Policy Details Page

Regulation 2420R

Instruction

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The Purpose of Grading 
The District prioritizes opportunities for students, families, teachers, and other District staff to dialogue and engage around evidence of student learning and growth. Student grading and report cards are communication tools that encourage students, teachers, and families to value an individual student's learning, uniqueness, and complexity. 

Grades will be communicated in a manner that:
1.  Accurately documents and communicates student progress toward meeting standards.
2.  Provides timely non-biased feedback to facilitate reflection, self-evaluation, and growth. 
3.  Are inclusive and equitable.

District Grading Practices

A.  Grades reflect evidence of student learning and therefore do not include these two (2) measures: attendance or tardies (measured separately) and student behavior or attitude (including, but not limited to, exclusionary discipline, incidents, etc.).

a.  Academic dishonesty will be handled with the administration as a disciplinary action that could result in no evidence or points earned for that task.

B. Based on district-adopted standards the district will establish consistent grading scales at the elementary and secondary levels, respectively. 

a.  All formative and summative grade book entries will include standards when possible.

C.  The district-approved online grade book for each level (kindergarten to fifth, sixth to eighth, ninth to twelfth grade) will provide students and families with an up-to-date description of student progress toward standards. So long as TPS is using an online live grade book tool.

a. Grade books will only contain two (2) categories: Formative and Summative. 

i.  The default balance for the secondary grade book will be no less than 80% summative and no more than 20% formative. 
ii.  See the definition of formative and summative assessments below.

D. Teachers will grade all formative and summative work as soon as reasonably possible. Therefore, it is recommended that:

a. Kindergarten through fifth grade teachers communicate students' current achievement regularly by updating the District online grade books;

i.  approximately every three weeks for Reading, Writing, and Math.
ii.  approximately every six weeks for Science, Social Studies, and specialists.
iii.  the District kindergarten report cards start trimester two (2).

b. Sixth through twelfth grade teachers communicate students' current achievements regularly by updating the District online grade books approximately every two weeks for their course. 

E. Students learn at different rates. Therefore, students will be allowed to retake, revise, or item correct past formative and summative work once per assignment or assessment. It is the teacher’s discretion if additional retakes will be allowed.

a. Reassessment is accessible to all students who put forth an effort on the original task. Reassessment may be the same assessment, a portion of the same assessment (item correction), or a different assessment measuring the same or similar standard(s). Reassessments may be written, oral, project- or performance-based. 

i. The school will make a good faith effort to provide space and time for retakes, revisions, or item corrections within a ten (10) school day window when possible.

b. Students can retake, revise, or item correct any assignment or assessment within the first ten (10) school days after receiving a grade or feedback, regardless of the original grade.

i. Teachers may extend the ten (10) school day window at their discretion.  

c. Teachers may require that students provide reasonable evidence of learning before reassessment. Including but not limited to correcting errors from previous work or assessment.

d. Retakes, revisions, or item corrections must be worth the same maximum grade as the original task and cannot be reduced when completed within the first ten (10) school days after receiving a grade. Replacing with an additional task is not acceptable. 

i. After ten (10) school days, it’s the teacher's discretion to offer maximum points or drop the grade down one (1) to three (3) point scales on the District grading scale. 

1. Elementary may only drop one (1) point scale if late. 

e. Teachers have the option to provide reassessment opportunities for summative assessments in the final five (5) school days of a semester but are not required to.

F. Teachers will provide feedback and/or grades on submitted work without penalty or losing points when turned in late. Grades reflect the evidence of learning and progression toward standards.

a. To support learning in and around the unit of study, students have up to ten (10) school days to turn in late work. 

i. After ten (10) school days, it's the teacher's discretion to extend the deadline and if so, may drop the grade down one (1) to three (3) point scales on the District grade scale.  

1. Elementary may only drop one (1) point scale if late. 

G. No one (1) assignment or assessment can have a greater impact than one (1) full letter grade over the course of a semester/quarter/trimester. 

Formative Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering feedback and information about students’ learning and understanding during the instructional period. This immediate feedback to both students and teachers enables them to monitor progress, identify areas of strength and areas for growth, and make necessary adjustments to improve learning outcomes. Formative assessments are typically low-stakes, standards-aligned and can take various forms such as exit tasks, quizzes, class discussions, projects, observations, or informal questioning.

Summative Assessment evaluates student learning at the end of a specific period, such as a chapter, unit, semester, or course. Its primary purpose is to assess the overall achievement and demonstration of learning standards or objectives. Summative assessments are typically high-stakes and are used to assign grades, measure student performance against established criteria, and determine the extent to which learning goals have been met. Examples of summative assessments include final exams, standardized tests, end-of-unit projects, or research papers.

Impact of Attendance on Grades
Family/Guardians will be made aware at the outset of any classes having special or unique requirements which might affect the student’s final grade. This communication will include options for make-up or retakes and align with the guidance above in sections A - G. 

Grade Reporting in Grades Kindergarten through Five
Formal academic progress reports, or report cards, shall be issued for kindergarten through fifth-grade students three times each year.  The exact dates for the first and second reports shall be determined by the District. The first report card shall be issued approximately the 45th school day after the start of the school year.  The second report card shall be issued approximately fourteen weeks (70 school days) later. The final report card shall be issued at the end of the school year.

Each trimester report card will include a comment section to inform families of students’ performance throughout the trimester both academically and their behaviors that support learning. 

In addition to these formal reports, teachers and principals are responsible for reporting substantial academic concerns to families.

A. Students in kindergarten through grade five shall have progress recorded using the District’s grade level report card for the student’s current assigned grade level. 
B. The District kindergarten report cards start trimester two (2).
C. No students may be assigned a final grade of failure or zero unless prior notice has been sent to the family or guardian in sufficient time for the student to correct the deficiency.

Grade Reporting in Grades Six through Twelve
Report cards for students in middle and high schools shall be issued at the end of each semester. Progress reports shall be issued on a six- or nine-week basis.

End of semester report cards must contain at least two (2) comments per course to provide the student and family feedback on their student’s performance throughout the semester. Progress reports need only contain one (1) or more. 

No students may be assigned a final grade of failure unless prior notice has been sent to the family or guardian in sufficient time for the student to correct the deficiency. All of the following shall apply:

A. The District will provide weekly notifications of low-grade calls after week 6 of each semester. 

B. A grade mark of “E” or “F” communicated to families on the progress report shall be considered “prior notice”. Additional communication to families via telephone or note is encouraged. 

C. “Sufficient time” shall be determined by the student’s teacher, but in no event shall it be less than 15 school days prior to the end of the term/semester. There may be unusual circumstances warranting a failing grade because of unsatisfactory performance during the last 15 days of the term/semester.  In such cases, there must be a family/teacher contact prior to issuing the failing grade.

D. In addition, special progress updates must be issued to all students who received an E or F estimate at progress-report time and are in danger of failing at the end of the term/semester.

E. Telephone communication with families is strongly encouraged but in cases regarding potential failures a written record must follow.

The following grade marks are used to communicate student progress:

Elementary Grading Scale (4 point scale)

Grade Reporting scales in Grades Six through Twelve

Secondary International Baccalaureate IB (8 point scale) 
 

A grade mark of ‘W’ is used for students who withdraw from a class after earning a mark on a progress report, but prior to earning a final mark of A through E or P/F.  A grade mark of ‘NC’ is used for special circumstances where credit is not granted, including, but not limited to, audit, incomplete, and culminating project activities. 

High and Middle School Grade Marks and Grade Point Average
The calculation of grade point averages (GPAs) for middle and high school students shall use the procedures described in this section.  Rules for the calculation of GPAs shall be consistent with WAC 180-57 “Secondary Education-Standardized High School Transcript.”

A. The calculation of a student’s grade point average (GPA) shall be calculated as follows:

1. The grade points for each course is computed as the product of the credit value for the course multiplied by the point value of the letter mark/grade earned by the
student.
2. The student’s total earned grade points is computed as the total of the grade points for all courses to be included in the GPA.
3. The credits attempted is computed as the total of the credit values for all courses
included in the GPA.
4. The GPA is the total earned points divided by the credits attempted, carried to two (2) decimal places.

B. The point value for grade marks are referenced above. Grade marks of A+ and D- are not valid. The minimum passing mark for a course is a D, valued at 1.0 grade points.
Students earning a mark of D or higher in a credited high school course (or mark of P in a Pass/Fail course) earn high school credit for that course. Students earning a mark of E in a course (or a mark of F in a Pass/Fail course) do not earn high school credit for that course.

C. Grades for all courses taken shall be included in the calculation of grade point averages, except as detailed below.

1. A mark of P, F, W, or NC are not included in the GPA, and are excluded from the calculation of both grade points. 

2. In some cases, students may elect to repeat a course in order to earn a higher mark. In cases of such repeated courses, the lowest mark earned is not included in the GPA, and is excluded from the calculation of both grade points and the credits attempted. The highest mark earned is included in the GPA.

3. In some cases, students may elect to take a course on a recurring basis, in order to further develop their understanding and skills in the subject. Only courses designated as recurring in the District Course Catalog can be taken on a recurring basis. Three examples of recurring courses would be Journalism/Newspaper, Advanced Art, and Concert Band. Recurring courses are not considered repeated courses. Marks earned on each occasion of taking a recurring course are part of the grade point average.

4. Some courses are offered only for P/F credit, and are so designated in the District Course Catalog or by the Curriculum & Instruction Department (e.g., Class Assistant courses, or PE credit for participation in athletics). As indicated in item C.1, above, grades of P/F are not included in the GPA, and are excluded from the calculation of both grade points. 

i. Family/Guardians will be made aware at the outset of any classes offered as P/F for the term and is not subject to change. 

5. Some courses may appear on the student’s schedule that have no assigned credit value and for which no marks are given. Examples include Homeroom and Advisory. Courses with no credit value are not included in the GPA.

Once a term/semester has ended, an extenuating circumstance may require a student’s grade mark for a course be changed. A student’s grade mark may only be changed at the request of the teacher who taught the course and no later than the end of the regular semester following when the course was taken. In the case of a graduating senior, that change must be made within 6 weeks of graduation. A teacher wanting to change a student’s final grade mark must provide the principal with a Grade Change Form, including a description of the extenuating circumstance requiring the change. 

The principal shall review the request and may approve or deny the change. Approved change requests shall be posted to the student’s transcript and record, and a copy of the Grade Change Form and accompanying documentation shall be placed in the student’s cumulative file. A denied change request can be resubmitted by the teacher with additional documentation. If the teacher and the principal cannot agree, the request will be submitted to the Superintendent, or designee, for the final determination. In the event the teacher is not available to make a grade change on behalf of a student, the principal may submit a Grade Change Form along with documentation directly to the Superintendent or designee. Examples of extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to: clerical errors in the calculation or posting of the grade mark; data entry errors in the course title; and incomplete work subsequently completed and graded by the teacher.

Standardized High School Transcript

Transcripts shall be consistent with WAC 180-57. 
 

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Approval Date: 8/31/2005

Revised Date: 6/27/2023