Dallas ISD 057905 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT GRADING/PROGRESS REPORTS TO PARENTS EIA (LOCAL)

GRADING PHILOSOPHY AND PURPOSE

To meet the Districts mission of college and workforce readiness, grading practices must be in accordance with the Districts philosophy that expects and supports all students learning at high, rigorous levels. Therefore, grading practices must focus on student growth and mastery of the learning standards identified in the District curriculum, which include, but are not limited to, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Grading emphasis shall be placed on accomplishment of these standards and not on the time it takes to learn them, nor on the short-term failures that may occur along the way to mastery. Grading shall serve the following purposes: 1. Equity and Access: To support equity and access to rigorous learning for all students by providing coherent grading expectations based upon challenging learning standards. Communication: To inform parents/guardians and students of the students success in learning and mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and other required learning expectations. Motivation: To promote and maintain desirable learning habits and practices of achievement as a basis for student self-management of learning tools for future educational success and college and workforce readiness. Instructional Decision Making: To provide data for use in educational planning and decision making at the student, classroom, school, and District levels. Documentation: To provide a coherent process for documenting and archiving student mastery of required learning standards across grade levels and between schools and districts.

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RELATION TO ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: PK12

The District shall determine instructional objectives that relate to the essential knowledge and skills for grade-level subjects or courses. These objectives shall address the skills needed for successful performance in the next grade or next course in a sequence of courses. Assignments, tests, projects, classroom activities, and other instructional activities shall be designed so that the students performance indicates the level of mastery of the designated District objectives. The students mastery level shall be a major factor in determining the grade for a subject or course.

DATE ISSUED: 9/20/2010 LDU 2010.11 EIA(LOCAL)-X

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OVERSIGHT AND GUIDELINES FOR GRADING: PK12

Report cards shall be issued every six-week grading period. Districtwide student passing/failure rates shall be monitored by the Superintendent of Schools or designee and reported biannually or as directed by the Board. The Superintendent of Schools shall develop guidelines for teachers to follow in arriving at six-week and semester grades for students. These guidelines shall ensure that grading reflects a students relative mastery of an assignment and that a sufficient number of grades are taken to support the grade average assigned. Grades shall not be reduced for disciplinary reasons except in cases of late assignments or academic dishonesty. Guidelines for grading shall be clearly communicated to students and parents. [See EIA(REGULATION)] The Superintendent of Schools or designee shall develop guidelines regulating homework, makeup work, and grading procedures. [See EIA(REGULATION)] Numerical averages of 0.5 or above shall be rounded up to the next whole number. That is, 77.5 becomes 78, while 77.4 becomes 77. An examination or course grade issued by the teacher is final and may not be changed unless the grade is arbitrary, erroneous, or not consistent with the Districts grading policy applicable to the grade level or program as outlined in this policy.

INTERIM REPORTS GRADES 2-12

Interim progress reports shall be issued by the teacher every three weeks to a student whose performance in any subject or class is below 70 or whose average is deemed borderline according to District guidelines. Lack of a failure notice shall not absolve a student of the responsibility to pass assigned work. The District shall make this information available to the sponsors of extracurricular activities in which the student participates. The notice shall stipulate that the student shall have the remainder of the six-week period to bring the grade up to 70 or above and that the student shall be suspended from extracurricular activities if the grade is not brought up to that point by the end of the six-week period. The District may require any student whose midreporting period grade average is below 70 or borderline to attend tutorial sessions. A student who receives an interim progress report during the six-week grading period indicating the students performance in any subject or class is below 70 or whose average is deemed borderline according to District guidelines, shall be encouraged to attend tutorial sessions, complete special

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projects or extra credit assignments prior to the end of the six-week grading period. When both the teacher and principal agree that extenuating circumstances are present, the student may be given additional time to complete the special projects or extra credit assignments beyond the end of the six-week grading period.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: PK12

Academic dishonesty includes cheating or copying the work of another student, plagiarism, and unauthorized communication between students during an examination. The determination that a student has engaged in academic dishonesty shall be based on the judgment of the classroom teacher or another supervising professional employee, taking into consideration written materials, observation, or information from students. No honor roll shall be established for students in prekindergarten through grade 3 but shall be implemented for grades 412. Honor roll designations shall be restricted to grade point averages of 80 or above. All courses shall count toward honor roll eligibility. However, a student must be enrolled in at least four courses toward GPA to be eligible for honor roll as follows: 1. 2. A Honor RollFor students with a GPA of 90 or above, with no course grade lower than 70. B Honor RollFor students with a GPA of 8089, with no grade lower than 70.

HONOR ROLL: PK12

PARENT CONFERENCES: PK12

In compliance with Education Code 28.022, the District shall hold conferences with parents of all students in prekindergarten to grade 12 and shall give written notice to parents of a students performance in each class or subject. Parent conferences shall be held twice a year. Personal business days may not be used during days scheduled for conferences. [See DEC(LOCAL)] In addition to the twice-yearly conferences, a teacher shall schedule one or more conferences with the parents or guardians of a student if the student is not maintaining passing grades or achieving the expected level of performance. Additionally, the students progress and his or her level of achievement shall be reported to parents or guardians in a manner they can understand. Translation of English report card formats shall be available for parents who speak a language other than English. Additional provisions for clarification shall be provided as necessary.

DATE ISSUED: 9/20/2010 LDU 2010.11 EIA(LOCAL)-X

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HOMEWORK DEFINED: PK12

Homework is assignment of work related to the essential knowledge and skills and used as independent practice activities. These assignments are expected to be completed outside the regular classroom setting. Homework should always be reviewed with students with feedback provided by the teacher. Class work is all work related to daily classroom assignments that reflects previously learned behaviors. It also refers to subjective areas such as oral participation in class activities and discussions. The class work grade shall not be used to evaluate class conduct, tardiness, or other areas related to discipline. Students shall be permitted to make up assignments and tests after an absence. Students shall receive credit without penalty for satisfactory makeup work after an absence, including absences as a result of suspension, but shall receive a zero for any assignment or test not made up within the allotted time. For makeup work related to an absence, students shall be given two days for every day missed. Teachers may determine if additional time will be allotted in consideration of the age of the student and/or difficulty of the missed assignments. For late work not related to an absence, teachers shall identify the time allocation and grade penalties for submission of late work as part of their grade-level/department grading procedures. The Superintendent of Schools or designee shall develop guidelines regulating homework, makeup work, and grading procedures. [See EIA(REGULATION)]

CLASS WORK DEFINED: PK12

MAKEUP WORK RELATED TO AN ABSENCE DEFINED: PK12

LATE WORK NOT RELATED TO AN ABSENCE DEFINED: PK12

RETESTING PK12 DURING A 6-WEEKS GRADING PERIOD

To ensure that test grades reflect content mastery, a student shall be permitted to retake any major test he or she has failed within five school days of the date the failing grade was received or no later than ten days of the date of the test. If the test is passed on the second attempt, the failing grade shall be removed from the grade book, and the passing grade recorded with the following exception. When student behavior or actions clearly demonstrate that a major test was failed due to lack of effort or inappropriate behavior, a teacher with the principals approval, may assess a grade penalty. The grade penalty shall be either the average of the two tests or a 70 (if either the average or the second attempt is above 70). The grade given a student failing the test for the second time shall be the higher score earned on either test. The retesting policy shall not apply to ACPs. The Superintendent of Schools or designee shall develop procedures for implementing the retesting 4 of 10

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policy, taking into account the levels of maturity and accountability appropriate at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
ELEMENTARY GRADING PK6

Essential knowledge and skills for prekindergartengrade 6 shall be used for documenting mastery of the expectations per grade level. In recording grades for prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade students on the student report card, the symbols E indicating excellent progress, S for satisfactory progress, and N for needs improvement shall be used. Documentation of mastery shall include multiple measures. For all subjects taught in elementary grades 25/6, the teachers shall use numerical grades (see below) to report progress to parents and students. The numerical grade ranges shall be: 70100 Below 70 I Passing Failing Incomplete (must be made up within a reasonable period of time)

GRADES 25/6

Standardized grading procedures in compliance with this policy shall be implemented by each grade level and/or campus. Extra credit for activities such as oral/written reports and other projects shall be allowed for all students. A student who receives an interim progress report during the six-week grading period indicating the students performance in any subject or class is below 70 or whose average is deemed borderline according to District guidelines, shall be encouraged to complete special projects or extra credit assignments prior to the end of the six-week grading period. When both the teacher and principal agree that extenuating circumstances are present, the student may be given additional time to complete the special projects or extra credit assignments beyond the end of the six-week grading period.
BILINGUAL / ESL AND SPECIAL EDUCATION PK GRADE 5/6

Report cards for students in bilingual/ESL and special education in prekindergartengrades 5/6 shall reflect programs as recommended by LPAC for ESL students and by ARD/IEP for special education students. While the LPAC and ARD committees do not grade student performance, the programs and modifications determined by the LPAC and ARD committees influence student grades and must be identified on student report cards, progress reports in prekindergarten grade 1, and report cards in grades 25/6.

DATE ISSUED: 9/20/2010 LDU 2010.11 EIA(LOCAL)-X

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CONDUCT GRADES

Conduct grades are optional at campus discretion, but if given shall be communicated to parents by an assessment of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory) for each six-week period on the report card for each class. For all subjects taught in grades 68, the teachers shall use numerical grades on the report cards (see below) to report progress to parents and students. The numerical grade ranges shall be: 70100 Below 70 I Passing Failing Incomplete (must be made up within ten school days)

MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADING: GRADES 68

SIX-WEEK GRADES

A standardized grading policy shall be implemented by each department of every middle school. Extra credit for activities such as oral/written reports and other projects is allowed for all students. Semester averages shall be computed as follows except for high school courses taught in grade 7 or 8. First, second, and third six-week grades shall be averaged together to equal 90 percent of the semester grade. The final exam shall equal ten percent of the semester average. [See EIA(REGULATION)] In grades 68, credits are awarded on a yearly basis, except in those cases in which the course is a single-semester course. For purposes of assigning yearly grades, the first semester numerical average and the second semester numerical average shall be averaged. Numerical averages of 0.5 or above shall be rounded up to the next whole number. That is, 77.5 becomes 78, while 77.4 becomes 77. To earn high school credit for middle school languages other than English courses, four semester courses shall be required. These courses shall follow the semester averaging policy for grades 7 and 8, and both yearly averages must average together with a score of 70 or higher. The semester averages for all other high school courses offered in grade 7 or 8 shall be computed according to the semester averaging policy governing these same courses in grades 912. A student who receives an interim progress report during the six-week grading period indicating the students performance in any subject or class is below 70 or whose average is deemed borderline according to District guidelines, shall be encouraged to complete special projects or extra credit as-

SIX-WEEK AND SEMESTER AVERAGES

AWARDING CREDIT

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signments prior to the end of the six-week grading period. When both the teachers and principal agree that extenuating circumstances are present, the student may be given additional time to complete the special projects or extra credit assignments beyond the end of the six-week grading period.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADING GRADES 912

Numerical grades shall be issued in all courses. The numerical grade ranges shall be: 70100 Below 70 I Passing Failing Incomplete (must be made up within ten school days)

SIX-WEEK GRADES

A standardized grading policy shall be implemented by each department of every high school. Extra credit for activities such as oral/written reports and other projects shall be allowed for all students within each set weight. All students shall earn a grade point average (GPA) based on a 100-point system. Students in grades 912 shall earn a rank in class based on the number of ranking classes taken in grades 9 12 and class rank points that are adjusted for course difficulty. The equivalent scale for numerical grades on a 4.0 grade point system is as follows: A B C F 90100 8089 7079 Below 70 4.0 3.0 2.0 0.0

GRADE POINT AVERAGE GRADES 912

SIX-WEEK AND SEMESTER AVERAGES GRADES 912

Semester averages for students who entered grade 9 on or before 2010-2011 in grades 912 will be computed as follows: first, second, and third six-week grades shall be averaged together to equal 85 percent of the semester grade. The final exam shall equal 15 percent of the semester average. For courses in which an Assessment of Course Performance (ACP) is developed, the ACP is considered a part of the course and the ACP score must factor in the semester grade. [See EIA (REGULATION)]

END-OF-COURSE ASSESSMENTS

As required by statute, students entering grade 9 in the 20112012 school year must take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End-of-Course (EOC) exams

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for courses in which they are enrolled as part of their graduation requirements. SIX-WEEK AND SEMESTER AVERAGES FOR COURSES WITH AN EOC Calculation of grades with EOC assessment scores shall be in accordance with the Districts grading guidelines. The students performance on an EOC exam will account for fifteen percent (15%) of the students final grade for the course and will be recorded on the students transcript. The Superintendent or Superintendents designee shall develop and implement regulations regarding STAAR EOC-exam grade calculations and procedures. For graduation, students must achieve a minimum score, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, on an EOC exam. In each STAAR EOC-exam content area, a student is also required to achieve a cumulative score, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, that is at least equal to the product of the number of end-of-course exams administered to the student in that subject. A student must achieve a minimum score on an EOC exam for the score to count towards his or her cumulative score. For purposes of determining a students cumulative score, the students highest score on each end-of-course assessment instrument will be used.

GRADUATION

SPECIAL EDUCATION

A students ARD committee shall determine the type of assessment to be administered and how the score on an EOC assessment shall be used for final course grades, credit decisions, and graduation requirements.
Students may retake an EOC exam at any time according to the testing schedule. Students will retake an EOC exam until a minimum score, as determined by the Texas Commissioner of Education, is achieved. Retakes of EOC exams will be included as fifteen percent (15%) of the student's final course grade only if the retake score allows a student to gain credit for the course. After a student earns credit for a course, subsequent retakes scores will not be included in the calculation of the students final grade for the course. For students entering grade 9 in 2011-2012 and beyond for non-EOC Exam classes, semester averages will be computed as follows: first, second, and third six-week grades shall be averaged together to equal 85 percent of the semester grade. The final exam shall equal 15 percent of the semester average. [See EIA (REGULATION)]

END-OF-COURSE RETAKES

SIX-WEEKS AND SEMESTER AVERAGES FOR NON-EOC EXAM COURSES

DATE ISSUED: 9/20/2010 LDU 2010.11 EIA(LOCAL)-X

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COURSE CREDIT FOR NON-EOC EXAM CLASSES

For purposes of assigning course credit for non-EOC Exam classes, a high school student who fails either semester of a twosemester course, but whose scores for both semesters average 70 or above, shall receive credit for both semesters. Such course averaging is permissible only for students taking the course in the same school year, during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. If a student passes one semester but fails the other with a grade that results in a yearly average below 70, credit will be awarded for the semester passed. [See EIC (Local)] Semester grades, not the yearly average, shall be used to compute GPA and class rank. Middle school students who take a course for high school credit must take the EOC exam related to the course. Students taking the EOC exam will not take a grade-level STAAR test for the related content area. A middle school student taking an EOC exam course cannot be denied promotion on the basis of EOC exam performance. Students transferring from home schools, out of district schools, out of state or other national school systems must take the EOC exams for the courses in which they are enrolled and meet the required cumulative core content scores, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, appropriate for the number of courses taken. Dallas ISD will allow for the replacement of EOC exam scores with identified scores on the Advanced Placement exams, international baccalaureate examination, SAT Subject Test, or another assessment instrument to the extent permissible by state statute and the rules established by Commissioner of Education.

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HIGH SCHOOL COURSES

TRANSFER STUDENTS

ALTERNATE ASSESSMENTS

SIX-WEEK SEMESTER AVERAGES GRADES 912

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Numerical averages of 0.5 or above shall be rounded up to the next whole number. That is, 77.5 becomes 78, while 77.4 becomes 77. A student who receives an interim progress report during the six-week grading period indicating the students performance in any subject or class is below 70 or whose average is deemed borderline according to District guidelines, shall be encouraged to complete special projects or extra credit assignments prior to the end of the six-week grading period. When both the teacher and principal agree that extenuating 9 of 10

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circumstances are present, the student may be given additional time to complete the special projects or extra credit assignments beyond the end of the six-week grading period.

DATE ISSUED: 9/20/2010 LDU 2010.11 EIA(LOCAL)-X

ADOPTED:

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