Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science – Grading Policy

 

Our grading policy has been created to support our system in addressing four questions:

  1. What do we want our student to learn?
  2. How will we know when they have learned it?
  3. What will we do when they have not learned it?
  4. What will we do when they have learned it?

Teachers are expected to provide supporting data for grades assigned. Grade records shall reflect an adequate sampling of work in a given area to justify the assigned grade. Students with a current individual education plan (IEP) may be given differential standard in grading if written in their IEP.

 

Grades should be based on impartial, consistent observation of the quality of student work and student mastery of course content and academic standards. Students shall have multiple opportunities to demonstrate this mastery through a variety of assessments. Behavior and attendance are evaluated and reported separately from the student’s academic grade.

 

We use assessments varied in format and task type to collect evidence of learning that may include but are not limited to the following:

 

  1. Art – painting, photograph, drawing, sculpture
  2. Multimedia – websites, videos, brochures
  3. Presentations – multimedia presentations, discussions, skits, speeches
  4. Compositions – graphic, written, spoken, musical, physical, computer programs
  5. Displays – graphic organizers, concept maps, graphs, table, charts, formulae
  6. Records – journals, logs
  7. Quick Writes – brief written assignments to assess understanding
  8. Projects – research, experiments, labs, investigations
  9. Reports – written, spoken, multimedia presentations that synthesize concepts
  10. Essays – extended written assignments in which the audience, purpose, topic, and    form are selected by the student or teacher to assess writing and understanding or both
  11. Quizzes – may include selected response, brief constructed response (short answer), and extended response (essay) items
  12. Tests – may include selected response, brief constructed response (short answer), and extended response (essay) items

 

A variety of methods to assess learning may include the following:

  1. Homework
  2. Participation that demonstrates understanding or skill
  3. Discussion – literature circles, class discussion
  4. Recitation – singing, playing an instrument, speaking in a foreign language
  5. Simulation – participating in a mock trial or presenting a physical demonstration of a science concept
  6. Construction – building a model
  7. Movement – dancing, responding to signals
  8. Procedure – following a process
  9. Application – using skills, knowledge, tools of technology in new situations

 

Formative Assessment may include a variety of formats such as, but not limited to:

  • Daily Practice
  • Class discussions
  • Teacher Observations
  • Classroom assignments
  • Classroom presentations
  • Homework
  • Quizzes

 

Summative Assessment is used after instruction to measure student growth related to standards and is given at a particular point to determine if a student has mastered the learning objective.

  • Tests
  • Portfolio
  • Projects
  • Major presentations
  • Major papers

 

Formative grades represent 70% of the grade and summative grades 30%.

 

Grades are indicated:

            A = 100-90

            B = 80-89

            C = 70-79

            D = 65-69

            Failure = 55-64