Grading and Reporting

In the Rockwood School District, we understand that the purpose of grading and reporting is to do the following:

Communicate achievement based on a variety of assessment methods given
over time and aligned to curricular standards.
Indicate a student’s level of achievement in meeting district curricular standards and non-academic indicators that support that achievement.
Provide opportunities for parents to understand their child's progress in order to establish mutual goals and identify needed support.

Our mission is to ensure that all students realize their full potential.Policy/Regulation 6450: Grading and Reporting provides the structure to support educators in fulfilling this mission. Our goal is that all students learn and possess the skills and abilities that prepare them for college, career and citizenship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is our Board of Education reviewing changes to grading policies and regulations? View Answer
Answer:
No, the School Board is not reviewing changes or updates to the grading and reporting policy/regulation at this time. It is important to note that this policy and regulation were Board-approved in 2000. Currently, the Best Grading Practices Committee is working with Rockwood staff to give teachers guidance for handling missing work and academic dishonesty. This work is not complete.
Q: How are due dates enforced for course work? View Answer
Answer:
Coursework is expected to be submitted in a timely manner. Teachers work with their Professional Learning Communities to establish a time frame for submitting late/missing work that meets the needs of their course.
Q: Will course grades only come from tests and quizzes? View Answer
Answer:
No. Good assessment practice requires that varied assessment methods be used. This could include class work, observation, oral communication, tests, exhibits, products, discussions, simulations, performance assessment, essays, as well as other forms of assessment.
Learn more about the different types of assessments: formative and summative.
Q: What is the difference between an academic grade and a non-academic indicator? View Answer
Answer:
Academic grades are based upon an accurate evaluation of what a student knows and is able to do regarding curricular standards.
Non-academic indicators describe the actions and behaviors that support academic achievement.
According to Board-approved Policy/Regulation 6450, student performance will be reported by academic grades and non-academic indicators.
Middle school teachers are implementing non-academic indicators for the 2013-2014 school year. This means that middle school report cards and the Parent Portal will report student progress on non-academic indicators.
This same year, high school teachers are forming a committee to have further discussions about how non-academic indicators should be documented at the high school level.
Q: Is Rockwood adopting a no-homework policy? View Answer
Answer:
No. Homework will continue to be an important part of teaching, learning, and parent involvement in the Rockwood School District. Students’ work should always be scored and accompanied by some form of feedback to further student learning. Teachers will provide opportunities for two types of homework:
• Homework as a pre-assessment or guided practice. This homework is a formative assessment and may be excluded from the course grade.
• Homework for mastery of a curricular standard. This homework is a summative assessment and may be included in the course grade based on curriculum guidelines and procedures.
Teachers will determine if homework is a formative or summative assessment according to curricular standards. Learn more about these two types of assessments.

Grading and Reporting

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Information

Kay Julius

Secretary to Executive Director, Learning and Support Services

Shelley Willott

Executive Director Learning and Support Services

Reading Library