Overview
Sheldon ISD’s Remote Learning Grading Guidelines
We hope you are safe and well. After two full weeks of taking the time to get comfortable with our remote learning resources, we have reached a point where we are comfortable taking grades from the remote learning resources offered to our students. According to the state of Texas, school districts must monitor student progress (even during the current school closures). In an effort to comply with state law and at the same time lead from our hearts, we have finalized our grading guidelines for remote learning.
We believe all students should continue to learn during this time; however, we also realize there are several factors that may hinder students from continuing their learning in their homes.
Students have had three full 9-week grading periods to demonstrate learning. It is our opinion that this last 9-week grading period alone should not determine whether or not a student is promoted to the next grade or is granted credit for high school courses. With that in mind, please review the grading guidelines below.
Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten
Students will be assessed with a rubric based on their participation in the remote learning program. Currently, teachers use a rubric to determine student levels of performance in a variety of skills. The students’ final report cards will be based on previous skills assessed on the 3rd 9-week report card, unless the student has shown progress in the assessed skills during the 4th 9-week remote learning period. Final report card grades will reflect students’ best scores. Teachers will maintain evidence of student work that is completed in order to determine if promotion criteria have been met.
Elementary Students (1st-5th)
Students will be assessed for the 4th 9-week grading period based on their participation in the remote learning program. Student averages for the spring semester will be based on their 3rd 9-week grading period average. Student final averages for the school year will be based on the average of the 1st-3rd grading periods. Teachers will not record numerical grades for remote learning activities, however, they will maintain evidence of student work during this time to determine if promotion criteria have been met.
1st 9-week grading period = August 9, 2019 - October 25, 2019
2nd 9-week grading period = October 28, 2019 - December 20, 2019
3rd 9-week grading period = January 8, 2020 - March 6, 2020
4th 9-week grading period = March 16, 2020 - June 4, 2020
Middle and High School
The Sheldon ISD local grading policy must comply with state guidelines as it relates to course credit and graduation. The middle and high school local grading guidelines for remote learning were created with the same idea that students should not be harmed academically if they are not able to complete work during the time of school closure. Please read below for the district’s official grading guideline for remote learning for middle and high school courses. The third quarter (Q3) of the spring semester ended on March 6, 2020 (before we began Spring Break). We are currently in the fourth quarter (Q4) of the spring semester that will continue through the last day of school. For the time during Q4 when we are closed, all grades will be based on remote learning assignments.
The spring semester average will be determined by the Q3 grade or the average of Q3 and Q4, if higher than the Q3 grade. Please refer to the table below for examples.
|
Example Student |
3rd 9-weeks (Q3) |
4th 9-weeks (Q4) Based on Remote Learning |
Average of Q3 and Q4 |
Semester 2 Final Grade |
|
Student A |
70 |
80 |
75 |
75 (because the average of Q3 and Q4 is higher than Q3’s grade) |
|
Student B |
50 |
70 |
60 |
60 (because the average of Q3 and Q4 is higher than Q3’s grade) |
|
Student C |
90 |
70 |
80 |
90 (because Q3’s grade is higher than the average of Q3 and Q4) |
Quarter 1 (Q1) = August 26, 2019 - October 25, 2019
Quarter 2 (Q2) = October 28, 2019 - December 20, 2019
Quarter 3 (Q3) = January 8, 2020 - March 6, 2020
Quarter 4 (Q4) = March 16, 2020 - June 4, 2020
Additional GPA and class rank information will be disseminated to senior class students and parents soon.
9th-12th Dual Credit Courses
Grading guidelines for these courses will be determined by the colleges where courses are being offered.
Please contact your child’s school and/or teacher with questions or concerns.
Grading Guidelines FAQs
How will you take grades on learning packet materials?
Students/parents will be expected to take a picture of certain pages from the packet and upload to the teacher. Your teacher will give you specific instructions on how to upload. The teacher will also inform students/parents of which pages will be used for grading each week.
Will STAAR be given this school year?
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has canceled the STAAR test for this school year. For students in grades 5th and 8th, promotion will be based on student averages for the year. If a student passes their STAAR subject, they will be promoted to the next grade.
Will EOC be given this school year?
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has canceled the EOC test for this school year. For students enrolled in classes where an EOC is given (Algebra I, English I, Biology, US History, English II), the student must pass the course for the school year. If the student passes the course, they will never take the corresponding EOC test.