Grading

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Third Grade Grading

…and more!

Grading Philosophy

    In third grade your child will be assessed using the school indicators of Outstanding, Successful, Improving, Needs more time, Unsuccessful.  We believe that assessment should be ongoing and a reflection of what students actually know and can produce independently.  We do not grade homework as it is a behavior and a reflection of personal responsibility, not an indication of academic proficiency.  We also do not assign a grade for a writing sample completed at home.  All writing samples will be done in class for a grade.

    We believe students should be actively engaged in assessing their own work whenever possible. Students will learn to self check and help others grade their work too.  Students will also learn how to be self reflective with their learning by setting goals and identifying learning targets.  We value how students feel about their work and encourage students to take charge of their own learning.  Self grading and peer grading also helps provide immediate feedback, rather than wait days for the teacher to mark a paper.

Forms of Grading

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

    Students will earn credit for their in class work in a variety of ways.  This might look like credit or points for completed study guides, note cards, journal entries, charts, etc…These kinds of grades are called formative assessments as they help us “form” the next step of instruction.  Some formative assessments will be entered into the grade book, while others may not.  Some students may earn a grade on the first try of skill demonstration, but other may need more time and instruction.  These grades are entered at the discretion of the teacher and vary depending on the student performance. 

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

    We also work very hard to prepare students in class for end of the unit tests; these are calledsummative assessments as they sum up all the information covered in the unit.  We know students need to be able to take these kinds of tests too.  We are committed to working with students on test taking strategies and completing thorough review in class prior to these kinds of tests.  A student should simply need to refresh their memory at home with rereading their notes for big ideas or flashing through some basic vocabulary index cards for these kinds of tests.  Cramming is not recommended the night before in third grade.  We will work hard to make sure students have ample time with the content to perform their very best.  We use practice tests and study guides to help alleviate test anxiety.  Students may also complete supplementary work to help improve their grade.  This serves to show the students has gone back and attempted to fill in the gaps of their initial understanding of the content.  Retakes options are often provided to the students to help them show their proficiency in a skill set.  

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

    There will also be a chance for students to show us what they know using performance assessment.  They might be given a task to complete (essay with main ideas and supporting details), give a demonstration (act out a commercial), or create a product (learning poster).  This kind of assessment will be judged using a rubric (chart with indicators or levels of performance).

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT

    Students will also engage in ongoing benchmark assessments.  We will use the STAR reading and math to determine grade equivalency for math skills and silent reading, the Jerry Johns oral fluency and comprehension leveled passages, along with grade level phonics word lists for decoding and spelling ability.  These benchmark assessments will occur several times throughout the year and results will be shared via a student learning summary in the fall and spring or during individual conferences.

Making the Grade

    You will see some papers coming home with O (Outstanding), S (Successful), I (Improving), N (Needs more time), U (Unsuccessful).  This scale is in line with the St Francis School handbook and is used in kindergarten through third grade (see handbook). 

    Not every paper will be worth a grade, some will be for practice.  These will not have a grade marked on them.  Students will know which papers are purely for practice and which will count towards their grade for the skill.  

    Rubrics or a scale will explain grades in third grade.  For example, a student quiz with 5 possible answers will have a scale such as the following:

O= -0, student exceeds learning target

S= -1, student meets learning target

N= -2 or more, student needs more time with this content.

    Students will also have access to rubrics before turning in their final work products.  They are taught and expected to refer back to their rubrics throughout their work process to check their work prior to submitting it for a final grade.  This way, students are in charge of their own learning and can make the changes necessary to hit their learning target.  Our hope is that grading will be transparent for the student.  Students are often asked to “self assess” prior to turning in their work.  We will then mark the rubric using a different color pen and add notes.  Often, students will be asked to revise their work or supplement their work to add further evidence of their understanding.  Their grade will be updated to show their improvement.

    Students may be invited to retake some tests depending on subject matter and time permitting.  Students will have the opportunity to attend learning groups or "power groups".  The groups are done in class as re-teach opportunities to help students who need more time with subject matter.  

Retakes, More time, Absences Due to Sickness

    If a student is absent, they must come in to take their missing test after school upon his/her return to school.  Class time will not be provided as this causes the student to fall further behind during the day.  It is up to the student to come in after school the day of his/her return to collect missing assignments.  Students may come in at lunch or after school to meet with the teacher regarding missing work or tests.  Students can make up any work within one week of their return from being absent.

    If a student has a hard time completing work during class time, they are invited to come in at lunch or after school to complete their work.  If a student is chronically behind in class work, parents will be alerted and a meeting will be arranged to help develop strategies for the student to improve in this area.

Planned Absences, Trips

    If a family trip is planned, students will be asked to read daily, write a journal response in their reader’s response notebook and write an essay about their trip.  They may make a trip poster or Powerpoint to share with the class upon their return.

    Class work will not be provided in advance.  All work in third grade must have directions and accompanying instruction.  It is not fair to the student to complete work outside of the learning environment without the support of proper instruction or the resources provided within the classroom such as technology or peer support.

    Students must come see the teacher after school upon their return to collect any work they can complete independently.  Time will be given to students who need it to get caught back up to the class.