St. Johns County School District offers a standards-based curriculum and strives for consistency so that a course grade at one school equates to the same course grade and level of mastery at another school. The curriculum in all schools in St. Johns County is based on the ELA and Math B.E.S.T. Standards. These standards specify what students should know and be able to do. In a standards-based system, grades should be an indication of the level of mastery as determined by summative assessments.

Summative assessments are those assessments that are administered at the end of a learning sequence after ample practice or rehearsal of essential knowledge. Summative assessments indicate mastery of benchmarks and standards. Examples of summative assessments include:

• Chapter tests.
• Reading selection tests quizzes (practice/rehearsal has been provided prior to the quiz).
• Performance assessments evaluated by a rubric shared with students prior to the assessment.

Teachers also use formative assessments, which are frequent, in-progress checks for understanding, on a regular basis. Formative assessments are used to inform instruction, to provide ongoing and helpful feedback, to alert teachers to what challenges students are still facing, and to inform students about where they are in relation to mastery of the standard. Examples of formative assessments include:

• Exercises as a direct follow-up to instruction.
• Quizzes to spot check for understanding.
• Observing students at work and noting progress or need for re-teaching.
• Students and teachers communicate about a topic by talking or writing (teachers informally assess what students know and are able to do and determine next steps for instruction).

Grades should be clear, undiluted indicators of what students know and are able to do at the conclusion of the learning sequence.