1. Grading Policy for Students and Parents
6th Grade ELA
6th Grade Social Studies

2. Grading Policy
I have a very different grading philosophy from 5th grade! Pay attention!
There will be NO EXTRA CREDIT in 6th Grade Core & Social Studies this year.
I grade Academic Factors only!
Academic vs Non-Academic Factors: No longer will someone be given “extra credit” for glitter, coloring, or perfect handwriting on a project! That is a non-academic factor. An academic factor is very cut and dry…do you know what you are supposed to know, and how well do you know it.
That doesn’t mean that neatness, creativity, organizational skills or turning work on time isn’t important – because it is!
The grade will reflect what you know or what you don’t yet know, and to what extent.
How much CONTENT do you know?

3. Major/Minor Categories
All final grades shall be calculated on a percentage system for each type of assignment.
Discussion will be a HUGE part of this class , so get ready to talk about what you are learning with a wide variety of people in this class.
Major (Summative) – 60%
Minor (Formative) – 40%
Summative assessment of the mastery of standards. Includes assignments such as: chapter and unit tests, major presentations, major projects, portfolios, final draft of writing assignments, inquiry projects, and major performances.
Basically any FINAL project at the end of the unit that shows your “arrival” at learning.
Formative assessment of mastery standards such as quizzes, journal entries, minor projects, interactive notebook/classwork, exit slips, small group conversations, homework and quick writes.
Basically the “journey” along the way to learning a certain skill or piece of knowledge.

4. Late Work – No Penalty until end of unit.
If you need extra time to show me what you know, come and discuss it with me like a mature young person. We’ll discuss “late” work on a case by case basis, but be reasonable.
I’m more concerned with you learning the material and getting an opportunity to show me what you’ve learned!
You will have until the day of the Unit Test to turn in any work for that unit.
However, if you are not doing your work…we’re going to be buddies because you will spend lunches, recess, afterschool, etc., time with me to do your work.

5. Getting an “A” won’t be easy!
All students should have every opportunity to succeed and every opportunity to demonstrate mastery of content. Students will most often be graded on a 4-Point Rubric which will then be converted to a letter grade for recording purposes.
There is no such thing as an “Easy A” in my class.
Students who routinely receive “A’s” but are not challenged are not truly showing what they are capable of. To receive an “A” the student must show understanding that exceeds what was taught in class. Grades should be utilized as feedback the student can use to self-assess and improve learning.
Tests will be graded as “raw” scores. If you get 20/25 on a chapter test, you get an 80% because that’s the raw score.

6. Standards Based Grading
I also believe that a missing assignment shouldn’t destroy your grade. A zero on a 100 percent grading scale is unrecoverable. In Standards Based Grading, this will no longer be the case. A zero on a 4 pt scale is easy to recover, UNLESS it is a “major” grade. Everyone can be successful in this system!
Missing work will go into the gradebook as a “5” and not a “0”. It’s still a failing grade, a 5/10 is still an F…but it’s recoverable. A “5” in the gradebook means the work was not completed.
Remember: “5” equals “0” for Mrs. Wedel.

7. Standards Based Grading
Often, your work will be graded on a 4 Point Rubric instead of a traditional point scale ( 8/10, 75%).
You will see a rubric like this:
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Approaching
Expectations
Not Meeting
4—The student has a complete and detailed understanding of the information important to the topic that exceeds what was taught in class.
3—The student has a complete understanding of the information important to the topic but not in great detail.
2—The student has an incomplete understanding of the topic and/or misconceptions about some of the information. However, the student maintains a basic understanding of the topic.
1—The student’s understanding of the topic is so incomplete or has so many misconceptions that the student cannot be said to understand the topic.
0—No judgment can be made about the student’s understanding of the topic.
Marzano, Robert

8. Converting to “Letter” GradesB C D F 10
9.5
9.0
8.5
8.0
7.5
7.0
6.5
5.0
6.0
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Approaching
Expectations
Not Meeting
4—The student has a complete and detailed understanding of the information important to the topic that exceeds what was taught in class.
3—The student has a complete understanding of the information important to the topic but not in great detail.
2—The student has an incomplete understanding of the topic and/or misconceptions about some of the information. However, the student maintains a basic understanding of the topic.
1—The student’s understanding of the topic is so incomplete or has so many misconceptions that the student cannot be said to understand the topic.
0—No judgment can be made about the student’s understanding of the topic.
Marzano, Robert
10’s will be hard to come by!

9. Grading Summary
Your grade will tell me, you and your parents how much 6th grade Content you actually know. With that in mind, your “major” grades will be worth 60% of your grade and your “minor” grades will be worth 40% of your grade.
Neatness, creativity, organization and turning things in on time will be important, but they won’t “bump” up your grade if you don’t actually know the material.
If you are not doing your work or are not able to finish on time, we’re going to address it together.
Grading will be on a 4pt scale with a student turning in the bare minimum and nothing additional receiving a “3” on the scale, which equates to a solid “B” grade.
In order to get an “A” you must exceed what was taught in class and show deeper understanding of the topic.
A score of “5” in the gradebook means you are missing that assignment. Remember “5 equals Zero”.