Understanding Your Science Grade
Note to Students and Families Regarding New Grading System
Please be patient as I work through the kinks of using this new system. It is a learning process for me and as issues come up I will address and fix them.
Your science grade will look different this year. Instead of receiving “points” for each assignment, I will be using a scoring guide to determine the degree to which you have met a particular science task. This scoring guide is called a “rubric” and it will help show me what you have LEARNED instead of what you have TURNED IN (or not turned in).
When you look at Schoolloop, you will not see the traditional letter grade and percent (A- = 90%). Instead you will see the following codes:
|
CODE |
DESCRIPTION OF CODE |
|
5 OR A |
Student has demonstrated a thorough understanding of the topic/s through carefully constructed answers in written work and has a high level of participation in class activities. This student consistently delivers outstanding work products in ALL aspects of the class – written work, participation in oral discussions, and lab activities, with clear evidence of their knowledge and/or scientific reasoning. (For progress reports, quarter and semester grade purposes, this would translate to an A or A-.) |
|
4 OR P |
Student has demonstrated a good understanding of the topic/s covered. Student explanations and thinking skills show a good grasp of the subject matter with few errors. Written work is mostly complete and accurate but leaves out some important details. Student mostly participates in class discussions and lab activities. (For progress reports, quarter and semester grade purposes, this would translate to a B+, B, or B-) |
|
3 OR B |
Student has demonstrated an adequate understanding of the topic/s covered. Student understands the “basics” but lacks knowledge/understanding of the finer details. Student generally participates in oral discussions with some prompting and usually participates in lab activities. Student reasoning may not be completely logical but shows scientific understanding of the “bigger picture”. (For progress reports, quarter and semester grade purposes, this would translate to a C+, C, or C-). |
|
2 OR BB |
Student has demonstrated partial understanding of the topic/s covered. Student has demonstrated some knowledge but also shows some misconceptions or faulty thinking. Student rarely participates in class discussions voluntarily. Student is not always productive during lab activities and relies on other students to complete tasks. (For progress reports, quarter and semester grade purposes, this would translate to a D+ or D) |
|
1 OR FBB |
Student has demonstrated minimal understanding of the topic/s covered. While the student’s work shows some evidence of understanding, answers are vague and/or incomplete. Student work is copied or hastily completed. Student rarely participates in oral discussions and is not able to communicate thoughts or ideas in a logical manner. (For progress reports, quarter and semester grade purposes, this would translate to a D-) |
|
N |
Student has demonstrated NO EVIDENCE of learning. Work is rarely attempted or contains many blank answers. The student does not participate in oral discussions or lab activities without teacher prompting. Student knowledge is far below that of his/her classmates and no attempt is made at learning the content. (For progress reports, quarter and semester grade purposes, this would translate to an F.) |
|
EX |
Occasionally there are lab activities or class discussions that cannot be made up. In the event that no alternate assignment can be easily completed, the student will be excused from the activity that was missed due to an absence. This will not affect the overall assessment of the student’s grade. |
How to go from Good to OUTSTANDING:
Outstanding students consistently demonstrate the following skills:
- They have a hunger for knowledge and a desire to better themselves.
- They take initiative and do what needs to be done in a timely manner.
- They are creative in their thinking. They offer new and better ideas.
- They have good communication skills – and they use them! They speak up but do not dominate conversations/discussions.
- They stay on task even through the distractions of others.
- They can work independently and are valuable group members.
- They praise their classmates and recognize their value to the overall team.
- Their attitude is always great – even when things aren’t going well.
Practice these skills and become an OUTSTANDING student yourself!
