MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADING GUIDELINES Informational Video for Parents Prepared by Members of the SUSD Middle Level Grading Subcommittee May, 2014

Establishing Grading Guidelines Getting Started in SUSD Established by SUSD Principals and Administrators in May, 2012 The purpose of grading in SUSD is to inform students, parents, and others of the students’ progress towards the mastery of academic standards and course outcomes. Grades are used to reflect student learning; therefore, behavior, effort, and citizenship are not included in the academic grade..

Establishing Grading Guidelines Committee Work and SUSD Goals of Grading Subcommittees Establish fair, motivational and equitable grading practices. Decrease variability in grading practices. ES Middle HS

Establishing Grading Guidelines Middle Level -- SUSD Work of Grading Subcommittee Work of Middle Level Teams

Middle Level Grading Guidelines Established and Revised Academic Grades Conduct Grades Extra Credit Redos/Retakes Late Work Refer to this document in the Backpack.

SUSD Middle Level Grading Guidelines – Academic Grades Academic grades recorded on students’ report cards represent a balance of students’ work, reflecting students’ learning and progress over time. Homework/Coursework: Homework, classwork, progress checks, short quizzes and other checks for understanding -- represent 20-30% of students’ grades Assessment: Unit and course assessments, performance tasks, portfolios, presentations, projects, essays, products and other demonstrations of learning -- represent 70-80% of students’ grades 90 – 100A 80 – 89B 70 – 79C 60 – 69 D 59 and below is marked as an F

What the Research Says… Homework Homework/coursework plays a role in the education of children. The purposes of meaningful homework include allowing students to prepare for, practice and/or extend their learning. Relevant homework/coursework is aligned to instructional objectives and/or content standards.

Learning from High Impact Teachers… In the past, students often got good grades in my classes because they completed their homework, while students who did not turn in homework got lower grades. These homework grades were frequently at odds with the results of tests of students’ understanding. When this happened my students’ grades were a more accurate measure of a student's effort than of his or her learning. (Winger, From Sampling Student Performance excerpt.)

SUSD Middle Level Grading Guidelines -- Homework

SUSD Middle Level Grading Guidelines – Conduct Grades Conduct grades are the appropriate venue for communicating student behaviors, attitudes and/or work habits. Conduct grades and attendance are reflected in the conduct area on the SUSD Report Card. Indicators for Conduct: O- Outstanding S- Satisfactory N- Needs Improvement U- Unsatisfactory

Late coursework is best reported to students and parents as part of the conduct grade and can be noted under “comments.” (See the section on “Guidelines for Late Work” for more information.) Note: Academic grades and conduct are both indicators to determine honor rolls and principals’ lists. See the MSPG for more information. SUSD Middle Level Grading Guidelines – Conduct Grades

SUSD Middle Level Grading Guidelines – Extra Credit Extra credit opportunities that attach to student learning are appropriate ways to encourage meaningful extensions to increase academic achievement and enhance learning. Any opportunities for extra credit shall be made available to all students of a class/course. Teachers are not required to offer extra credit in any given course. When offered, no more than 5% of a student’s total academic grade can be extra credit.

What the Research Says… Late Work “Nearly a century of evidence notes that grading as punishment does not work. The student who hands work in late in week 2 frequently exhibits the same behavior in week 8” (Reeves, 2007). This does not mean that turning in work on time is not important. “It is best to do it right and on time, but it is better to do it right and late than the reverse” (Barker, as cited by O’Connor, 2009). “No studies support low grades or marks as punishments -- low grades more often cause students to withdraw from learning” (Guskey and Bailey, 2001).

What the Research Says… Assigning Penalties for Late Work Penalties that students receive distort their achievement, contributing to a score that does not have clear meaning. Academic grades should reflect students’ mastery of academic content, not behaviors. (O’Connor, 2009) Punitive penalties provides a powerful disincentive for students to complete work after it is more than one or two days late. Students won’t complete an assignment (and don’t learn/master the content) if they know that they will not receive academic credit for it. (O’Connor, 2009) Penalties are opposed to a learning/success orientation -- the fact that the work is done and that learning occurs holds more importance than when the work is done and when learning occurs. (O’Connor, 2009)

SUSD Middle Level Grading Guidelines -- Late Work Best Practice Rationale: Students are expected to complete all required work and will be given opportunities and support to do so.  To reinforce the expectation of students submitting quality work on time, any penalties for late work indicated as part of the “academic grade” will be fixed as opposed to escalating. Such penalties are not to exceed 10% of the original value of the assignment, after grading.  Content area teams by grade level can establish windows of opportunity for students to complete and submit late work. Content teams may choose to not accept late work the last week of any marking period to allow teachers time to complete grading and report cards. Content area teams will communicate these timelines to students and parents in course syllabi.  Assignments not completed/submitted within the timeframes established by content grade level teams will be indicated as not submitted (NS) and will remain a zero.

What the Research Says… Redos and Retakes Definition of “Mastery Learning” -- Mastery is the fluent application of content knowledge and skills in contexts commensurate with and measured by acknowledged high standards. Grading communicates the learner’s progress towards mastery. (SUSD HS Subcommittee) Research indicates that high performing schools and teachers focus on students’ growth and promote mastery of learning outcomes. Thus, they encourage students to continue their learning and allow opportunities for redos/retakes on designated assignments and assessments – representing the most important learning of the unit/course.

SUSD Middle Level Grading Guidelines – Redos and Retakes Best Practice Rationale: High performing schools and teachers focus on students’ growth and mastery and allow work and assessments to be redone. Redos and retakes are part of a system that increases academic rigor to prepare our students for the next grade level.  Repetitive opportunities to measure mastery or similar knowledge and skills will be permitted at teacher discretion at the middle level.  Content area teams will designate and communicate which assignments/assessments, representing the most important standards and outcomes of their course, will be allowed as redos/retakes.  Where second chance opportunities are available to students for important assignments or assessments, students shall earn the highest mark received – less minor deductions that may be established by content area teams to encourage students to try their best on the first attempt. (Deductions are not to exceed 10% of the value of an assignment.)  Students are expected to contact teacher(s) to schedule opportunities for redos/retakes.  Content area teams can establish windows of opportunity for students to complete redos and retakes. Content teams may choose to not allow retakes or redos in the last week of any marking period to allow teachers time to complete grading and report cards.

What Redos and Retakes Might Look Like: Students may be expected to get support from their teacher or demonstrate additional learning prior to be allowed an opportunity to redo an assignment. Students may be expected to have all homework/coursework turned in before being allowed an opportunity to redo/retake a designated assignment. Students may be asked to redo/retake only parts of an assignment they did not understand – or they may be given an alternate assignment to redo or retake. Students may be asked to complete a redo/retake in their classroom during an “amnesty day” scheduled at the end of each unit to allow redos/retakes and enrichment to happen inside the regularly scheduled day… OR students may be asked to take redos/retakes before or after school or during lunch. SUSD Middle Level Grading Guidelines – Redos and Retakes

Resources to Learn More… FAQ Special thanks to the members of the Middle Level Grading Subcommittee!

References Erickson, J. A. (2011). A call to action: Transforming grading practices. Principal Leadership. Guskey, T., & Bailey, J. M. (2001). Developing Grading and Reporting Systems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. O’Connor, K. (2009). How to Grade for Learning, K-12. Glenview, IL: Pearson Education, Reeves, D. B. (2010). Elements of Grading. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. Deuck, M. (2011). How I broke my rule and learned to give retests. Educational Leadership, 69, Guskey, T. (2003). How classroom assessments can improve student learning. Educational Leadership, 6, Hanover Research. (2011). Effective Grading Practices in the Middle School and High School Environments. Independent School Administration Practice. Washington, DC. Marzano, R. (2006). Classroom Assessment and Grading that Work. Alexandria: ASCD. Marzano, R. (2011). Grades that show what students know. Education Leadership, (69) 3, Taylor, C. S. & Nolen, S. B. (2005). Classroom Assessment: Supporting Teaching and Learning in Real Classrooms. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Merrill-Prentice. Wormeli, R. (2011). Redos and retakes done right. Educational Leadership, 69(3),