Ridgeview Middle School

2024-2025 Grading Guidelines

 

Grading Philosophy

The purpose of assigning grades to student work is to communicate to students, parents, and other stakeholders where students are at in the learning process.  Homework should be assigned for practice during the learning process.  Practice is essential for students to master the skills needed prior to a common summative assessment. Another important piece of the learning progression is formative assessments, which can be formal or informal. Formative assessments are crucial information sources for instructional adjustments and student strengths/weaknesses prior to a common summative assessment. Summative assessments should be a reflection of mastery of the concepts or TEKS being studied. An overall grade for the nine weeks should reflect academic mastery of concepts and should not include behavior or work habits.


Grade reporting in gradebook – Grades will be listed by a descriptive name of standards (TEKS/SEs) or skills. Specific parent-friendly language will be used so parents understand the objective or skill. The TEKs number alone will not be used. Grades shall be entered by a teacher within three working days of an assignment being turned in, with the exception of written assignments and projects.



*There will be a minimum of 5 daily practice and 4 formatives given over the course of a nine week grading period.

*There will be a minimum of 2, preferably 3 summative assessments given over the course of a nine week grading period.

 

“When calculating a nine-week average, no single assignment/assessment grade will count more than 30 percent of the total average and no two assignments/assessment grades will count for more than 50 percent of the total average regardless of grade category. Major projects may comprise more than one assignment.”(Local EIA regulation)


Use of symbols in Gradebook:

‘M’ = Missing;  ‘I’ = Incomplete;  ‘Exc’ = Exempted/Excused


An “M” shall be listed for work that has not been attempted or has not been turned in. An “M” is calculated as a zero in TAC unless changed by a teacher to update student progress before the end of the marking period. 


An “I” shall be given for incomplete work that does not demonstrate an accurate assessment of a student’s learning. An “I” can also be used for a student who is absent or has not had the opportunity to complete the assignment. An “I” in Schoology translates to a blank in TAC. Any assignment with an “I” must be manually changed before the end of a marking period. After one week, an “I” should be changed to an “M” regardless of the circumstance of the absence whether “excused or unexcused”.


An “Exc” will be used for an exempted or excused assignment - data is not needed to ascertain mastery of a standard/skill. For students entering in the middle of the marking period, use the transfer grade for each assignment. If no transfer grade is provided, an “Exc” can be entered for

each assignment. Transfer grades qualify for reteach/reassess.


A “Blank” in the Schoology grade book indicates that an assignment has been posted, but has not yet been graded. This does not mean that the assignment is missing.


A “Dropped” grade will be indicated with a line drawn through the grade. This could happen when a replacement assignment is given in place of the original assignment.


Absences

If a student is absent, the student has the same number of days that they are absent, plus one additional day to make up the assignment without penalty.


CARE Time and Student Aide Positions- These classes will be graded as Pass/Fail.

Grade weight categories in a typical Grade Book:

Process (Practice) - 20%  

         Formative - 40% - - formative should be in the gradebook (3 days prior to a summative) 

         Summative (Unit Exams) – 40% - - with 2nd not in last week of marking period. In that instance the grade goes towards the next marking period. (Unit/DCA)


Alignment between Assessments and TEKS:

Summative Assessments shall be aligned to the Readiness/Supporting standards. Summative assessments for each standard should be recorded. Multiple summative assessments for each standard can also be recorded.


Grading Period Expectations

Deadlines/Late Work – All assignments are expected to be turned in on time. Timely work not only lends itself to a productive work ethic, but also maximizes learning before summative assessments.   For example, if an assignment is due on Tuesday, he/she now has until the following Tuesday during the same period to subIf a student misses a deadline for daily practice or a formative assessment, the work must be submitted during the period, within one week (5 school days) from when it was entered as missing in the gradebook.mit the assignment.  Late work for formative assignments will receive a maximum grade of 70. After the late work deadline (5 days), assignments will no longer be accepted, and the “missing” in the grade book will become a zero. Please note that after the five days, late work is not eligible for re-teach/re-assess.


Homework – Shall be entered in the “process” grade category.


Re-teach/Re-assess – Grades below a 70 must be given a reasonable opportunity to re-teach/re-assess per Texas state policy. 

“Reassessment may include, but is not limited to, oral examination,

additional practice activities, an essay paper, a report or project, or formal retaking of a different but equal version of a failed test.” (Local EIA regulation).



Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism/Cheating Policy

Academic dishonesty is against campus and district policies. Teachers should be actively monitoring all students during any assessment.


If a student is caught cheating they will receive a zero and be given a referral for academic dishonesty. The grade level administrator will process the referral with an appropriate consequence. Students will be given an opportunity to replace the zero to show mastery with an alternate assignment for a maximum grade of 75 for summatives.


Mid-term and Final Exams are given at the discretion of the grade level PLC. Mid-Terms and Finals are a requirement for any high school credit class. Mid-Terms and Final exams may not count for more than 10% of the semester grade. If a student is absent during a Mid-Term or Final Exam, the student will be responsible for making up the exam in a reasonable and agreed upon time frame or a grade of zero will be entered.

 

District benchmark assessment data may be used as a grade with administrative approval.