Elementary Grading Guidelines

1. Committee MembersAmanda Hiter; Angela Coughlin; Angela Griedl ; Ashley Enos; Barbara Barcus; Barbara Robinson ; Benjamin Smith; Bethany Proctor ; Betty Blake; Brian Mabee; Cameron Kisicki; Carri Davies; Carrie Chagolla; Casandra Barry-Laumann; Catharine Guzman; Cathy Widick; Chris Knudsen; Christina Vargas; Daniel Mock; Debbie Coleman ; Diana Batres; Dianne Huot ; Faviola Valdez; Fred Ponce de Leon; Gabe Garcia; Heather Hidinger; Jackie Bensley ; James Hawk; Jan Geres; Jennifer Valley; Jillian Salasek; Jim Myers; Johanna Callaway; John Gahan; Judy Freeman; Julie Thornton; Karla Biggar; Katey Reed; Kim Almond; Kimberly Bushaw; Kimberly Day; Kristin Rebb; Laura Webb; Laurie Wolfe; LeeAnn Pocock; Lisa Sorenson; Maria Zambrano; Megan Preston; Melanie Latimer; Melissa Gray; Michele Knape; Mirna Perez; Raquel Pierce; Robyn Doyle; Shannon Thompson; Sheri Ulbrich; Stacy Hamilton; Stephanie Faultner; Stephanie Lacy; Sue Robinson; Susan Burroughs; Tamara Boylan; Tamara Nygard; Tammy Ross; Teresa Krager; Tina Schiro-Arns; Tonia Stone; Tracy Jarman; Woody Mason; Amy Yenerich; Christina Arias; Connie Witte; Cybill Jacob; Daneille Erb; Debbie LeBlanc; Dr. Melanie Lehman; Erin Gonzales; Gaylene Swenson; Janelle Dinkgrave; Janice Peterson ; Jean Young; Joanne Morales; Jodi Welsh; Johanna Callaway; Judy Meredith; Karen Harman; Nan Gillispie; Nancy Williams; Polly Foudray Elementary Grading Guidelines

2. Introduction The PUSD Elementary Grading Practices Committee has met regularly since January 2012 to research best practices, consult with building and district level stakeholders in order to make recommendations to the PUSD Governing Board concerning grading and assessment practices & procedures. Questions and concerns center on what types of assignments should be assigned/graded/reported, weighting of grades, how many assignments should be given, and how grades are reported. Some confusion has occurred because, in practice, different school sites, departments, and in some cases individual teachers have their own procedures for assessing student learning and determining grades. A second area of concern is how grading and assessment policies & procedures affect how well instruction and assessment is aligned to grade level outcomes/appropriate state standards, AND how well students’ grades reflect progress toward mastery of stated outcomes. Therefore, revised PUSD policies and procedures that include explicit guidelines for teachers assessing student academic learning and computing grades are necessary in order to: • promote instructional alignment with state/district outcomes • ensure that grades reported provide valid and reliable information • provide the clearest possible communication with teachers, students, and parents • develop consistency from teacher to teacher, class to class, and school to school The Elementary Grading and Assessment Policies and Practices will be implemented at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school years and will include 3rd-8th grade classes as well as all special areas. K-2 teachers will also utilize common grading documents as well as modified report cards. These guidelines will be used to interpret District Governing Policy related to elementary school grading practices.

3. General Guidelines • Grades must be entered into the grade book as raw scores (total points not percentages). • Grades will be reported on progress/report cards in both percentage and letter form (i.e., 84%, B.) • Approved policies must be communicated in writing to teachers, students and parents through appropriate class handouts and postings on the district and school portals • Grading and assessment templates have been developed. The templates for each grade level/content area are the same at all PUSD Elementary schools. • Teachers are responsible to adhere to the PUSD Elementary grading templates and guidelines. • Site administrators will ensure compliance with the PUSD Elementary grading templates. The PUSD assessment philosophy is: “Assessments are given to determine where individual students are regarding mastery of student learning. The goal is to have teachers use the results of each assessment when designing their lesson plans.” The Assessment Guidelines are: District assessments will be included in the student’s grade as outlined in the grade level/content area templates. Documentation of student progress toward mastery of learning outcomes should occur regularly and frequently. A minimum number of aligned tasks must be given per quarter. The minimum number of tasks required will follow grade level/content area templates and be consistent district-wide.

4. The PUSD grading philosophy is: “The purpose of grading is to inform students, parents and others of the students’ progress toward the mastery of learning objectives. Grades are to reflect student learning; therefore, citizenship, participation and behavior are recorded separately. Grades are not to be awarded for any other purpose.” The Grading Guidelines are: Grade level/content area templates have been developed to provide consistency in grading throughout PUSD elementary schools. • All grades must represent learning (student academic achievement). • No single task may be worth more than 20% of a student’s final grade. • Extra credit (additional points) may be made available if it is offered equally to all students only as a demonstration of academic achievement above and beyond the expected level of performance in a lesson or unit. (Example: an additional challenge problem on a math test worth points above and beyond the regular points possible.) • Each grading template is divided into categories consisting of Aligned Checks for Understanding, Major Projects and Assessments, and PUSD District Assessments where applicable. • Each category consists of a weighted percentage and a minimum number of aligned tasks. • The expectation is that all students complete and turn in work on time. Grade levels will establish late work and make-up work procedures as approved by site administrators for the 2012-2013 school year. • Beginning with the first progress report, and continuing until the end of the quarter, each student’s current grade will be available by directly requesting the grade from the teacher, or through electronic means. During this time period, teachers are responsible for ensuring that grade books are current and contain clearly labeled information that provides a valid and reliable picture of each student’s ongoing learning.

5. Introduction The PUSD Elementary Arts Education Grading Committee has met regularly since January 2012 to collaborate about the best practices of arts grading with building and district level stakeholders in order to make recommendations to the PUSD Governing Board concerning grading and assessment practices & procedures for elementary level arts educators. Questions and concerns center on what types of assignments should be assigned/graded/reported, weighting of grades, how many assignments should be given, and how grades are reported. Some confusion has occurred because, in practice, different schools sites, arts areas, and in some cases individual teachers, have their own procedures for assessing student learning and determining grades. The committee discussed that various arts forms need to be taken into consideration in that general music, general art and performing ensembles, just by the nature of their work, may require different variables that are indicative of their particular pedagogy. The committee also discussed that the notion of “inconsistency” may be exasperated by the sheer number of students/grade levels an arts teacher may serve combined with quarterly expectations for grades. All were influences into the committee’s decisions. Another area of concern is how grading and assessment policies and procedures affect how well instruction and assessment is aligned to grade level outcomes/appropriate state standards, AND how well students’ grades reflect progress toward mastery of stated outcomes. PUSD arts educators operate under a current curricular framework and, within that, the committee’s recommendations are conducive for maintaining and strengthening arts curriculum and assessment goals. Therefore, revised PUSD policies and procedures that include explicit guidelines for teachers assessing student academic learning and computing grades are necessary in order to: • promote instructional alignment with state/district outcomes • ensure that grades reported provide valid and reliable information • provide the clearest possible communication with teachers, students, and parents • develop continuity from teacher to teacher, class to class, and school to school The 1st through 8th Grades Elementary Arts Education Grading and Assessment Policies and Practices will be implemented at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school years and will include all elementary arts education courses.

6. General Guidelines- Arts Educators • Grades must be entered into the grade book as raw scores (total points not percentages). • Grades will be reported on progress/report cards in both percentage and letter form (i.e., 84%, B.) • Approved policies must be communicated in writing to teachers, students and parents through appropriate class handouts and postings on the district arts portal. • Grading and assessment templates have been developed that reflect arts teaching and learning in music, art and ensemble courses. The guidelines for each arts area are the same at all PUSD Elementary schools. • Teachers are responsible to adhere to the PUSD Elementary grading templates and guidelines. • Site administrators will ensure compliance with the PUSD Elementary grading guidelines. • Grades will reflect a year-long “learning segment” in general music, art, band and choir. Grades given in the typical PUSD reporting periods will be “grades in progress” with exception of the final yearly grade. The PUSD ARTS EDUCATION assessment philosophy is: • Assessments results will reflect the daily teaching and learning in arts classrooms and, subsequently, the curricular goals of the arts education department. Assessment tasks will reflect the acquired knowledge and appropriate cognitive skills of students that are indicative of arts learning. Elementary district assessment results will inform arts educators of how to help students meet arts education objectives, and they will also inform teachers of future planning and professional learning. The Assessment Guidelines are: • District elementary arts assessments will be administered at strategic times within a grade band curriculum (e.g. K-3 Art, 5-8 Band, K-4 General Music). These scores are included in the student’s grade as outlined in the grade level templates for each arts area. • Formal assessments include a minimum of content knowledge and arts performance tasks. Depending on grade levels, responding to arts tasks may be administered as well. • Daily learning in the arts is aligned with our curricular outcomes. Documentation of student progress toward mastery of learning outcomes should occur regularly and frequently. The minimum number (or more) of aligned tasks and major projects posted in the grading templates should be distributed evenly across the year-long teaching segment.

7. The PUSD grading philosophy is: “The purpose of grading is to inform students, parents and others of the students’ progress toward the mastery of learning objectives. Grades are to reflect student learning; therefore, citizenship, participation and behavior are recorded separately. Grades are not to be awarded for any other purpose.” TheGrading Guidelinesare: Grade level templates have been developed to provide consistency in grading throughout PUSD elementary schools. • All grades must represent learning (student academic achievement). • No single task may be worth more than 20% of a student’s final grade. • Extra credit (additional points) may be made available if it is offered equally to all students only as a demonstration of academic achievement above and beyond the expected level of performance in a lesson or unit. (Example: an additional challenge problem on a math test worth points above and beyond the regular points possible.) • Each grading template is divided into categories consisting of Aligned Checks for Understanding and Major Projects. • Each category consists of a weighted percentage and a minimum number of aligned tasks. • The expectation is that all students complete and turn in work on time. However, elementary arts educators will take advantage of the extended “teaching segments” to encourage mastery of arts concepts and learning standards. Teachers will find the best ways to communicate missing task and assignments to parents. If students are making adequate progress on all classwork, teachers will develop appropriate avenues to allow for make-up and/or the improvement of an assigned task and subsequent grade. All work within these regards will be accepted no later than 15 school days prior to the last day of the students regularly scheduled school day. • Typical grade reporting periods will reflect a “grade in progress”. • Because of the frequency of class schedules, no progress grades will be given in the first progress reporting period. All teachers will report in each subsequent grading period as outline din typical PUSD practices. • Beginning after the first progress report, and continuing until the end of the year, each student’s current grade will be available by directly requesting the grade from the teacher, or through electronic means. During this time period, teachers are responsible for ensuring that grade books are current and contain clearly labeled information that provides a valid and reliable picture of each student’s ongoing learning.