The Importance of Grading
Grading, in its purest form, is the way in which we communicate a student’s understanding of a concept, or concepts, in a course they are taking. Through grades, we are able to ascertain where a student stands on the learning continuum and provide feedback on the proficiency of students as it relates to course and/or content area standards. Grades should be objective and formed by assessments directly related to the standards in a course. In conjunction with goals and scales, grades provide the most useful way to form a roadmap from which students can grow.
It is in the interest of all students, teachers, and parents/legal guardians for there to be common grading expectations, throughout all schools in St. Johns County. This allows students to understand expectations, and teachers to heighten collaboration through the Professional Learning Communities process. District common grading practices are designed to be fair, consistent, and grounded in best practice.
The Florida State Standards specify what students should know and be able to do in each course/subject at every grade level. In a standards-based system, grades should be an indication of student learning through their level of proficiency as determined by summative and formative assessments. Following are definitions of terms used in describing common middle and high school grading expectations.
The goal is for all students to be able to demonstrate their learning of course standards at or beyond the proficiency level. Proficiency is the level of learning most closely associated with a grade of “C.”
The district has established that every secondary instructor will have at least three graded summative assessments per grading period, and at least two graded formative assignments completed prior to each summative assessment. Whenever possible, the three required summative assessments will be developed, administered, and graded as common assessments. The district expectation is for teachers working as subject specific Professional Learning Communities to develop the three common summatives for each grading period.
Summative / Formative
The district has established that every secondary instructor will have at least three graded summative assessments per grading period, and at least two graded formative assignments completed prior to each summative assessment. Whenever possible, three required summative assessments will be developed, administered, and graded as common assessments. The district expectation is for teachers working as subject specific Professional Learning Communities to develop two common summatives for each grading period. The total number of required graded assignments equates to at least nine per grading period.
Formative assignments
Formative assessments are measures used throughout the learning process to provide feedback that promotes learning and informs instruction. Formative assignments:
- Are aligned to the learning progression on a scale
- Are generated by a wide variety of methods
- Can be graded or not graded
- Provide usable feedback for students and teachers
- Are a checkpoint or snapshot of progress
- Are aligned to the summative in terms of skill, standard, rigor and format
Example of formative assignments include, but are not limited to:
- Exit tickets
- Informal teacher questions
- Draft written work
- Performance in progress
- Student response via whiteboards, clickers, or other instructional tools
- Learning logs
- Conversation with a student
- Quizzes
Summative assessments
Evaluate student learning aligned to specific standards at the end of a defined instructional period. Summative assessments:
- Are aligned to the learning progression on a scale.
- May be administered in a variety of formats.
- Are graded.
- Are predictors of marking period grades.
- Used to determine proficiency.
- Are more comprehensive than formative assessments.
- Are aligned to formative assessments in terms of skill, standard, rigor and format.
Examples of summative assessment include but are not limited to:
- Formal conversations with the students
- Final version of a written work
- Test
- Final version of a performance/presentation
- Final version of a project/research paper
- End of a course exams
- Semester exams
- Summative quarter exams
Summative Retake and Remediation Parameters
- Summative assessments developed at a school by a teacher or PLC must be available for students to retake.
- Retake summative assessments must be available for standards where proficiency has not been demonstrated; the entire assessment may not apply. This decision is a teacher and/or PLC decision.
- Students must engage in learning opportunities (remediation) prior to retaking a summative assessment, which must include teacher feedback.
- Summative retake assessments do not have to be in the exact format as the original summative assessment.
- Students have the opportunity to retake a Summative Assessment where the original score earned was less than 85%.
- Students can earn up to and including 85% on a retake Summative Assessment in Middle or High school.
- Summative assessments are only to be retaken and rescored
- Summative assessment retakes must occur within a pre-determined time period such as a unit or a quarter as determined by the PLC team.
- Students will receive the higher score of the original and retake summative assessments.
- If a summative assessment has a deadline (for example: research paper or presentation) and the due date is missed, the student may complete the assignment for no higher than an 85% and within a timeline established by the teacher or PLC.
The expectation is that all students earn a grade that reflects his/her proficiency on standards represented in a course. If a student refuses to attempt work despite school intervention, a zero has been earned.
As part of this process:
- INC should be used as placeholder in summative and formative categories until work is completed
- PLC teams will share students as necessary to promote learning and retake opportunities
- It is optimal for students to retake assessments before or after school so as not to miss further instruction. However, if the student cannot attend before or after school due to transportation, students will be afforded the opportunity to take summative assessments during the school day.
Weighted Category for Middle and High School Assessments
Middle and high schools have a uniform standard for the weighted categories in a grade book. The categories are summative and formative. The total value of all summative assessments will be 70% of the final grade, for formative assignments, 30% of the total grade. Homework assignments may include HW in the assignment title to maintain and differentiate them from other formative assignments.
Some assessments in middle and high school have their own weighting within a category by district policy or due to state statute. For example, the required state EOC exams, which is worth 30% of the final grade for the course.
Grading Scale
The following grading scale is used by all schools in grades 3-12 in St. Johns County:
Interim Progress Reports 1008.25 F.S.
Interim progress reports shall be issued to all students in grades 1-12 at the midpoint of each regularly established grading period on uniform dates as adopted annually on the official school calendar. Interim reports may be done via parent/legal guardian conferences as well as through reporting forms. Students with disabilities must receive a report or parent/legal guardian conference regarding progress toward IEP goals and objectives in accordance with the interim report.
Parents/legal guardians and students may check progress at any time through the district’s Home Access Center (HAC). Dual Enrollment course information is not available in HAC until the end of the semester as those grades are maintained in the St. Johns River State College information system and are available to the student only, through the SJRSC website. When the final grade is transferred to the student’s transcript, it will be available in HAC.
Report Cards 1003.33 F.S.
Report cards provide the student and the student’s parents/legal guardians with an objective evaluation of scholastic achievement with indicators of progress. Report cards shall clearly depict and evaluate the following:
- the student’s mastery of Florida Standards,
- the student’s academic performance in each class or course in grades K through 12 based on examinations as well as other appropriate performance items,
- the student’s performance at his or her grade level
- the student’s conduct and behavior, and
- the student’s attendance, including absences and tardies.
All schools shall use the district’s approved report card as the primary means of reporting student progress. Report cards shall be issued at the end of each grading period on uniform dates as adopted annually on the official school year calendar. Students transferring into the district after the midpoint of a reporting period may be assigned grades based on records/grades from the sending school.
Report cards shall be issued at the end of each grading period on uniform dates as adopted annually on the official school year calendar.
Semester/final course grade changes should be made prior to credit being awarded for the semester/year. Approval by the principal is required. Grades shall be issued to all students in attendance. Students transferring into the district after the midpoint of a reporting period may be assigned grades based on records/grades from the sending school.
Eligibility for Honor Roll
Honor roll, as defined by the St. Johns County School District, is comprised of students who earn the grades of A or B for a particular grading period. Students who earn honor roll may receive the St. Johns County School District Honor Roll Card.
Cheating on a Summative Assessment
Discipline for cheating is established as per the Code of Conduct as a level II offense and should be administered via the Dean. Students will receive a zero; however, students are eligible for a retake. Students must engage in learning opportunities before retaking the summative assessment. Students will earn up to and including 75% on the retake assessment. Students may also be answerable to specific consequences outlined in programs of choice such as organizations or clubs such as the Junior National Honor Society.
Middle School Grade Forgiveness Policy for High School Credit Course
Middle school students who have taken high school courses may receive grade forgiveness if they have earned a grade or the numerical equivalent of a C, D or F. In such cases, the district forgiveness policy must allow the replacement of the grade with a grade or the numerical equivalent of a C or higher, earned subsequently in the same or comparable course. For a grade of A or B, the course and grade cannot be forgiven; it will appear on the student’s high school transcript and will be used in the calculation of high school grade point average and for Bright Futures.
If a student fails the Algebra 1 EOC, the student may attend the summer algebra program and earn a .5 credit elective to prepare to re-take the Algebra 1 EOC (passing is a graduation requirement).
Exam Exemptions 1003.33 (2) F.S.
St. Johns County School District does not provide for exemptions for state EOC and third-party exams (AP, IB, AICE, etc.). Students with disabilities may qualify for a waiver of the EOC requirement. Please see page 56 for more information.
Honors Credit Used in Calculating Weighted Grade Point Average
All course code descriptions will align with Florida DOE Course Code Descriptions, and will follow the district weighting policy:
- IB, AICE, Dual Enrollment and AP courses will receive an academic weighting of 1.0,
- Pre-IB, Pre-AICE and Level 3 courses (except PE) will receive an academic weighting of 0.5, and
- Level 2 and below courses will not receive an academic weighting, unless approved by a local committee and the district. Current .5 weighting is district approved for:
- International Marketing 8839120
- International Business Systems 8216110
Grade Challenge Procedures
Grading is primarily the responsibility of a teacher as long as the grade is determined in a manner that is consistent with state and district policies. Any concern a student/parent/legal guardian has with a final grade should be brought to the immediate attention of the teacher of record who awarded the grade. A final grade is defined as a grade documented at the end of a grading period and/or an end of the course cumulative grade.
If the teacher of record is unavailable, or if the student/parent/legal guardian wish to appeal the teacher’s decision, they must supply a written summary of the concern including any evidence that would serve as justification for the appeal, to the school principal for consideration and a final decision.
In the event that the school principal is unavailable, the appeal would go to the appropriate District Director of Curriculum for consideration and final decision.
Grade Averaging 1003.436(2) F.S.
A student enrolled in a full-year course shall receive one-half credit if the student successfully completes either the first half or the second half of a full-year course but fails to successfully complete the other half of the course and the averaging of the grades obtained in each half would not result in a passing grade. A student enrolled in a full- year course shall receive a full credit, if the student successfully completes either the first half or the second half of a full-year course but fails to successfully complete the other half of the course and the averaging of the grades obtained in each half would result in a passing grade, provided that such additional requirements specified in district school board policies, such as homework, participation, and other indicators of performance, shall be successfully completed by the student. The two .5 credit term grades stand alone. The only exception is if the student fails one semester but passes the other. In this case, the student could receive one full credit due to yearlong or grade averaging if the grades are passing on a numerical basis. It is the teacher’s responsibility to average the grades if this is the case.
Homework
Homework is an assignment in which the majority of the work is completed outside of the classroom in a developmentally appropriate period of time. The function of Homework is to:
- Allow for independent practice or rehearsal
- Prepare for the introduction of new content
- Deepen knowledge or understanding
- Generate specific feedback
Recommendations Homework should have a specific purpose, be familiar, be relevant, and connected to the standards. The purpose should be for students to (1) practice or rehearse, to begin (2) preparation for the introduction of new content, or to (3) deepen knowledge and understanding (Marzano, 2001). When homework is assigned for the purpose of practice/rehearsal, it should be based on material with which the students are very familiar. When homework is assigned to help prepare students for new content, the teacher should carefully explain the purpose for homework and make connections for the student. Providing feedback on homework serves to enhance student achievement.
