Grading practices FAQ

Yes, in some ways. Starting this school year, grades will be organized into two clear categories: formative (practice work) and summative (demonstrated learning). This makes it easier for you to understand what your child's grade actually means and where they might need support. 

Your child's grade will reflect what they know and can do based on the skills and content of their course. It will not include things like neatness, attitude or whether they remembered to return a permission slip. 

Every class will have two types of graded work: 

• Practice work (Formative) — worth 20-40% of the grade 

• Demonstrated learning (Summative) — worth 60-80% of the grade 

Your child's teacher will share the exact breakdown at the start of the year. 

Teachers in the same course will use the same assessments and the same grading approach. This means your child will be graded consistently regardless of which class period they are in. 

Yes. For every common assessment, your child will have one opportunity to reassess after receiving feedback. More details are in the reassessment section below. 

Late work will be accepted without a grade penalty during a window your child's teacher will share at the start of the year. 

Not as separate grade categories. These things still matter and teachers will communicate about them, but they will not be averaged into your child's academic grade. 

No. Extra credit and bonus points are not part of our grading system. If a skill is important enough to learn, it is part of the required work for all students. This keeps grades fair and focused on actual learning. 

Every teacher will share a course syllabus at the start of the year that explains how grades are calculated, the late work window and what reassessment looks like. The district will also send information home through ParentSquare before the school year begins. 

Teachers will update SchoolTool every week. You can log in at any time to see your child's current grades, any missing or late work and whether a reassessment has been completed. 

M = the assignment is missing and currently counts as a zero 

L = the assignment was turned in late and received credit 

R = your child completed a reassessment 

Talk with your child about it. Find out if the work is still in the late work window and encourage them to submit it. If you have questions, reach out to the teacher directly. 

Encourage your child to read teacher comments in SchoolTool, ask questions when they are unsure and not wait until the end of a marking period to address missing work or request a reassessment. The window for both is tied to the unit, not the end of the quarter. 

Reach out to your child's teacher directly. You can also log into SchoolTool to see grades, comments and updates. If you need additional support, contact the school's main office and they will connect you with the right person. 

Contact your child's school and we will help you get set up. Every family deserves access to information about their child's progress and we want to make sure nothing gets in the way of that. 

You can also click this link to access more information about SchoolTool.

You will see an M in SchoolTool next to that assignment. The M means the work is missing and is currently counted as a zero. This is meant to give you an early heads up, not a permanent grade. 

Yes. Every teacher will accept late work for at least three school days after the original due date. The latest a teacher can stop accepting work is the day of the unit test or final assessment for that topic. Your child's teacher will share their specific window at the start of the year. 

No. If your child turns in work during the accepted late window, they will receive full credit for what they learned. You will see an L next to the assignment in SchoolTool to show it was submitted late, but there is no grade penalty attached to it. 

Teachers will work with students on a case by case basis for absences. If your child has ongoing attendance challenges, please reach out to their teacher or school counselor to make a plan together. 

Yes. For every common summative assessment, your child will have one opportunity to reassess after receiving feedback on their original score. 

No. Before reassessing, your child needs to show that they did something to strengthen their understanding. That might look like completing a review activity, meeting with their teacher or correcting their original work with a written reflection. The reassessment itself will cover the same skills but may look different from the original. 

Your child has five school days from the time they receive their score and feedback to complete the reassessment. They are responsible for starting that process. Encourage them not to wait. 

If the reassessment score is higher, that new score replaces the original. If the original score is higher, that one stays. Your child cannot score lower by reassessing. 

Learning takes time. Students often continue to grow after an assessment. Allowing a reassessment means your child's grade reflects where they ended up, not just where they were on one particular day. This is about accuracy, not lowering the bar. 

Only if it is clearly connected to a learning standard and measured with a rubric or clear criteria that your child knows ahead of time. A teacher cannot simply give or take away points for raising a hand or being quiet. 

These things matter and your child's teacher will communicate about them. But they will not be averaged into your child's academic grade. You will see that feedback through comments in SchoolTool or messages from the teacher directly. 

Practice work your child does while they are still learning. Think of it as the work that helps them get ready to show what they know. Examples include drafts, practice problems, exit tickets and skill-building activities. 

The final demonstration of what your child has learned. This is where they show mastery of the skills and content for a unit. Examples include tests, final essays, projects and presentations. 

A second opportunity for your child to demonstrate learning on a major assessment after receiving feedback on their original score. Your child must show evidence of new learning before reassessing. If the new score is higher, it replaces the original. 

An assignment that has not been submitted by the original due date. In SchoolTool this appears as an M and is currently counted as a zero. It is not a permanent grade. Your child can still submit the work during the late work window. 

An assignment submitted after the original due date but within the accepted late work window. In SchoolTool this appears as an L. There is no grade penalty for late work submitted within the window. 

Proof that your child has done additional work to strengthen their understanding before being reassessed. This is not just showing up to retake a test. It might look like correcting their original work with a written reflection, completing a practice activity on the skills they missed or meeting with their teacher to go over feedback.