September 9, 2017
Dear Parents, Welcome to sixth grade. This is a year of change and transition as we ready our children for middle school. One of the changes is in the way grading is done. Sixth grade marks the year in Chesterfield School that students begin to receive the traditional A, B, C grades. I thought it important to explain how the grading system works in sixth grade and my philosophy behind assessment and grading. It should also be on your radar that the state of New Hampshire as a whole as well as SAU29 (including Chesterfield School District) are moving towards standards-based grading instead of traditional letter grades. This is a change that aligns with my own personal philosophy of education, though I recognize it will be a big shift in thinking for our whole district as well as for parents who are used to traditional grades. Relax! This change will take several years and there will be time for you to learn more about it as we all travel together along the way there. Many families are more comfortable with the letter grading system that is used in sixth grade because it is what they had, at least in high school. And, Chesterfield’s grading scale aligns with Keene High’s grading scale. It is based on percentages and listed below. It is important to note that at progress and report card time, any grades C- or lower will activate the Academic Assistance Plan. Families will be contacted and teachers will work together to create a support plan to meet the child’s needs. Students, whether involved in sports or not, will be asked to attend After School Focused Review from 3:05 – 3:35 on Mondays and Wednesdays. I try to maintain good communication about your child’s progress so that this is never a surprise, but just another step on our path to help our children succeed. PowerSchool is one way you can keep tabs on your child’s progress. Attached to this page is a letter with your assigned username, and password that will let you look at your child’s grades on PowerSchool anytime you want. Your child can also use this to access his/her grades. Seeing grades one assignment at a time gives them a sense of how they are doing, but it takes some experience to use those one-assignment-at-a-time grades to assess how they’re doing overall. Grades in sixth grade are entered on a 100 point (percentage) scale, though it is important for you and your child to understand that I often do not score work by calculating exact percentage. On some assignments this works, but I often feel that it doesn’t make sense. For example on a ten point quiz, missing 2 problems automatically earns you a C+ (80%). Furthermore, I feel that higher grades should represent greater depth of skill and thinking about whatever concept is being assessed. Grading purely on the number of questions answered correctly out of the total as opposed to which types of questions or the complexity of skills demonstrated doesn’t always reveal the true level of mastery. Thus, I often give feedback to students and enter scores on assignments and tests into the computer based on a check system (see box on right), which we teach using an icecream sundae metaphor. (Be aware that other Chesterfield teachers may use different systems and you should always read their syllabi to understand how they calculate their grades). The sixth grade check system assigns a numerical score and letter grade to various levels of mastery. There are a few ways this check system may work:
In addition to how individual grades are determined, you should understand how the computer compiles all the scores from assignments and tests to come up with the final grade for the trimester. While everything we do in class helps build understanding, I believe that not all learning activities should be used equally to evaluate student performance and mastery. I liken our class to a soccer team. We do drills and practice games. As coaches, we as teachers watch our students in these activities and use what we see to address their learning needs. Students’ involvement in these tasks are crucial to their growth as soccer players (or readers or mathematicians, etc.), so it is important that they drill and practice with the team. However, the real grading comes at game time. That is why our sixth grade “weighting system” puts significantly more value on assessments like quizzes, tests or larger projects. Typically about 70-80% of a student’s final grade most classes in grades 6-8 is made up of assessment and project scores (The exact weighting of different kinds of assignments may vary slightly from subject to subject). The remainder of the grade is composed of participation, classwork, homework and other scores. These assignments count less towards the final grade, because, in our opinion they are the practice sessions; The final grade should represent what the student can do independently after all the instruction and practice- how well they do in the actual game. The truth is, however, that good scores on all the “training practices” or classwork usually translate to good scores on tests, so putting effort into homework and classwork usually pays off in the final “game.” In-line with our belief that our job as educators is to help all children reach mastery of the curriculum, not just grade papers and move on, the Middle School Team (grades 6-8) has implemented a re-do policy which allows (and sometimes requires) students to retake quizzes or tests to improve scores. This is not permission to slack off and not study because you can just “take it again later.” We have a “Request to Retake” form that students who want to retake must fill out. This involves making a plan to do additional practice and providing evidence of that to prove they are ready to retest. That could include an extra after school study session with a teacher. We may deny a request to retake in situations where evidence of extra practice or effort is not present or other circumstances where this policy does not seem in the best interest of the student. In addition we will create reasonable deadlines for retaking a test. While this policy makes a little extra work for teachers, it is the student who should be doing most of the extra work to master the skill. If the student is not putting in this effort, he or she will lose the opportunity to retest. Also know that before any major test, I send home a study guide or packet to assist students with the study progress. Spending time studying is highly correlated with good test scores! As a teacher, I believe that grades do not define a person; effort is what pays off and counts in the long term. A's and B's are hard to get; I ask students to work towards those grades and take pride in their growth and individual progress. Please return the slip below to confirm you have been informed of my grading policies and philosophy. Sincerely, Laura White |
THE CHECK SYSTEM
* = 100% All sundae elements included plus extras (cherry & sprinkles!)! All Criteria for Success met and work shows additional depth of learning beyond sixth grade expectations. Strong evidence of ability to complete tasks requiring more complex application of concepts. √+ = 96% This sundae has a topping. Work complete and shows strong evidence of mastery. All Criteria for Success met. Some evidence of ability to complete tasks requiring more complex application of concepts. √(+) = 91% Between √+ & √ √ = 87% This sundae has ice cream, but more could be done. Some misconceptions, gaps or mistakes evident. One or two “Criteria for Success” not met. Evidence of ability to complete tasks requiring some higher leveling thinking and application of basic concepts. √(-) = 80% Between √- & √ √- = 73% Empty Bowl. Incomplete work. Multiple misconceptions or mistakes. Multiple Criteria for Success not met. This work should be completed or redone to standard. Basic concepts such as vocabulary or recall of facts mastered but ability to apply such concepts not demonstrated. √- - 50% No Bowl. Effort evident but few or no Criteria for Success met. Student has not demonstrated mastery of basic concepts or recall of facts. This work should be completed or redone to standard. |