Progress Reporting Guidelines for Elementary

Progress Reporting Guidelines for Elementary 2017-18

Elementary K-1 Elementary 2-5 * Grading Scale for: Four Point Scale: Language Arts A = 90-100 Excellent Mathematics 4 – Consistently: Student performance meets or Science exceeds standard/expectation and student B = 80-89 Very Good Social Studies consistently produces outstanding work. C = 70-79 Satisfactory 3 – Usually: Student performance usually meets standard/expectation and student produces D = 65-69 Marginal Progress acceptable work. F = below 65 Failing 2 – Inconsistently: Student performance is approaching standard/expectation and student inconsistently produces acceptable work.

1 – Rarely: Student performance is below *Any report card grade below a C for students requires that the standard/expectation and student frequently teacher conference with the principal and submit a plan of requires re-teaching. action for improving student achievement.

Participation All report cards K-5 will utilize the participation standards below: Reporting for Designation Descriptor Resource: S – Satisfactory When present, student comes prepared and participates to the best of his/her ability. N – Needs When present, student comes unprepared and does not participate. Two class periods of  Arts Improvement non-participation (noted in the online grade book) and documentation of a parental contact  Music will be required.  Physical Education Progress Reporting Guidelines for Elementary

Late Work  Work not completed by a deadline is late work. Late work will result in a reduced grade for a student. Homework  Grade K: No specific time allotment; opportunities for reading readiness enrichment and language (MAXIMUM number of awareness should be encouraged total minutes per grade  Grade 1: Maximum 30 minutes per evening, to include 15 minutes for reading* level for all subjects combined; includes  Grade 2: Maximum 30 minutes per evening, to include 15 minutes for reading* reading time.)  Grade 3: Maximum 40 minutes per evening, to include 20 minutes for reading*  Grade 4: Maximum 60 minutes per evening, to include 20 minutes for reading*  Grade 5: Maximum 60 minutes per evening, to include 20 minutes for reading* * Homework should be assessed and counted for participation, but not graded. Homework is an opportunity to review and practice already taught skills. Zeros  No grade lower than 50% shall be recorded. Grades between a value of 0 and 49% should NOT be used in elementary schools in HCPS.  There should be a plan for student work that is not submitted and/or that falls below 50% accuracy. The plan should include clear steps for teacher actions to support the student’s improvement.  Instructional Feedback in the form of comments is critical in providing recommendations for improvement. These should be specific to each student. Reading  Reading on/above/below grade level will be noted based on the division Language Arts rubric provided. Academic Integrity  Teachers have a responsibility to review the correct use of sources, structure the testing environment to (Grades 3-5) reduce the possibility of cheating, and specify the types of collaboration that are permissible.  Students have a responsibility to avoid situations that might contribute to plagiarizing or cheating and to adhere to the guidelines provided by the teacher for each assessment.  Plagiarizing is the purposeful use of another person’s distinctive ideas, images, or words without acknowledgement or authorization. Plagiarizing will result in a reduced grade.  Cheating is academic deception. It involves knowingly providing or receiving unauthorized assistance. Cheating will result in a reduced grade.  Amount of grade reduction is at discretion of building administrator based on circumstances, but may not violate the regulation of no grade lower than a 50% being recorded. Interims  At grades K and 1, interim reports will be distributed during the fifth week of the grading period, except that students in Kindergarten will not receive an interim during the first marking period. At grades 2 through 5, parents and students receive updates on scholastic progress via Parent Portal so paper interims will not be sent. All teachers will make parental contact at the interim of each marking period for each student who is experiencing difficulty in a class. Minimum number of grades  A minimum of 10 grades for each content area* is required, using a variety of formative and summative assessment. Grade books should reflect this. The purpose of grading is to provide clear, consistent feedback to students for improvement of a skill. (*For the first marking period only, five grades are required for each content area in kindergarten.) Use of benchmark scores  If administered, benchmark scores may be counted as a quiz grade. However, students should NOT be penalized for content that has not yet been taught in class. Teachers must adjust benchmark scores according to what the student should be reasonably expected to know at that point in time. Work habits and Conduct  Consistency across a grade level is required when determining Work Habits and Conduct grades. At the start of the year, grade level members shall determine what will constitute S and N and the principal should approve this. Weighting grades  While using ratios for grades is acceptable (for example, a short, informal assessment of a given skill or concept may not be weighted as much as an end-of-unit test), no one grade should have a disproportionate weight. Long-term Projects  Projects should have an assigned rubric that is shared with students at the onset, developed around content area learning standards.  Long-term projects should have graded components in steps/timeline to ensure students are moving forward on accurate completion. MODIFICATIONS VS. ACCOMMODATIONS

From Legal Opinion on 6/10/13:

The use of an asterisk in any situation other than one in which the actual content of the course has been modified (whether to denote general education or special education accommodation) is inappropriate and represents a liability. The utilization of the comment section for any notation such as (John’s math grade reflects the accommodation of retaking tests) would be sufficient to give due notice to a parent of a general education student. Special education students and 504 have accommodations denoted in their plans. Thus, the only grade report that should have an asterisk is one in which the actual content of the course is modified from the content than the other students received.

I. Instructional/Assessment Strategies: DO NOT require an asterisk.

To meet the range of learning needs in our classrooms, teachers are expected to differentiate by varying the rate and level of difficulty of instruction. Differentiation strategies include the following examples: . Teaching students to highlight key words in directions and/or math problems . Providing word banks on tests . Teaching test-taking skills . Using index cards to record major concepts for review.

When we differentiate instruction, we do not need to asterisk the grade.

II. Accommodations: DO NOT require an asterisk.

Accommodations allow the student to complete the same work, and to demonstrate mastery of the same skill(s), as other students by changing the timing, setting, presentation, or length of the assignment or test. Examples include the following: . Assignments or tests read aloud to the student* *The reading of the reading test is considered a non-standard accommodation. All other reading of tests are considered standard accommodations. . Accepting alternatives to written responses . Weighing daily work higher than tests for a student who performs poorly on tests (but not using a different grading scale) . Permitting a student to rework missed questions for a better grade . Allowing take-home or open book tests

When we provide accommodations, we DO NOT asterisk the grade.

III. Modifications

Modifications adjust the standard that the test or assignment is intended to measure, making expectations for the student different from those of other students. Examples of modifications include the following: . Shortening assignments or tests to focus on mastery of key concepts only, meaning that all content is not assessed . Listing the specific skills or information for the student that are required in order to pass, and reviewing this list with the student frequently . Reducing or altering the content required to show subject mastery, such as by accepting less complex work on assignments or tests than that required of other students . Employing a different grading scale, assessing the student differently than other students . Providing summaries of textbook chapters

When we modify the work, we asterisk the grade.

A modification refers only to a change in the content required to show overall mastery of a concept or skill, NOT a change that allows mastery to be demonstrated in a different way, but at the same level as other students. Accommodation, by contrast, refers to any change in the delivery or assessment of the same content that is required of ALL general education students.

IV. Documenting grades with asterisks. If a student receives an asterisk next to one or more grades, the report card comments need to document specific reasons for the asterisk. Example: “Mary is a willing student and a wonderful classroom helper. The following modifications have been used to support her academic success during this nine-week grading period: we have been rewording tests and reducing the number of concepts required to achieve mastery of Units 5 and 6. Thank you for supporting Mary at home by reviewing social studies flash cards and math facts on a regular basis. We look forward to continuing to work together to promote Mary’s academic success.”

Sample from school - Adapted from “School Accommodations and Modifications” (FAPE, Minneapolis, MN, 2001