Core Grading
Here is how a Freshmen Core U.S. History student's grade is calculated:
Formative Grades (.200 of the semester grade): Activities that are part of the formative
section of the
grade feature such things as small group activities, practice for skill
development, mini-summatives, and cumulative-summatives.
Summative Grades (.700 of the semester grade): This part of the grade features the
larger, more
significant formal assessments, such as mini-summatives (quizzes)
and cumulative-summatives (tests).
Semester Final Exam (.100 of the semester grade):
This exam will be a combination of multiple-choice questions and an essay response.
Policy on Re-taking Summative Assessments: If a student wants to re-take a summative
assessment, the student needs to meet two criteria:
a) The "re-take" must take place within 3 school days after the
assessment
has been given back to the student (options include before and after
school, or during our Lab in the morning)
b) The student must show me that he / she has put forth the necessary
effort
in the formative part of their grade (examples include fully and
meaningfully
participating in a small group activity, or giving
their best effort and showing
improvement in writing a practice paragraph, etc.)
After an assessment has been passed back to a student, a student has only one chance
to re-take that assessment under the conditions described above, AND THE SCORE
FROM THE RE-TAKE WILL BE THE SCORE THAT IS ENTERED IN THE
GRADEBOOK. In other words, if the score from the re-take is LOWER than the
original score, the score from the re-take is entered in the gradebook.
The Replacement Program: Within the semester, when a student scores
higher in a succeeding quiz or test, I'll replace the previous
score with the higher one. If a student scores lower than a
previous assessment, the scores stand the way they are. The
reason why I incorporate this in the grading system is very
clear to me: So many times, America rewards the "Late
Bloomer"; skill development is the most important aspect
at this level. If a student knows that they can positively
impact their grade all the way to the end of the semester
by learning the "tricks of the trade", there's more incentive
for the student to keep trying if they don't have initial success.
And, I believe that the "Replacement Program" rewards the most
important ingredient for success: EFFORT!
Return to Freshmen Core U.S. History
District 145 Public Schools
and
Educational Service Unit #6, Milford, Nebraska
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