Grades+(+What+they+mean)

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Annunciation Catholic School wishes to recognize your primary role in the education of your child and values its partnership with you. The curriculum at Annunciation Catholic School is based on the California State Standards and the Diocesan guidelines. Each teacher has posted on their website the topics that will be covered in the current trimester, and these topics are closely aligned with the California State Standards. If you would like to review the State standards they can be found at [].
 * Understanding what your student is learning and how they are doing is integral to your role as your child’s primary educator. **

All assignments are posted on the teacher’s web page so you can review what has been assigned and note upcoming tests and due dates. __In addition you should regularly access Gradelink to view your child’s performance on the assignments given__. If your child does not turn in a given assignment please note that this will be noted in the comment section. If you have lost your password or do not have a password please contact the school office.

Student progress toward grade level mastery of the curriculum is measured both formally and informally on an ongoing basis. To better help you understand this process and to ensure that there is a consistent and clear evaluation of your child’s progress across subjects and grade levels all teachers in Kindergarten to 8 th grade will evaluate your child in the following categories:


 * Homework** – This is independent work assigned for the purpose of practice. __It is not a formal assessment of learning__ for grading purposes and it comprises 10% of your child’s grade in 3rd to 8th grade. In Kindergarten to 2nd grade homework is not recorded on Gradelink but rather you are informed weekly of your students work and this is taken into consideration in their effort grade.
 * Graded work** – This work includes both assignments done in class and selected homework assignments. It is designated as a graded assignment by the teacher at the time it is given. It might include a paragraph or essay, a set of math problems, a review sheet, short answers, an oral presentation or a simple short project designed to determine the student’s mastery of the material covered. In 3rd to 8th grade these assignments will be 50% of your child’s grade. In Kindergarten to 2nd grade this category will be 60% of your child’s grade.


 * Tests and Projects** – These are Chapter and Unit tests and projects designed to measure mastery of a major concept or skill being taught. The projects in this category are grade appropriate but require effort over time and are usually multi-step assignments. In Kindergartento 8th grade this will account for 40% of your child’s grade.

**__ Grades Kindergarten, 1 and 2 __**

 * O ** Outstanding
 * S ** Successful
 * N ** Needs growth in this area

** __Grades 3 – 8__ **
Students will receive the following markings to denote particular strengths and areas of improvement as necessary. ( not all categories will be marked) + **Plus** Area of strength
 * = =A 95-100%= ||= =C+ 77-79%= ||
 * = =A- 90-94%= ||= =C 73-76%= ||
 * = =B+ 87-89%= ||= =C- 70-72%= ||
 * = =B 83-86%= ||= =D 69-63%= ||
 * = =B- 80-82%= ||= =D- 60-62%= ||
 * =  ||= =F 59% -50%= ||
 * __ Other report card markings- Grades Kindergarten to 8th __**
 * __ Individual skills __**__ **under subject heading** __
 * / Check ** Requires improvement


 * __Subject Level indicators__**
 * Level 2 ** Exceeds grade level standard and is working with and being graded on advanced materials
 * No mark ** Student is working with grade level appropriate materials.
 * Level 1 ** Student is working on a modified curriculum and is being graded based on the modified curriculum

Thomas R. Guskey, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Kentucky, explains the reasoning well: “[We have] no intention of giving students credit when no credit was due. A 50% is still a failing grade. [We] did so to eliminate the devastating effects of a zero in a percentage grading system. To recover from a single zero, a student must achieve a minimum of nine perfect papers. Attaining that level of performance would challenge the most talented students, and may be impossible for most others, especially those who struggle in learning. A single zero can doom a student to failure, regardless of what dedicated effort or level of performance might follow.
 * __ Failing Grades __**** : ** .Zeros are no longer being used because they unfairly damage a student’s average.

Certainly students need to know that there are consequences for what they do and do not do in school. Malingering should be penalized. But should the penalty be so severe that students have no chance of restitution or recovery regarding their grade? In a percentage grading system, a zero is the most extreme score a teacher can assign. To move from a B to an A in most schools, for example, requires an improvement of only 10% at most, say from 80% to 90%. But to move from a zero to a minimum passing grade requires six or seven times that improvement, usually from zero to 60% or 70%” For example: A student who has 3 grades of100% (or A) and 1 zero grade would receive a low C which certainly is not a true measure of their ability or progress.