Grade Point Average

Each teacher will develop a clearly defined grading procedure consistent with district policy. Each teacher will distribute a copy of the grading procedure to students and parents at the beginning of each school year or semester and to all new students and parents thereafter. Grading procedures will include late work and make-up work policies, which promote student responsibility without denying students reasonable opportunities to exhibit mastery of curriculum concepts and skills. Incomplete grades at the end of a six weeks or semester must be made up no later than the third Friday after the grading period. Teachers will use professional discretion in awarding credit for assignments missed due to extended absences and/or extenuating circumstances. Accurate and complete documentation of each student’s progress will be recorded by teachers in a timely manner. Each teacher must be able to justify student grades using appropriate, valid, curriculum-related criteria. As the instructional leader of the school, the principal has the responsibility to ensure appropriate grading practices in each school. The parents and the school share a mutual responsibility for assisting students in their achievement and success. Parents may request conferences with teachers, counselors, and/or administrators concerning their child’s academic progress.

• Numerical scores for each secondary course will be based upon performance on examinations, essays or papers, performances, projects, and/or other measures appropriate to the subject matter, and may also include consideration of other appropriate criteria such as class work, homework, and class participation.

• Grades will reflect academic achievement and will not be based on nor adjusted for non-academic criteria such as discipline, attendance, tardies, or participation in extracurricular activities, except as provided for in the Texas Education Code and other parts of these guidelines.

• Students will not receive academic credit for any activity that does not directly relate to the course curriculum that is based on district curriculum.

• Six-week grades will be based on a numerical scale of 0-100.

• In accordance with policy EIA (LOCAL), interim progress reports shall be provided for all students in grades 6-12 to parents or guardians at the mid-point of each grading period. Supplemental progress reports may be issued at the teacher’s discretion when a student’s grade average is failing (below 70) or borderline (70-75) in any course. Failure to receive an unsatisfactory report does not guarantee a passing grade.

• The District shall categorize and weight courses in accordance with the provisions of this policy. Beginning with students who enter grade 9 in the 2011–12 school year, all courses shall be classified on a two-level system with Level 1, which shall include International Baccalaureate (IB), AP, Pre-AP, and dual credit courses and Level 2, which shall include all other state-approved courses.

The District shall assign weights to semester grades and shall calculate a weighted numerical grade average in accordance with the following scale:

Category Weight

Level 1 Multiplied by 1.1

Level 2 Multiplied by 1.0

The District shall record unweighted numerical grades on student transcripts.

All multiple period classes, both regular and special education, shall be counted proportionally to the number of class periods or earned credits in computing weighted numerical grade average and class rank. The weighted numerical grade averages for all eligible courses shall be totaled and divided by the number of courses taken. The weighted numerical grade average shall be rounded to four decimal places.

The following courses shall be excluded when calculating the weighted numerical grade average:

1. Traditional correspondence courses;

2. Credit by examination, with prior instruction;

3. Courses are taken as pass/fail; and

4. Courses that are repeated for which credit has previously been earned.

The District shall apply the following rules to determine the valedictorian, salutatorian, and honor graduates of a graduating class:

1. To be eligible for recognition as valedictorian or salutatorian, a student must be continuously enrolled for the final two years at the same District high school campus.

2. To be eligible for recognition as valedictorian, salutatorian, or honor graduate, a student shall have passed at least five Level 1 courses and be graduating under the Recommended Program or the Advanced/Distinguished Achievement Program.

3. The selection of valedictorian and salutatorian shall be determined by computing rank in class through the end of the fifth six-week grading period.

Breaking a Tie for Valadictorian

In cases of a tie in weighted GPAs for valedictorian, after calculation to four decimal places, the District shall apply the following methods, in this order, to determine recognition as valedictorian:

1. Compute the weighted GPA to a sufficient number of decimal places until the tie is broken.

2. Calculate the numerical grade average of all Level 1 courses.

3. After calculation to four decimal places, the District shall recognize all students involved in the tie for salutatorian as sharing the honor and title

The District shall recognize a student as an honor graduate who:

1. Is in the top ten percent as of the end of the final grading period;

2. Has passed five Level 1 (1.1) courses; and

3. Is graduating under the Recommended Program or the Advanced/Distinguished Achievement Program.

When a student fails a course and subsequently repeats the course and earns a passing grade, both numerical grade averages shall be recorded on the transcript and shall be used in the calculation of the overall GPA.

For the purposes of determining GPA, transfer grades from other accredited institutions shall receive weighted credit in accordance with the District’s scale, provided the previous district has the same or comparable course offerings. Grades transferred from a school outside the United States shall be included in GPA and class rank as Level 2 (1.0) course credits.

Course credits transferred from a state-accredited school with higher-level course credits shall be counted toward the GPA according to the District’s grade point scale if the same or a similar course is offered in the District.

Students transferring into the District shall receive the numerical grade that was earned in courses at another school. If no numerical grade is provided, letter grades shall be recorded as follows:

Conversion Scale Conversion Scale

A 95 10 100

B 85 9 90

C 75 8 80

D 65 7 70

F 60 6 60

6 60

5 50

4 40

3 30

2 20

1 10

0 0

Regular school attendance is essential for the student to make the most of his or her education – to benefit from teacher-led activities, build each day's learning on that of the previous day, and grow as an individual. To receive credit in a class, a student must attend at least 90 percent of the days that the class meets. The actual number of days a student must attend in order to receive credit will depend on whether the class is for a full semester or for a full year. A student who attends a class fewer than 90 percent of the time cannot receive credit for the class unless the attendance review committee finds that the absences are the result of extenuating circumstances. (See district handbook, Attendance for Credit).

A student must earn a grade of 70 or above to receive a passing grade. In a two semester course, the student will receive .5 credit for any semester passed. The students will receive one full credit if the average of both semesters is 70 or above. When the two semester grades are being averaged to award credit, they do not have to be from the same school year. Students taking summer courses from an accredited school outside Manor ISD must earn a grade of 70 or above to receive credit and are required to submit to the high school registrar an official transcript from the awarding school.

Under the Automatic Admission policy (Texas Education Code §51.803), Texas students may be eligible for automatic admission to a state college or university as an undergraduate student if they meet certain criteria. To qualify for automatic admission, a student must:

1. Earn a grade point average in the top 10% of his/her high school graduating class,

2. Graduate from a Texas public or private high school (or, if the student is a Texas resident, from a high school operated by the U.S. Department of Defense),

3. Successfully complete the requirements for the Recommended High School Program (RHSP) or the Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) (or the equivalent if enrolled in private school) or satisfy ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT college entrance exam or earn a score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400 on the SAT college entrance exam or the equivalent, and

4. Apply for admission to a state college or university within the first two school years after graduation from high school.

5. For 2014-2015 and beyond, students must complete the curriculum requirements for the foundation plan, chosen endorsement curriculum and earn distinguished level by completing four years of English and Math, including Algebra II.

Students who meet the criteria for automatic admission must submit an application before the deadline set by the college or university to which they are applying. Students must also provide a high school transcript or diploma that indicates whether they have satisfied or are on schedule to satisfy the requirements of the RHSP or DAP.

The University of Texas at Austin (UT) is no longer required to automatically admit applicants in excess 75% of enrollment capacity; UT shall provide notice of the percentage of qualified applicants anticipated to be offered admission. UT has determined that it will automatically admit all eligible applicants who rank within the top 6% of their graduating classes. Please note that students admitted to UT under the Automatic Admission policy will be required to adhere to any UT requirements in regards to Automatic College Admission.

This optional waiver program provides for the exemption of tuition and fees for the tuition for the Valedictorian of each accredited Texas high school. Students who are certified as the highest ranking graduate of the Texas high school from which they graduated may be exempt for the first two semesters at participating Texas colleges and universities following high school graduation. The Valedictorian certificate is issued through the Texas Education Agency (TEA). If a certificate is lost, contact TEA for a replacement.