Class Rules And Expections/ 3rd Grade Social Contract 

 

  *Show respect with our words and actions towards everyone.
  *Listen while others are talking without interrupting.
  *Treat others the way you want to be treated.
  *Solve conflicts by apologizing and accepting an apology.

 

3rd Grade Grading Policy:

 

 

GRADING GUIDELINES (All Grade Levels)

Grading guidelines for each grade level will be communicated and distributed to students and their parents by the classroom teacher.  These guidelines have been reviewed by each applicable curriculum department and have been approved by the campus principal.  These guidelines establish the minimum number of assignments, projects, and examinations required for each grading period.  In addition, these guidelines establish how the student’s mastery of concepts and achievement will be communicated (i.e., letter grades, numerical averages, checklist of required skills, etc.).  Grading guidelines also outline in what circumstances a student will be allowed to redo an assignment or retake an examination for which the student originally made a failing grade.  Procedures for a student to follow after an absence will also be addressed.  

 

Terminology and Procedures

 

Academic Practice:  In order for students to gain mastery of the TEKS, they must learn and practice the material.  During the learning process, it is natural for students to make mistakes on the path towards mastery.  The purpose of Academic Practice is to informally assess a student’s progress with a certain concept and provide timely feedback to students and any intervention or more challenging work if needed.  

Academic Practice will comprise 35-40% of a student’s grade and can consist of the many different types of informal assessments, including, but not limited to:

• Classwork

• Notebooks

• Journals

• Lab Reports

• Oral Assessments

• Quizzes

• Portfolios

• Learning Centers

• Vocabulary Assignments

• Technology Activities

 

Feedback:  is telling students what they did as compared to what they were supposed to do to show mastery.

 

Academic Achievement:  Once the learning process takes place and a student has ample time to learn and practice the concepts associated with the TEKS pertaining to his/her class or course, then the student will be assessed on his/her mastery of the TEKS taught.  Any work given to assess mastery of learning is considered Academic Achievement.  The purpose of Academic Achievement is to evaluate a student’s relative mastery of the TEKS.  Academic Achievement will comprise 65% of a student’s grade and  can consist of many types of assessments, including, but not limited to:

• Performance Indicators

• Tests (including 9 week cumulative and benchmark tests)

• Presentations (speeches, oral reports)

• Quizzes

• Book Reports

• Compositions

• Portfolios

• Research projects

• Special projects such as science fair projects

 

Homework:  The main purpose of homework is practice, not a demonstration of mastery.  Homework may also be used to reinforce, extend, and prepare students for mastery of a concept, but never to learn material for the first time.  Feedback must be given on homework since the most important response to a student’s homework assignment is feedback.  Homework assignments should be given in the best interest of students’ growth and learning. Homework may be graded (for correctness or completion) and will comprise 5% of a student’s grade.   It is optional whether a teacher takes a grade on homework, but feedback on homework is mandatory.

 

Reassessments:  Reassessment must be offered on Academic Achievement or Academic Practice assignments to allow a student another opportunity to show mastery on the assessment or assignment if he/she makes below an 70 on the assessment.  After re-teaching, which will include students doing test/assignment corrections and coming in for 1 tutoring session, the reassessment option may include a formal or informal assessment determined by the teacher to reevaluate mastery of concepts.

 

Reassessment Guidelines

 

In order for a student to have the opportunity to have a reassessment on an Academic Achievement or Academic Practice grade, the following must occur:

• The student must have made below an 70 on the original assessment or assignment

• The student must request to reassess

• The student must obtain a form from his/her teacher that outlines the conditions of reassessment

• The student must come in for tutoring one time at 7:40-8:00 with the teacher that is reassessing

• The student must complete test or assignment corrections on the original assessment

• The reassessment must take place within 1 week after the below 70 grade is received

 

Only one reassessment may be taken per assessment or assignment below 70.  If the reassessment is administered, the higher grade will replace the lower one, with a maximum grade of 70 being given.  The reassessment shall be optional on the part of the student and the student must take the responsibility to set up a time with the teacher to take the reassessment.

 

If 50% or more of the students in a class fail to demonstrate the mastery of the curriculum/TEKS on an Academic Achievement assessment, the teacher must provide an opportunity for re-teaching and reassessment during class time.  All students in the class will be given the opportunity to reassess and the higher of the two grades will be recorded in the gradebook.

 

If fewer than 50% of all students in a class fail to demonstrate mastery of state and/or local curriculum standards on an Academic Achievement assessment, the teacher will provide re-teaching and reassess

ment opportunities during or outside of class time.

 

Late Assignments/Late Work

 

Grades PK-2:  No work is considered late if submitted within a week of the assignment date.

 

Grades 3-5:  Assignments must be accepted up to 3 days after the due date without a reduction in grade.  After 3 days, a penalty of no more than 10 points per day may be applied to the grade.  

 

No late work will be accepted the last week of the nine-weeks, unless the assignment was given the last week of the nine weeks.

 

Extenuating circumstances will be considered for late Academic Achievement and Academic Practice Grades.

 

Makeup Work Assignments

 

Grades PK-5:  For any work missed, the teacher may assign the student makeup work based on the instructional objectives for the subject or course and the needs of the individual student in mastering the essential knowledge and skills or in meeting subject or course requirements.  

 

A student will be responsible for obtaining and completing the makeup work in a satisfactory manner and within the same amount of days the student was absent plus one day. [EIAB(LOCAL).]

 

DAEP or In-School Suspension Makeup Work

 

Grades PK-5:  A student removed to a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) during the school year will have an opportunity to complete coursework needed to fulfill the student’s high school graduation requirements before the beginning of the next school year.  The District may provide the opportunity to complete the coursework through any method available, including a correspondence course, another distance learning option, or summer school.  The District will not charge the student for any method of completion provided by the District. [See policy FOCA.]

 

A student removed from the regular classroom to in-school suspension or another setting, other than DAEP, will have an opportunity to complete before the beginning of the next school year each course the student was enrolled in at the time of removal from the regular classroom.  The district may provide the opportunity by any method available, including a correspondence course, distance learning, or summer school.  [See policy FEA(LEGAL).]

 

Students and their parents are encouraged to discuss options with the teacher or counselor to ensure the student completes all work required for the course or grade level.

 

Entering Grades in Gradebook

 

All grades taken shall be recorded in the electronic gradebook within 5 school calendar days.  However, major projects or research papers may take longer than a week to grade and therefore, shall be recorded within 8 school calendar days.

 

Minimum Number of Grades

 

For each nine-week report card period, the minimum number of grades to be used in calculating the nine-week average for each core subject and/or course is as follows:

 

Grades PK-2:  Standards-based report cards will show a student’s current level of mastery regarding the state curriculum per nine weeks.  The level of mastery shall be based on Academic Achievement assignments.  

 

Grades 3-5:  A minimum of 3 grades based on Academic Achievement assignments per subject per quarter will be recorded, except the first nine weeks where the minimum is 2.   A minimum of 8  Academic Practice grades per quarter will be recorded.  Homework grades may or may not be recorded based on teacher decision.  

 

At least 1 Academic Achievement grade and 3 Academic Practice grades must be recorded by the end of the 3 week progress report, and at least 2 Academic Achievement grades and 6 Academic Practice grades must be recorded by the end of the 6 week progress report.  During the first quarter, because it is eight weeks and the first week is an introductory week, this schedule is altered just a bit.

 

Academic Practice assignments with teacher feedback will be returned to students prior to Academic Achievement assignments.

 

Calculating Progress Report and Report Card Averages

 

Grades PK-2:  No weight will be assigned in reporting student progress.  Authentic assessments will aide in determining whether a student has met standard or improvement is needed.

 

Grades 3-5:  

 

• Math - Grades will be weighted as 75% Academic Achievement, 20% Academic Practice, and 5% Homework.

• Science - Grades will be weighted as 75% Academic Achievement, 20% Academic Practice, and 5% Homework.

• Social Studies - Grades will be weighted as 75% Academic Achievement, 20% Academic Practice, and 5% Homework.

 

• Reading - Grades will be weighted as 65% Academic Achievement, 35-40% Reading Comprehension Academic Practice, and 5% Reading Comprehension Homework.

 

• ELA - Grades will be weighted as 60% Writing/Grammar Academic Achievement, 16% Writing/Grammar Academic Practice, 4% Writing/Grammar/Spelling Homework, and 20% Spelling Academic Practice.