Grading Practices

In May of 2010, the Oregon School District Board of Education adopted a position paper titled, Assessment of Student  Achievement. This paper provides guidance and assurances that the means to measure student achievement will be based upon research-based “best practices.” This paper, along with two previous papers,  Accountability for Student Achievement (2004) and Visioning for the Future (2007), describes the measures of success for the Oregon School District and identifies goals and practices (a strategic plan) needed to achieve this success respectively. All three of these documents provide us – the administration, faculty and support staff – with the foundations upon which to base our efforts and to continually improve those efforts to best prepare our students for life in the 21st century. The full text of all of these documents is available on the District’s website under School Board Policies.

During the 2010-2011 school year, Oregon High School began implementing a number of the initiatives contained in the paper, and continued to work on them in alignment with Board Policy 136 and Board Policy 415. During the 24-25 school year OHS teachers adopted updated common grading practices that better reflected a focus on learning over points, that supported student ownership over their learning, and offered common experiences across all classes.

We will continue each year to institute the grading practices per Board policy. As we move forward, OHS will continue to implement a 100-point grading scale. This scale has 50% as the lowest allowable grade for submitted work that has been completed. Fifty percent is not passing, does not constitute mastery or proficiency of a skill, content, or standard, but does provide a springboard for a student to continue pursuing excellence. You will find these procedures woven into the syllabi students receive from their classroom teachers for every class offered at OHS. If, in reading the Grading Practices Manual, you have a question that remains unanswered, please do not hesitate to contact any of our OHS building administrators.

Oregon High School employs a 100-point system of assessment. This scale  is a “Percentage Scale” based upon the number of points a student receives on an assessment out of the total number of points available. Board Policy 415 does not contain a recommended or required grading scale.

Students will earn their Semester Grades by demonstrating evidence of their learning for the course. If the running percentage in Infinite Campus does not accurately reflect the level of learning the student has demonstrated throughout the semester, teachers at OHS will make the final determination as to passing or failing any course using their professional judgment to assess the evidence of learning which the student has provided.  

a. The lowest score on the OHS grading scale is a 50% for any completed and submitted student work. However, any summative assignments or assessments not yet completed and submitted at the Due Date will be entered as Missing, which will carry an automatic 0% in Infinite Campus as a non-attempt, until completed. 

b. Students will be required to complete all summative assessments, prior to the end of the semester in which they were assigned, in order to qualify for a passing grade. All summatives will be required to be submitted, and, regardless of the running average, a student will not be considered “passing” until all summative assessments are completed. This is true regardless of whether Infinite Campus may be showing an inaccurate passing grade. In such a case, the teacher will clearly communicate the reason for the grade adjustment.

Board Policy 415 defines formative assessment as grading for learning. Formative assessment is used to inform instruction, to engage students in the learning process, and to provide specific feedback to students and teachers regarding students’ current learning progress during each unit of study. Summative assessment is defined as grading of learning, and summative assessments are opportunities for students to demonstrate evidence of their ultimate learning progress on curriculum standards at the end of a unit or the end of the course. 

Summative assessments are to be counted toward a student’s Semester Grade for the course. Formative assessment may be included up to 10% of the Semester Grade. Students fully engaging in their formative assessments for the course is a crucial part of their learning process because this is where new learning occurs, and this is where students engage in the feedback process with their teacher. 

At OHS, as in other high schools, “Summative Assessments” can include: Tests, Projects, Research Papers, Presentations, Panel Discussions, Demonstrations, Reports, Essays, Performances, etc. – anything that will provide teachers with evidence of what level students have ultimately reached in the progression of their learning for the course curriculum standards. Participation can be a summative  assessment if it directly relates to measuring a student skill. Summative Assessments can, should, and will take many forms over the course of a semester or school year.  

Similarly, “Formative Assessment” also can, should, and will take many forms in the course of a school year or semester. Formative assessments may include: daily homework assignments, study guides, quizzes, “drafts” of thesis statements, notebooks, note cards, and other, too many to name, activities. A “Formative Assessment” is a crucial part of student learning because it enables students and teachers to engage in a feedback cycle, informing students where they currently are in their learning progress toward the essential knowledge and skills of the course, and informing teachers about where students are excelling and where students need support. As such, formative assessments serve a key role in informing and shaping teachers’ planning and instruction for the course. When students choose not to complete their formative assignments, this choice removes students from the feedback and goal-setting process with their teacher.

Board Policy 415.03 requires teachers at all grade levels to, “Allow opportunity for retakes of summative  assessments.” Further, the policy states, “Teachers and Administration shall establish consistent criteria by which summative retakes may be taken.” The OHS Leadership Team has determined the following: 

1. All students can engage in one retake per summative test. In unique, unusual circumstances an additional retake opportunity may be provided at the teacher’s discretion. 
2. However, for students to be eligible to retake the assessment, additional formative work may also be required before the retake to ensure the student is ready to succeed on the retake. The score earned on the retake of the summative test will replace the original score as the most recent evidence of student learning. 
3. Students may be required to complete the retake process prior to the date of the next summative test, project, or assignment or by a timeline established on the teacher’s syllabus. 
4. A course syllabus may stipulate that students who do not complete required formative work or do not complete this work on time may earn only a score of 80% on a retake of an assessment.
5. The summative assessment retake guidance may not apply to all types of summative assessments including long-term, multi-step assessments such as a research paper, project, or presentation. (In many of these cases, such as a research paper, students receive feedback on each step of the process and have multiple opportunities to redo portions of the paper, presentation, or project before final submission.)
6. OHS classes taken for college credit and AP classes may have a different retake guidance due to college or AP requirements. Please consult your course syllabus for specific details for those classes.  
7. Retake opportunities are not available for final exams/semester projects. 

Board Policy 415, in outlining teacher responsibilities for grading at all levels, cautions, “Avoid penalties for late work as a result of an excused absence.” This does not mean that due dates for student work are  “things of the past.” Establishing, maintaining and holding students accountable for due dates is necessary to assist students in the development of skills such as organization, time management, problem solving, and collaboration as well as in the development of individual responsibility and self-discipline. 

Establishing, maintaining and holding students accountable for due dates is also necessary for teachers to adequately and efficiently manage the workload. The OHS Leadership Team has determined the  following: 

1. The following definition shall be used: DUE DATE – The date upon which the assignment is expected to be submitted to the teacher in complete, final format. Upon the issuance of the assignment, the teacher will clearly specify the due date for its submission.
2. In the event a summative assignment or assessment is not submitted on the Due Date, a Missing Flag will be entered in Infinite Campus for that assignment or assessment as a placeholder, signifying no evidence of learning is available. The Missing Flag will carry an automatic 0% as a non-attempt. 
3. Teachers may elect to enact a cap on scores earned on summatives that are submitted after the due date. This guidance would need to be described on the course syllabus and would result in a maximum score of 85% for work that was submitted late (without appropriate extenuating circumstances). This guidance must be uniformly established and applied for course-alike sections taught by different teachers (PLC level decision). The 85% ceiling does not apply to late formative work.
4. Students will be required to complete all summative assessments, prior to the end of the semester in which they were assigned, in order to qualify for a passing grade for the course. All summatives will be required to be submitted, and, regardless of the running average, a student will not be considered “passing” until all summative assessments are completed. Please note: Waiting until the end of the semester to submit multiple assignments removes students from the learning and feedback process and is not acceptable. 
5. Certainly, there is a good deal of teacher discretion that may be applied. In unusual circumstances, due dates may be extended and grading adjustments may not be necessary. Students are encouraged to discuss unusual or extenuating circumstances directly with teachers, thereby learning and practicing effective communication skills in the process.

• Unusual or extenuating circumstances could include: extended illness, struggles with wellness, family emergencies, a student who is engaged in their learning but having trouble reaching proficiency. 
• The following are not examples of unusual or extenuating circumstances: lack of planning, prioritizing other assignments, pre-planned athletic events, pre-planned work schedules.

Recording of “incompletes,” is a process/procedure that is managed at the building level. The process for managing “incompletes” will be as follows: 

“I” (Incomplete): This mark is intended to be used for students who have had excused absences at the end of the marking period and have not had sufficient time to make up work necessary to receive a grade. Normally, incompletes must be made up within 10 school days after the end of the semester. Make-up work in case of extended absences due to illness will be given special consideration proportionate to the length of the illness. 

1. Students needing additional time to complete assessments are encouraged to discuss and make arrangements (plans to complete the work) directly with their teacher, thereby learning and practicing effective communication skills in the process. An “incomplete” may then be assigned. \
2. Following the 10-school-day period, the student’s progress toward completion will be assessed. 
3. If, at the end of the 10-school-day period, the student has made significant progress and has shown evidence of learning at a passing level, the appropriate grade will replace the incomplete. Or, if the student has made significant progress and the teacher determines additional time is still appropriate, the “incomplete” mark may remain in place.  
4. If, at the end of the 10-school-day period, the student has not made significant progress, and the teacher determines that granting additional time will be unproductive, the Incomplete will be replaced with an F. 
5. In cases of error, miscalculation, or submission of completed work, a teacher may, at their discretion, modify a grade utilizing established building procedures. 

Board Policy 415 specifically states teachers at the secondary (grades 7-12) level, "provide separate, summative feedback on behavior and effort."

1. “Learning Skills” will be evaluated separately for each student, by each teacher, and will be evaluated separately from measures that contribute to the student’s final, summative academic grade. “Learning Skills”  are not used to determine a student’s academic achievement. 
2. “Learning Skills” criteria will be articulated within course syllabi. 
3. The following criteria will be used to determine a student’s “Learning Skills” grade:

Consistently completes class assignments and homework in a timely fashion.

• completes assignments on time 
• is on time to class 
• is prepared for class 
• makes up work in a timely manner 

Cooperates well with students and staff.

• approaches schoolwork with a positive disposition 
• follows the rules and directions of the teacher and school 

Is actively engaged in classroom learning.  

The student…

• initiates contact for extra help when needed
• participates constructively in class activities 

The marks used to describe a student’s performance with regard to “Learning Skills” will be: 

• ‘U’ = Usually - Student consistently demonstrates success in the “Learning Skill” 
• ‘S’ = Sometimes - Students sometimes/inconsistently demonstrates success in the “Learning Skill” 
• ‘R’ = Rarely - Student rarely demonstrates success in the “Learning Skill”

Board Policy 415, under the heading of Summative Assessment and Grading – Teacher Responsibilities, teachers are to avoid providing “Extra Credit” for work that does not demonstrate increased mastery of curriculum standards. This does not mean “Extra Credit” is not to be made available to students. It does mean, however, that such activities must be of sufficient, significant rigor to truly extend and demonstrate a student’s understanding and to provide demonstration of a skill beyond the traditional classroom experience. Providing “Extra Credit” opportunities will be at the discretion of the individual teacher. Further, it should be noted that “Extra Credit” is not in lieu of required work. 

Oregon High School teachers will score any semester final exam or project at a minimum of 10% of the final summative grade to a maximum of 20% of the final summative semester grade. Semester final exams for common courses shall be common in terms of framework and scoring. 

At the beginning of each school year, or for one-semester courses, at the beginning of the semester,  classroom teachers will disseminate and discuss grading policies and procedures with their specific course syllabi. Students and families are asked to carefully review these expectations and are encouraged to address specific questions with the respective teacher. Questions can be directed to any building administrator.