What my grades mean . . .

Being a teacher in the high school setting I do not give out letter grades. My students are graded based out of the total number of points an assignment or assessment is worth and the students earn so many points based on whether they answer a question correctly. Grades can range from 100 to a 50. Typically any student who earns less than a 50 will have their grade raised to a 50 unless they have not showed any signs of trying to improve themselves in regards to school work.

Step 1:
100-90
89-80
79-70
69-60
59- below

Step 2:
100-90: a student has an extremely high level of understanding of the subject matter. Student assessment scores surpass the average score received. Students rarely receive anything in this grading range.
89-80: Students have a high level of understanding about the subject area. Students cannot always make accurate connections and applications when working with material taught. Students have about average scores on assessments and assignments.
79-70: Students have a basic level of understanding of the material taught. Students have a moderate level of difficulty adapting learned materials to daily life and class work. Students perform on an average level on assessments.
69-60: Students have a very basic level of understanding of the material taught. Students have low abilities of applying information to real life experiences and assessments.
59-below: Students gave a minimum level of understanding. Students have the maximum level of difficulty in connecting information to real life experiences and applying the information they did learn to assessment or assignment questions.

Step 3:
As a whole the grading system I practice fulfills the needs of my students, parents, school administrators, and the others who may request, with permission, students’ grades. Students and even parents appear to be most concerned with the basic question, "did they pass?". Any grade below a 65 is considered failing and every grade above or below that grade reflects the degree to which the student is passing or failing the course. The grades I provide give students and parents an accurate representation of students’ earned points through the marking period as well as the level of effort one put into his or her learning.

In regards to school administrators and others who require my students’ grades, my grades fulfill those needs. Administrators require grades in order to determine weekly ineligibility lists, athletic availability and placement for further placements. Being a special education teacher grades, as well as other things, are essential to determining IEP and 504 plans. Grades may determine the type of classroom setting one will be in the following semester as well as which courses best fit his or her abilities. A school counselor will not (should not) assign a student whose grades range from 79 to failing in English to Advanced Placement English. Just as one will not assign a 100-90 level to student to an intermediate level course.

Post secondary and Employers will also find my grades accessible because he or she can easily see the pattern of students work levels, consistency, as well as the degree to which someone passed or failed a particular course. Not only is consistency something one would consider, but whether or not a student’s grades increased or decreased as the year progressed. One who increases may be a better candidate than one whose scores decreased.