Policy

Grading policies vary from district to district...and teacher to teacher. These policies reflect philosophy about what a grade represents and communicates. If you're considering a move to standards-based grading, you can use the documents below to help shape your policy development.

 

 

Start with The Case of the Truant Student. Based on a situation I faced as a teacher, it presents a student that many of us have had in class, as well as a decision to make about his grade after he skipped school. What would you do?

 

Review a Sample Traditional Grading Policy and think about how its components may or may not align with a standards-based policy. Build a new policy of your own, or use my Standards-based Grading Policy as a starting point.

 

I used a 4-point grading scale. Here is how I explained the 1 - 4 Scoring of Assignments to parents, students, and other stakeholders. What do you do when there isn't work to score? Use an Incomplete until the student work has been turned in. For more information on the Power of I, download the PowerPoint presentation by Mineral County Schools.

 

You may also be interested in the collection of grading policies hosted by Big Ideas. There are several examples from different schools around the United States. Frank Noschese, a physics teacher in NY, has shared his policy here.