Grading Policy

At P.S. 169 our grading policy follows New York City Department of Education policies and guidelines and reflects professional evaluation by teachers. Academic grades play an important role in the educational process. To have transparency in practice we inform students and parents of how grades will be determined. Grades are based on documentation, participation, attitude, conduct, and work habits of each individual student.

Students earn grades; teachers do not give grades. Parents are encouraged to talk to students about schoolwork and grades and contact teachers first and administrators second whenever there is a question regarding the grading policy. Attendance is vital to a student’s academic progress and success. However, attendance does not count towards grades. A student’s Academic Personal Behaviors has a profound impact upon his/her academic achievements.

Grading policies apply to all students, including students with disabilities and English Learners. It is important to keep in mind that for students with disabilities, annual goals, plans for progress monitoring, and promotion criteria are documented in the IEP, while the report card documents progress made in the general education curriculum. For ELLs, the grading policy should consider students’ English proficiency levels based on the NYSITELL, NYSESLAT, or periodic assessments. All students, including students with disabilities, should be working toward grade-level.

Schools may select their grading scales for marking periods and final grades. At PS 169Q we have a grading scale of a NL-4.

4 Excels in Standards

3 Proficient

2 Below Standards

1 Well Below Standards

NL New or Recently Admitted

Prior to the beginning of the unit teachers take pre-assessment data. If the unit is project based the rubric will be shared with the students and families.

Within the unit teachers are monitoring student learning and progress which will be communicated as needed.

At the end of the unit students are made aware of their end of unit assessment to prepare or complete work accordingly. At the date of completion, teachers will notify families of student performance within 7 school days.

Report Cards are sent to parents three times during the school year informing families of the degree to which student success in learning and mastering the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) has occurred.

Marking periods 1, 2, and 3 are stand-alone and independent of one another with marking period 3 also representing the final marking period.

Students in the classroom for at least 2 weeks will receive grades on the report card based on initial, benchmark assessments for the grade level. Students in the classroom for less than 2 weeks prior to the closing of a marking period will receive narrative comments representing how they are acclimating and adjusting to the new classroom environment and a grade of ‘NL’ for ‘new learner’.

Report Cards are reviewed prior to finalization and distribution to parents. Report cards are reviewed by grade level teams and administration. Grade level teams will review each other’s report cards as well as between cluster teachers. 

Review includes:

• Grammar and spell check

• Consistency between classes, comments, and grades (ex. Student is reading one year above grade level however receives a 2 in reading).

Changes can be made by the teacher prior to printing. If a report card needs revision, changes can be made with the permission of the administration.

Based on The Grading Policy and Academic Standards of New York, grade books should be retained for 6 years. As we are moving towards an online system, grade books should be kept electronically.

Formative assessments are designed to provide direction for improvement and/or adjustment to grouping for individual students or for the whole

class. Formative assessments are not used for progress reports or report cards. A student who fails to meet the standard after their initial try should be given feedback on how to improve their practice and be required to resubmit their work. This holds students accountable for meeting PS 169’s expectations. Some examples are:

• Do Nows

• Group Assignments

• Notebooks Checks

• Exit Tickets

• Class Participation

• Independent Work

• Homework (1st through 5th grade)

Summative assessments are designed to provide information to be used to determine a student’s achievement level at the end of a period of instruction. Some examples are:

• • Performance Tasks

  • Essays

  • Constructed Response

  • Projects

  • Extended Writing Assignments

Students will be assessed in the following courses:

• English Language Arts (Reading, Writing)

• Mathematics

• Science

• Social Studies

• Speaking and Listening

• Cluster Courses (Physical Education, Music and Art)

• English as a New Language (ENL students only)

Missed assignments should be made up immediately following the student’s return to school with an excused absence note. Late assignments should be made up. Please coordinate with classroom teachers to work out making up assignments. Parents and students are responsible for reaching out to teachers if there are any foreseeable obstacles in the completion of an assignment before the due date.