• AMS Grading Practices [Updated Aug. 2022]

     

    Grades and report cards will accurately reflect understanding and achievement of learner outcomes defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS). Learning is a process in which learners increase knowledge, understanding, and skills as a result of effort, instruction, feedback from teachers and peers, and self-assessment and adjustment.  To ensure accurate reporting of achievement, a grade should not be based on work habits (i.e. neatness), completion grades, bonus points, absences,, and group scores.  Additional points i.e. extra credit  should only be awarded to reflect a higher level of achievement after additional practice & assessment of the TEKS.

    District grading practices:

    (1) No grade can count towards more than 25% of the overall grade; (2) A re-test is required if 50% or greater of the students in a class fail the assessment.  The higher of the two grades shall be recorded for each student.

    Grade Percentages:

    On-level + Advanced 6th/7th: Summative assessments 60%, Formative assessments 40%

    Advanced 8th (+ ALG): Summative assessments 70%, Formative assessments 30%

    Grading practices (points taken off, partial credit, total points vs. percentages) within a team of teachers delivering the same content must be consistent.

    Number of Assessments:

    To comply with district grading policy, the minimum number of summative assessments are 3 in OL and 3 in Advanced classes.  Best practice is that each summative assessment is preceded by a minimum of 1 formative assessment that aligned in content and performance and communicates to students if he/she is on track.  Teachers update grades in Schoology and sync to the TAC grade book weekly. There should be an average of at least two new grades a week. At a minimum, there should be 3 summative grades and 12 formative grades for each report card cycle.  The weighting of grades (0.5, 2) other than 1x must be consistent by the department.  The weighting of grades (other than 1x) is permissible in formative assessments but discouraged in summative assessments.

    Late Work Practice:

    Completion of formative assignments is important to success on summative assessments. Teachers will place the following information in the top-right of all graded assignments (electronic & hardcopy) to clearly communicate to parents & students the due date and point deduction (see image below). This information also triggers ZAP (Zeros Aren't Permitted) & other interventions. 6th, 7th, & 8th graders have 3 days from the due date to submit missing/late assignments, with a 10pt deduction per day.  Following those 3 days of late submission, work completion is done through ZAP. During the period of ZAP the student can earn a grade up to 50%.  ZAP includes teacher-initiated tutoring and school-based systems of support.

    ROAR Late Work Point Deduction Image

    Re-assessment:

    Students learn at different rates.  Therefore, there may be times when additional time and support will be provided, followed by additional assessment to measure evidence of growth (more understanding).  Students in 6th, 7th, & 8th grade can re-assess 1x per subject area per grading cycle. Teachers have the option to reassess the entire assessment or opt to re-assess on individual standards. Re-assessment is not a right, but the result of additional effort to learn the material. The teacher has the discretion to refuse re-assessment if the following conditions are not met:

    • Students must consult with the teacher prior to retesting to discuss what additional effort/practice will look like. Examples include: tutoring, oral assessment with teacher, test corrections, revising/editing written piece.
    • The student has completed all missing assignments within that unit to indicate he/she has put forth the effort to be successful on the summative assessment. If allowable & within timeframes, a student can complete the missing assignments to meet this condition.
    • Students must demonstrate additional effort/practice to re-learn the material prior to re-assessment (i.e. test corrections, re-teach at tutoring, evidence of additional practice at home, dialogue with teacher, and others approved by the classroom teacher).
    • Re-assessment should occur within 5 (school) days after receiving the initial (graded) assessment (re-test deadline in the grade book).  

    Students can earn full credit back (up to 100%) for the re-assessment.  For performance assessments, teachers may choose to re-assess using a different format (short answer essay, oral Q&A are some examples).  A re-assessment will be noted in the grade book as a decimal. For example, an original summative grade of 65% with a re-assessment of 77% will be noted 77.65% in the grade book.

    Cheating or Academic Dishonesty:

    Academic honesty, within Honor & Respect, is a core value at AMS.  For documentation of cheating teachers write a referral. Students who take part in academic dishonesty (cheating or plagiarism) will receive behavioral consequences, plus be re-assessed to determine his/her actual level of understanding.  Students will not receive a zero as a behavioral consequence.  Students can earn up to 70% (30-point deduction) on the re-assessment.  The method of re-assessment is at the teacher’s discretion (does not have to be the same assessment).  This practice holds true for formative and summative assessments.

    Group work:

    Group work (cooperative learning) is an effective instructional strategy, but is not an effective assessment measure.  Cooperative learning is a form of formative assessment.  Any grade resulting from group work will be graded individually.

    Eligibility:

    Students must pass all classes with a 70 or higher to remain academically eligible to participate in UIL contests or activities.

    2022 - 2023 Eligibility Calendar