Grades/Evaluation Of Student Achievement

The Board of Education believes that grades serve a valuable instructional purpose by helping students and parents/guardians identify the student's areas of strength and those areas needing improvement. Parents/guardians and students have the right to receive course grades that represent an accurate evaluation of the student's achievement. The teacher of each course shall determine the student's grade. The grade assigned by the teacher shall not be changed by the Board or the Superintendent except as provided by law, Board policy and administrative regulation. (Education Code 49066) Teachers shall evaluate a student's work in relation to standards which apply to all students at his/her grade level. The Superintendent or designee shall establish and regularly evaluate a uniform grading system, and principals shall ensure that student grades conform to this system. Teachers shall inform students and parents/guardians how student achievement will be evaluated in the classroom. Grades should be based on impartial, consistent observation of the quality of the student's work and his/her mastery of course content and objectives. Students shall have the opportunity to demonstrate this mastery through a variety of methods such as classroom participation, homework, tests and portfolios. When reporting student grades to parents/guardians, teachers may add narrative descriptions, observational notes and/or samples of classroom work in order to better describe student progress in specific skills and subcategories of achievement. Students in grades K-3 shall receive narrative evaluations rather than letter grades in order to give parents/guardians more information about their children's developmental levels and also promote students' self-esteem and experiences of success. Unexcused Absences If a student misses class without an excuse and does not subsequently turn in homework, take a test or fulfill another class requirement which he/she missed, the teacher may lower the student's grade for nonperformance. Five (5) unexcused absences per grading period shall constitute excessive unexcused absences. Students with excessive unexcused absences may receive a failing grade and not receive credit for the class(es). Grade Point Average (GPA) The Superintendent or designee shall recommend to the Board the methodology to be used in calculating students' grade point averages. The Superintendent or designee shall also recommend to the Board whether extra grade weighting will be assigned for honors courses that are substantially similar in depth, breadth and rigor to an Advanced Placement course.