Grading Policies

Student grades are posted three times per year at the end of each trimester. Grades and teacher comments on assignments are for parents and students to see how progress is being made. Please note that the goal is for your child to earn 3’s or S’s in all areas by the end of the year. It is acceptable and understandable that your child may earn 1’s and 2’s at the beginning of the year because they are learning these skills. It is important to note that grades are always fluid because learning and growth is a continuous process.

In 4th grade, math grades are standards-based grades, which are described below.

I = Independent
S+ = Proficient
S = Satisfactory
S- = Approaching Satisfactory
N = Needs Improvement

For Ready Math assessments, questions are rated by depth of knowledge (DOK), which are varied levels of question complexity. Each question or part is notated as level 1, level 2, or level 3 DOK.

Level 1 DOK: Recall & reproduction: You know the content at this time or you don’t.
Level 2 DOK: Skills/Concepts: Shows relationships between things. Makes use of content in a context different from the one in which it was learned.
Level 3 DOK: Strategic Thinking: Requires reasoning, developing a plan, and often more than one possible answer.

As a result, your child’s standard score is correlated with the levels of questions answered correctly. A general explanation is below.

In 4th grade, reading grades are reported as cumulative percent grade marks, which are based on the Common Core State Standards and correlating standard scale. This is described below.

4 (100%) = Independent/Work exceeds grade level expectations for skill
3+ (90%) = Proficient at skill
3 (80%) = Meets standard grade level expectations for skill
2 (70%) = Partial/Approaching grade level expectations for skill
1 (60%) = Needs improvement/Not yet meeting grade level expectations

In 4th grade, Social Studies is graded using cumulative percentage grade marks. These grades are based on the percent correct out of the total possible points.

In 4th grade, science is graded based on completion of the modules taught. The grading marks are described below.

X = Completed
NI = No Instruction

In 4th grade, Language Arts grades will consist of assignments from Writing, Grammar, and Word Study. These subjects are all graded using cumulative percent grade marks. These grades are based on percent correct out of the total possible.