Grade Card Update

Middle School Curriculum Update:  Grade Cards

From Mrs. Engen and the Middle School team

We have entered the realm of formative verses summative grades, and this transition has brought some questioning.  The predominant inquiries seem to be centered around two topics:

 1.  Student and parent understanding of which grades on the school portal count for the final grade.

 2. How homework will be reflected on grades.

It is important to the Sacred Heart staff that students and parents have full knowledge of how grades are determined.  We realize that it can be confusing to see formative and summative grades on the school portal and try to figure out how a final grade will be determined. 

From now on, the only grades entered onto the school portal will be those that factor into a student’s final grade.  Therefore, teachers will only enter summative grades on the portal.  This practice has been done in the past years, therefore it is not new.

Summative grades are those that show mastery of a skill whether it is testing a specific standard, work completion, participation in class, group work, lab completion, work sheets or projects. 

Response to homework inquiries: Teachers will continue to address homework as they have done in the past.  They determine how homework is graded and communicate that information to students and parents.  Teachers may choose to make homework a completion and/or effort grade, or perhaps their homework shows mastery of a skill, thus the point value is higher.

In middle school, students will earn at least 10 percent of their grade from simple completion of assignments. If an assignment is for completion and a student does not have it the day it is due, they lose their point(s). These assignments are scored based on finishing the work, like getting a quiz signed, bringing a certain material for class, or completing a worksheet or a few homework problems. These assignments are labeled as completion in the grade book and count for 10 percent of students' grades. 

For all other categories, teachers will be assessing students work and putting in the portion of points they earned. This could be anything from in-class participation and discussion, in-class work, some homework assignments, portfolios, notebook check-ins, papers, and any quizzes or tests. If an assignment for a grade requires out of class work,  students can turn in late. Students can earn up to 80 percent the first day it is late, up to 50 percent the second day, and no credit the third day. Students can always ask a teacher if a piece of homework is for completion or for a grade.

Teachers will continue to use formative assessment in their classroom instruction.  Formative assessments are those activities (notes, worksheets, observations) that guide instruction and allow students to practice a skill.  However, formative assessments will be recorded in a teacher’s plan/grade book and not on the portal. The formative assessment data will be used to progress monitor student learning and inform instructors if re-teaching is necessary.

Sacred Heart School remains committed to effective communication regarding policies and procedures so that all parties function collaboratively in providing a rigorous Christ-centered education to our students. We’re here to help so please ask. We know the changes are new, and we are thankful to partner with you!