Assessment, Grading, and Homework
Assessments
The goal of assessment is to improve student learning. Assessment is ongoing, supporting students as they work toward learning outcomes, rather than simply recording a single result. Assessment can boost motivation by emphasizing the learning process, rather than just the product. Assessment utilizes constructive feedback to recognize effort and growth, and provides personalized feedback that helps students reach their full potential. Although grading can play a role in assessment, assessment involves many ungraded measures of student learning. While assessments should serve as a gauge of students’ subject matter knowledge, they should primarily be an important tool for teachers to determine if students have adequately learned the material presented to them and if reteaching is necessary.
Midterm and final exams are not to be given in any grade for any subject.
Tests are never administered on Mondays.
Grading
To the greatest extent possible, grades should reflect the achievement of intended learning outcomes and mastery of content. The policy for grading is to be fair and equitable to all students. Always grade with the best interest of the student in mind. While grading can be useful for taking a snapshot of performance, it can cause anxiety and disengagement for learners. Keep in mind that excessive grade-oriented evaluation can be particularly disheartening for students who are tracking below the class grade average but have made significant progress to reach their current level.
Grading in grades 3 through 8 is based on letter grades as determined by percentages. Each teacher in grades 3 through 8 should have a minimum of 13 grades entered for each subject per trimester.
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F below 60
Students should always receive the benefit when rounding grades. If there is any tenth decimal point at all, that grade is to be rounded up to the higher number. This is not a math problem that must be correct; this is about giving students the benefits of their efforts.
For grades Pre-K through 2nd, students should be graded to accurately reflect their attained skill levels and behavior. Please use comments to denote progress even when the actual grade does not show progress.
Homework
Appropriate homework assignments should be viewed as opportunities for students to practice skills and concepts taught, promoting a sense of responsibility and independence. Maximum homework time should not exceed 10 minutes per grade level beginning in first grade.
There should never be any weekend homework. Homework should be Monday night through Thursday night only.
Any exceptions to these policies must be approved by the Principal.
August 11, 2025