Grading Policy

At the elementary level, report cards are skills-based.

In kindergarten, promotion to the next grade level shall be based on the following criteria: 
1. Students shall be able to identify all letters.
2. Students shall know 80 percent of letter sounds. 
3. Students shall be able to identify numbers to 20. 
4. Students shall be able to identify 80 percent of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) shapes. 

In grade 1, promotion to the next grade level shall be based on the following: 
1. Students shall be reading 60 wpm. 
2. Students shall be reading at grade level according to DRA, STAR, TPRI, ITBS, and/or AIMSWEB.
3. Students shall meet a performance standard of 70 percent on the end-of-year mathematics examination. 

In grade 2, promotion to the next grade level shall be based on the following: 
1. Students shall be reading 90 wpm. 
2. Students shall be reading at grade level according to DRA, STAR, TPRI, ITBS, and/or AIMSWEB.
3. Students shall meet a performance standard of 75 percent on the end-of-year mathematics examination. 

In grade 3, promotion to the next grade level shall be based on the following: 
1. Students shall be reading 120 wpm. 
2. Students shall be reading at grade level according to DRA, STAR, TPRI, ITBS, and/or AIMSWEB.
3. Students shall meet the standard on the state reading assessment. 
4. Students shall meet a performance standard of 70 percent on the end-of-year mathematics examination. 

Grading Guidelines (3-12)

These guidelines have been created by the grading policy committee and have been approved by the campus principal. These guidelines establish the minimum number of assignments, projects, and examinations required for each grading period. In addition, these guidelines establish how the scholar’s mastery of concepts and achievement will be communicated (i.e., letter grades, numerical averages, checklist of required skills, etc.). Grading guidelines also outline in what circumstances a scholar will be allowed to redo an assignment or retake an assessment for which the scholar originally made a failing grade. Procedures for a scholar to follow after an absence will also be addressed.

The following percentages are used to determine the six-week grade. Grades (assessment, practice, or lab) will reflect the level of understanding by the scholar based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) of that subject.

			WEIGHTS
Assignment Type	Examples	Frequency	Grade 3-5	Grade 6-8	Grade 9-12
Practice Assignments	Quizzes, classwork, and homework	6 - 10 per grading period	40%	35%	30%
Formal Assessments	Unit tests and major projects, essays	2 - 3 per grading period	50%	55%	60%
CTBA	CTBA or STAAR/EOC	Grades 3-5: Two per semester. Grades 6-12:  One per grading period	10%	10%	10%

3-5 Science Grading Policy – 40% Formal Assessment, 35% Practice, 15% Lab, & 10% CTBA
6-8  Science Grading Policy – 45% Formal Assessment, 25% Practice, 20% Lab, & 10% CTBA
9-12 Science Grading Policy – 50% Formal Assessment, 15% Practice, 25% Lab, & 10% CTBA

Grades and/or extra credit cannot be given for non-academic assignments. 

 PRACTICE ASSIGNMENTS

Practice assignments are designed to prepare scholars for the opportunity to demonstrate mastery on formal assessments and CTBAs.  Learning is iterative and involves scholars making mistakes.  The expectation is that scholars give their best effort on all assignments. 

Absent

• The scholar is responsible for obtaining and completing the makeup work within the timeframe set by the teacher. 
• Scholars will be allowed to make up tests and submit projects for any class missed due to an absence. Exception: Teachers may apply a late penalty to long-term projects, in line with timelines approved by the principal and previously communicated to scholars.

Resubmission

• Scholars will have one opportunity to revise and resubmit an assignment prior to the next formal assessment or CTBA (whichever occurs first). 

Late Work

• Scholars will have the opportunity to earn up to a 70 for the late submission of an assignment prior to the next formal assessment or CTBA (whichever occurs first). No credit will be given for an assignment that is submitted after the next formal assessment or CTBA (whichever occurs first).

FORMAL ASSESSMENTS

Formal assessments provide scholars the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the TEKS or learning standards.  The assessments should be consistent with the rigor of the TEKS or learning standards.  When applicable the questions and question types should be modeled after STAAR or AP (Advanced Placement) questions and question types.  The assessments should be delivered via Aware when appropriate and should take place under similar circumstances as would be expected for a STAAR or AP exam.  

Retake Policy

•  After the formal assessment is graded and feedback is provided, scholars must complete remediation before attempting an alternative assessment. They will have one opportunity to take the assessment within 5 days or by the end of the grading period, whichever comes first.  
• Scholars will have the chance to recover up to 50% of the points they missed on the original assessment. 
• For example, if a scholar scores 60 on their original assessment, they have the opportunity to recover up to 20 points through the alternative assessment.
• If a scholar earns a lower grade on the alternative assessment, the original grade will be reported.

COMMON TEKS-BASED ASSESSMENTS (CTBA)

Retake Policy

 After the CTBA is graded and feedback is provided, scholars must complete remediation before attempting an alternative CTBA. They will have one opportunity to take the alternative CTBA within 5 days or by the end of the grading period, whichever comes first.

• Only scholars who earn a grade below 70  will have the opportunity to take an alternative CTBA. 
• The maximum score a scholar can receive on an alternative CTBA is 70.
• The grade reported will be the higher of the two CTBAs.

DUAL CREDIT:  Dual credit courses will adhere to the guidelines provided by college or university administering the course. 

TRANSFER GRADES:   When scholars transfer to Alvarado ISD from a school that gives letter grades, a uniform grading system for translating letter grades is used in all secondary schools. The chart below defines the alpha-to-numeric conversion used in Alvarado ISD. When an alpha-to-numeric conversion scale is provided from the sending district, the sending district’s grading scale is used in lieu of Alvarado ISD’s conversion chart.

 

A+ (Excellent)	99
A	96
A-	92
B+ (Good)	89
B	86
B-	82
C+ (Fair)	79
C	76
C-	72
D	70
F (Failing; below 60)	60