Grading Policy

Carter G Woodson Academy Grading Policy

District Vision:

All Fayette County Public Schools graduates are prepared for college and careers, engaged fully in their communities and ready to excel in a global society.

Academy Mission:

Carter G Woodson Academy is a college preparatory academy that seeks to educate, motivate and activate the potential for excellence that lies within each male.

Grading and Assessment Procedures:

Purpose Statement: Grades accurately reflect scholar achievement; communicate the scholar’s level of understanding of the content taught during that unit period/unit.

10 Point Grading Scale:

• A = 100-90
• B = 89-80
• C = 79=70
• D = 69-60
• F = 59 and below

Non-Negotiable Tenets:

Academic grades reflect only academic performance.

1. A scholar’s Employability Score will address behaviors such as attendance, participation, submitting work late or past the due date, and following class rules and school-wide expectations, etc.
2. Additional credit will be at the discretion of the teacher and will demonstrate higher levels of proficiency of the content taught and assessed.
3. While we will still emphasize collaboration and cooperative learning, academic grades will originate from individual, rather than group, achievement.
4. We will provide clear standards, instructional outcomes, and assessment criteria to scholar throughout the instructional process.

Academic dishonesty/plagiarism/cheating will receive a 0 (zero) with the scholar having the opportunity to learn from his or her mistake and re-do the work or reassess for a new score. Each offense is per scholar, not per class.

1^st Offense:

• Scholar will receive a zero
• Scholar will receive a discipline referral
• Teacher will make home contact concerning the scholar’s behavior
• Scholar will watch a plagiarism video
• Scholar can reassess (assignment/time) determined by teacher

2^nd Offense:

• Same as first offense +
• Teacher and Administration will make home contact concerning scholar’s behavior
• Write 2 paragraph summary regarding video

3^rd Offense:

• Same as first offense +
• Teacher and Administration will make home contact concerning scholar’s behavior
• Write a research-based paper (5 paragraphs/MLA format)
• ½ credit on reassessment

4^th Offense:

• Scholar will receive a zero
• No opportunity to reassess
• Administration will contact parent
• Scholar will receive a discipline referral

Communication:

We will print and send home progress reports using the district schedule for middle school and high school.  Middle school is on a quarter schedule and high school is on a semester schedule. Progress reports are sent home with the scholar and end of grading period/report cards are mailed home at the end of the quarter or semester.

Grade Book Setup:

➢ All formative assignments/assessments are worth 10 points in order to calculate grades correctly per our grading scale. (minimum of 2 assignments per 4 weeks)

➢ All summative assignments/assessments are worth 100 points in order to calculate grades correctly per our grading scale. (minimum of 1 assignment per 4 weeks)

➢ All assignments/assessments are scored using a percentage calculation.

Grade Categories and Weight:

• Employability (On Time, Well Prepared w/Materials, Well Dressed, Well Spoken, Well Behaved), principles outlined in scholar handbook)
• Daily Work and Formative Assessment, weighted 45%
• Performance/Unit (summative assessments), weighted 40%
• Final or Culminating Project, weighted 15%

Definitions:

➢ Assignments and assessments are defined by their purposes, not their formats.

• Daily Assignments/Formative Assessments serve as a part of engaging instruction and assessments AS and FOR learning and determine the need for remediation and/or enrichment via the instructional process.
• Performance, or summative assessments, serve as assessments OF learning and determine a student’s academic grade for a unit of study, communicating what he or she knows, understands, and/or can do. End of semester, end of course, or final exams will count as 15% of a student’s academic grade in a course.

➢ Assessment/Reassessment as additional means of having a scholar demonstrate mastery of instructional outcomes (what he or she knows, understands, and/or can do related to standards). Reassessment can  take many forms, including exams, projects, presentations, discussions, etc. Scholars may not reassess on end of semester, end of course, or final exams.

Reassessment:

Scoring below 80%, scholar must meet with teacher for re-teaching of content – teacher will determine time of re-teaching

• 80% or higher, scholar can reassess, but re-teach isn’t required
• Must be within the unit and within 1 week of the re-teach session that is determined by the teacher.

 ➢ Teachers will align all assessments to instructional outcomes (and standards) and provide students with assessment criteria via a rubric, exemplar, or other means.

 ➢ We will ensure the validity and reliability of assessments, embedding student choice, agency (AP/SAT/ACT, etc.) and self-reflection as possible. We also will make use of assessment data via the instructional process of Plan, Do, Study, Act.

 ➢ The most integral part of the instructional process remains providing timely and specific feedback to students so they may grow and develop in their learning. We will provide informal feedback, written on student work and orally via conferences, and formal feedback documented in our grade books as numeric grades and comments.  Students should receive at least informal feedback on practice assignments/assessments as soon as possible after submitting them (and at least within one week), and students should receive formal feedback on performance assignments/assessments within one week of submission.

 ➢ Assessment and the instructional process will honor a student’s accommodations and/or modifications as indicated by an Individualized Education Plan, 504 Plan, English Language Learning Plan, and/or documented medical issue.

CGWA faculty and staff will be RELENTLESS in ensuring all students graduate high school career and college ready.

Absences:

➢ Scholars with excused absences are entitled to make up assignments missed on that day.  However, these assignments must be completed on a timely basis.  Assignments that were due on or before the day of the absence are due upon the scholar’s return to that class.  For assignments that were given on the day of the absence, the scholar has the same number of days absent, plus one in order to turn in on time, unless the assignment is due after the “plus one” date.  A scholar who is absent must see the teacher the next class meeting day to obtain any make-up work.  Additional information can be found in the Scholar Code of Conduct.  Parents and Scholars can check CANVAS for missed classroom assignments.

Exceptions to Grading Policy:

➢ Dual Credit courses taught in partnership with a post-secondary educational institution will follow the grading policies and procedures outlined by that College or University, in accordance with contractual agreements.

➢ Advanced Placement courses have the option to require strict deadlines related to practice and performance assignments/assessments, including reassessments, in order to create a college classroom environment. Additionally, these courses may modify the procedures related to reassessment to properly prepare students for College Board exams and ensure a student’s earned grade reflects that of a college-level course.