Board Policy

Grades/Evaluation of Student Achievement

BP 5121

Students

Grades are an impartial, consistent reflection of the quality of the student’s work and his/her mastery of course content standards.

 The teacher of each course shall determine the student's grade. The grade assigned by the teacher shall not be changed by the Board or the Superintendent except as provided by law, Board policy and administrative regulation. (Education Code 49066)

(cf. 5125.3 - Challenging Student Records)

Grades shall be based primarily on the degree of student mastery of course content standards. Student mastery can be demonstrated by class work, portfolios, labs, papers, oral and written performances, projects, teacher observation, and quizzes and tests.

Student learning is supported by daily attendance and homework completion, class participation, and academic honesty. Homework is defined in BP and AR 6154.

The Superintendent or designee shall establish and regularly evaluate a uniform grading system. Within the first week of the term, teachers shall communicate with students and parents/guardians course standards, grading criteria, and late work policies.

Students and parents/guardians shall receive updates that represent an accurate and timely evaluation of the students’ grades.

When reporting student progress/grades to students and parents/guardians, teachers may add narrative descriptions, observational notes and/or samples of classroom work.

Teachers are encouraged to provide opportunities for students, parents and tutors to review test concepts outside of school.

(cf 6011 – Academic Standards) (cf 6020 – Parent Involvement)

(cf 5020 – Parent Rights and Responsibilities)

The Superintendent or designee shall recommend to the Board the methodology to be used in calculating students' grade point averages.

Administrative Regulation
Grades/Evaluation of Student Achievement

AR 5121

Students

Students shall be given multiple attempts at mastery of course content standards. These attempts shall include multiple unit assignments and quizzes that assess student learning and may include test retakes.

Systems shall be in place to ensure students successfully complete essential course work, so that students may avoid receiving zeros for missing course work. Each school site, using Response to Intervention models, will develop and implement a support & intervention system.

In grade evaluation, teachers are encouraged to consider students’ later performances (for instance a final), if they reflect mastery of previous curriculum. However, teachers are discouraged from giving one “high stakes” test that substantially lowers a semester grade (such as a final worth more than 30% of the grade).

Rubrics should be used to determine individual grades for group work.

Extra credit and bonus points shall be standards based and/or relevant to the course of study. Student mastery can be demonstrated by class work, portfolios, labs, papers, oral and written performances, projects, teacher observation, and quizzes and tests. Factors that demonstrate student mastery should be emphasized in determining grades.

Skills-practice homework should not impact a student’s grade by more than one (1) letter grade in either direction.

(cf 6011 – Academic Standards)

Curriculum, homework, and grading will be coordinated, consistent, and aligned among grade- level and course-level teams.

The principal and staff at each site will develop, publish, and annually review a school-wide homework and grading plan. Plans will, where appropriate, be coordinated and consistent among grade levels at other schools.

District office staff will create a school-site grading template for school sites to fill out. Plans will be reviewed annually by district-office staff.

The plan shall reflect research-based best practices and identify guidelines for:

a)   Consistencies within courses and departments

b)   How much tests and other grading factors are worth per course, department, or grade level