency skills/standards instead of individual assignments. 

• Use skills-based rubrics with specific descriptors for each proficiency level instead of using the traditional 100 point scale to assign scores/grades. 

• Provide students with opportunities to practice, self-assess, and demonstrate mastery on each skill. 

• Focus on mastery of skills - remove all other factors when calculating the grade such as behavior, attitude, participation, and effort. 

• Report the current level of achievement within each skill at the end of a marking period instead of averaging scores together.