• Secondary Grading Guidance

    November 2, 2022

    Grades for students in secondary schools have a significant impact and are high-stakes as they affect access to a post-secondary education, career, and future quality of life. Additionally, middle school grades impact equitable course placement and high school enrollment opportunities for advanced courses and earning college credits prior to graduation. In high schools, student grades heavily inform graduation, scholarships, and post-secondary program admissions.

     

    These guidelines are derived and modified from PPSD Board Policy.

     

    All Students

    • Teachers shall allow students sufficient opportunities to succeed. Teachers shall include the use of authentic assessments with rubrics that demonstrate proficiency of standards.Students will receive any grade that permits them to pass and earn credit for a course (A, B, C or D).  

    • Any student earning a failing grade will receive an Incomplete (“I”) and be provided every opportunity to improve, succeed, and achieve excellence (see below).

    • Teachers shall provide “comments” on Progress Reports and Report Cards to provide students an opportunity to improve academic achievement, so that parents/legal guardians will have a better understanding of the factors that contributed to the assigned grade.

    • Middle Schools will continue to work with parents and students to remediate “I”’s.

    Grades 9-11

    Grade 12 only

    • School leaders and counselors will assist teachers who issued “I”s,  to create plans for those students, so that they can meet the course objectives and receive a course grade change. All possible efforts must  be documented in advance, including mandatory parent/legal guardian contact, additional support, tutorial, and alternative options designed to help students meet course objectives.


    • Students who received an “I” as a final grade must enroll and complete a credit recovery program during the current school year.

    • School Counselors must complete a credit audit for all seniors at the end of each quarter to ensure that all earned grades have been recorded in Skyward. 

    • Students projected to graduate in 2023 who received an “I” in their previous high school years will need to work with their school counselor and their school site administrator by November 15, 2022  to complete coursework to remove the grade of “I” from their record.

    • Current Seniors who received an “I” or grade of “F” as a final grade in grades 9-11 will be required to attend a credit recovery program. If the “I” is not resolved by the last day of Semester 1, the School Counselors will assign a grade of “F”.  

    • A grade of “F” may be assigned to a student who does not demonstrate mastery of content standards for said grading period. All possible efforts should be exhausted and documented in advance, including, mandatory parent contact, extra support, tutoring, and alternative options.