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PURPOSE OF GRADES
In accordance with the district policy on Grading and Developmental Feedback (345.1), the purpose of grades is to accurately reflect individual student achievement as related to course objectives. At WhitefishBayHigh School, the traditional letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are used to indicate the levels of achievement reached on both a quarterly and semester basis. Meanings corresponding to final semester grades are as follows:
A Meets nearly all course objectives and can independently use content knowledge and skills in new contexts.
B Meets most course objectives and can independently use content knowledge and skills in contexts similar to those used in class.
C Meets most important course objectives and can independently use content knowledge and skills in contexts the same as those used in class.
D Meets minimal number of course objectives and has difficulty using content knowledge and skills independently.
F Does not meet minimal number of course objectives and cannot use content knowledge and skills independently.
Although formal grade reporting is deemed necessary, all parties concerned with the WhitefishBayHigh School community are encouraged to place more emphasis on learning content knowledge and skills than on the accumulation of points and grades. Leading students to develop enduring understandings and capabilities well preparing them for their future is the ultimate end. In addition, it is recognized there are multiple learning opportunities for students beyond the classroom, and faculty, staff and parents are called on to support the need for balance among the curricular and extra-curricular learning activities in which our students may be involved.
DEVELOPMENTAL FEEDBACK
Student learning at WhitefishBayHigh School is primarily achieved via communication of learning targets* and quality performance, engaging students in formative assessment**, providing feedback, and affording students the opportunity to respond to that feedback. This process of formative assessment and developmental feedback is intended to:
- Enable students to assess their current level of performance in comparison to desired performance levels.
- Help students understand the relationship between their effort and performance.
- Develop students' ability to think critically about their work.
- Encourage students to take risks resulting in new skill development and deeper learning.
- Empower students to improve their performance over time.
- Inform about the extent to which students are achieving learning objectives, enabling teachers to be more instructionally responsive.
In order to be effective in their use of developmental feedback to advance learning, Whitefish Bay High School teachers clearly communicate learning targets and quality performance in advance of and during instructional activity, frequently engage students in formative assessments, and provide timely and clear feedback in relation to learning targets along with opportunities for students to respond to that feedback. In addition, students are engaged in self-assessment throughout the instructional process in order to become more aware of, and independent in, their learning. As reasonable and appropriate, academic support and additional learning opportunities for students are also provided.
* Learning targets define what students are to know/understand (content knowledge) and/or be able to do (content skills). The phrase learning target is often used interchangeably with learning objective. In order to reach desired learning targets, it is imperative students be clear on what it is they are attempting to learn.
**Formative assessment is instructional activity designed to allow students to develop content knowledge and/or practice content skills.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT AND GRADE REPORTING
WhitefishBayHigh School recognizes that formal grade reporting is necessary to provide summative information about student performance to various stakeholders. In particular, the process of summative assessment and grade reporting is intended to apprise students, parents, faculty and staff of how well students are meeting course objectives, and provide an official record of student performance to advise stakeholders about next steps in a student’s educational sequence regarding prerequisites, graduation requirements, and college admission.
In order to be effective in their grade reporting and use of summative assessment, Whitefish Bay High School teachers (a) align key assessments, grading scales and grading practices within subject area teams, (b) maintain accurate records of student progress, (c) provide clear and timely communication to students regarding grading components and criteria, (d) focus on individual achievement of course objectives as the primary factor in determining grades, (e) give priority to the most important content knowledge and skills, and (f) provide separate feedback on effort, behavior, and attendance. Moreover, students are subject to a variety of assessments including, but not limited to, in-class assignments and activities, homework assignments, portfolios or work samples, research projects, authentic performance assessments, quizzes, tests and examinations.
It is the district's firm belief that student learning is best advanced via non-judgmental feedback. Consequently, all summative assessments must be preceded by non-graded formative assessment and developmental feedback sufficient for leading students to satisfactorily achieve. While initial practice with new content knowledge and skills is supported with quality feedback, it is not graded since students are still in the process of learning the material at hand.
HOMEWORK
Depending on the nature of the subject matter involved, and the stage at which students are in the learning process, homework may be assigned as an additional means for reaching desired learning targets. If students have had instruction in advance of the homework sufficient for successfully completing it, then it may be graded. If, however, the homework is designed to provide additional practice without an expectation of mastering the corresponding learning objectives, it is not graded. Rather, students will receive feedback clarifying the extent to which desired learning targets are being reached.
EXTRA CREDIT
Extra credit may be available to students at faculty discretion but only if it follows from work directly related to course objectives beyond that which has already been successfully achieved. If offered, extra credit opportunities will at least be uniform across teachers of the same course.
GRADING ON A CURVE
Whitefish Bay High School faculty strive to develop summative assessments well aligned with prior instruction, leading students to successfully engage in these assessments. Consequently, the need for grading on a curve is minimized. On occasion, however, student summative performance as a whole may fall significantly short of expectation. In such instances, teachers will respond accordingly, addressing the primary learning shortcomings involved without students being unduly penalized.
GROUP WORK
The ability to work effectively as a member of a group is a highly valued skill that is developed as part of the WhitefishBayHigh School experience. Should there be grades associated with this work, however, they will be assigned in such a way to accurately account for each group member's performance. Consequently, members of the same group may or may not receive the same grades depending on their individual contributions.
REDOING SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
At faculty discretion, students may have the opportunity to redo summative assessments to the end of better demonstrating the extent to which learning objectives have been achieved. If offered, this opportunity will at least be uniform across teachers of the same course.
GRADING IN RELATION TO BEHAVIOR AND EFFORT
In accordance with the interest of letter grades being solely a measure of student academic achievement, the letter grades students receive at WhitefishBayHigh School follow directly from the extent to which course objectives have been achieved. Desired learning cannot take place, however, without students behaving appropriately and putting forth sufficient effort.
To support the interest of limiting letter grades to measures of academic performance, the following behavior/effort marks are reported quarterly along with letter grades:
1 Student behavior and effort is sufficient for achieving course objectives.
2 Student behavior and/or effort is sometimes lacking.
3 Student behavior and/or effort is frequently lacking.
Teacher comments may accompany these marks and will be included for marks of 2 or 3 to more clearly communicate what the particular behavior and/or effort shortcomings may be.
While separating measures of student academic performance from behavior and effort is clearly desired, there may be instances in which students' behavior and effort may have a direct bearing on their academic grades. Although such circumstances may vary from one subject area to another, the following exceptions are most commonplace:
- Earning zero credit for assigned work that is not completed. Incomplete work does not necessarily mean students have fallen short of achieving the learning objectives at hand, but teachers cannot accurately make this determination without students providing evidence of their academic achievement through the work that has been assigned.
- Earning reduced credit for assigned work that is not completed on time. Work submitted late may indicate desired learning has been achieved, but the overall teaching and learning process cannot be effectively managed without adherence to reasonable timelines and due dates. Consequently, many departmental teams assess penalties for work turned in late.
- Earning reduced or zero credit for work dishonestly completed. While there are separate disciplinary consequences following from our school's academic dishonesty policy, many departments assess an additional penalty of reduced or zero credit for the work involved as an added deterrent to behavior that most seriously compromises our students' learning interests.
PARTICIPATION GRADES
Participation that demonstrates understanding or skill in relation to learning objectives, such as formal discussions, presentations, and performances, may be graded. Students are not graded, however, on participation that is not, or may not reasonably be, critically assessed by their teachers. Nonetheless, students are encouraged to fully participate in all instructional activity to which they are subject so as to maximize their learning potential.
GRADING SCALES
At Whitefish Bay High School, the following grading scale is in place across all subject areas with the exception of Music which uses a 4.0 scale. In addition, teachers of Advanced Placement courses may deviate from this scale to better accommodate the college level nature of this coursework.
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A
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93-100
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B+
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87-89.99
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C+
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77-79.99
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D+
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67-69.99
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F
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0-59.99
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A-
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90-92.99
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B
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83-86.99
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C
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73-76.99
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D
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63-66.99
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B-
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80-82.99
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C-
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70-72.99
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D-
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60-62.99
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SEMESTER EXAMS AND GRADES
For every letter graded course offered at Whitefish Bay High School, a comprehensive final exam is given each semester. Exam performance is factored into semester grades as follows:
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Exam Weight
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Subject Areas
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10%
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Art/Woodworking, English, Music
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15%
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Physical Education
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20%
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Engineering, introductory level Math, Social Studies, Special Education, World Language
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25%
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Business, Computer Science, intermediate and advanced level Math, Health, Science
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Final semester grades then follow from a single percentage corresponding to grades earned over 18 weeks (both quarters) combined with the semester exam grade.
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