Classroom grading policies can sometimes be difficult to understand. Below are guidelines to help you:
Accountability:
Fourth grade is a great time for students to set academic goals and reflect on their progress. Each week, students will record their test grades in a special folder. Each month, students will examine those grades, look for trends, and set goals for the upcoming month.
Assignments:
Graded assignments will give you a good indication of how your child is progressing. Please note, though, that some practice pages or whole-class assignments may not always be given a grade. Please make sure to review your child's Friday Folder and binder to keep up with your child's progress.
Tests/Quizzes:
Students' tests and quizzes are given a percentage score from 0 - 100%. If students are unhappy with their scores, they may revise their work and resubmit it to class. Their old score will be their primary grade, but their effort and their new score will be considered as well.
Report Cards:
Across Novato, elementary students are graded using the above scoring method. Please refer to the link below for more information.
Accountability:
Fourth grade is a great time for students to set academic goals and reflect on their progress. Each week, students will record their test grades in a special folder. Each month, students will examine those grades, look for trends, and set goals for the upcoming month.
Assignments:
Graded assignments will give you a good indication of how your child is progressing. Please note, though, that some practice pages or whole-class assignments may not always be given a grade. Please make sure to review your child's Friday Folder and binder to keep up with your child's progress.
- + Proficient: Student demonstrates a strong understanding of the material
- √ Developing: Student demonstrates a limited or developing understanding of the material
- - Beginning: Student does not yet demonstrate understanding of the material
Tests/Quizzes:
Students' tests and quizzes are given a percentage score from 0 - 100%. If students are unhappy with their scores, they may revise their work and resubmit it to class. Their old score will be their primary grade, but their effort and their new score will be considered as well.
- 100 - 80 3 ~ Proficient: Student consistently demonstrates an understanding of the standards, concepts, and skills taught during this reporting period. He/she is performing at grade level standard.
- 79 - 60 2 ~ Developing: Student has limited understanding of the standards, concepts, and skills taught during this reporting period. He/she needs more support and practice to meet grade level standard.
- 59 - 0 1 ~ Beginning: Student does not yet demonstrate an understanding of the standards, concepts, and skills taught during this reporting period. He/she needs focused support and repeated/varied practice to meet grade level standard.
Report Cards:
Across Novato, elementary students are graded using the above scoring method. Please refer to the link below for more information.
Please note that a student's report card score might sometimes...
- ...stay the same from one trimester to another. (This does not mean that your child is not showing growth!! It could be that your child went from a low "2" to a high "2." It could also mean that your child has remained consistent in this area.)
- ...go up! (Of course, this is what we like to see, but remember that this takes a huge amount of student effort!)
- ...go down. (As the school year progresses, expectations go up! Sometimes, if a student's performance stays the same, but expectations have gone up, a grade may fall. For example: In the beginning of the year, if a student can write a solid paragraph, but needs reminders to put in an introduction or conclusion sentence, this might earn a "3" in writing. However, if a child still needs those reminders at the end of the year, when the expectation is that he/she can write a paragraph without assistance, then the grade may become a "2." Since report card grades cover so many topics, a grade may also go down if a new, challenging topic is not included in a first trimester grade, but is included in a later trimester grade, such as long division.)
Extra Credit:
I love extra effort and extension projects! However, I do not accept requests for extra credit assignments to boost report card grades. If students take it upon themselves to do an extra project related to our classwork, I will consider it toward their overall effort grade.