1. Reassessment Procedure and grading updates
Peoria Public Schools District 150
May 24, 2018

2. Peoria Public Schools Grading Committee 2017-2018
Brittany Smith, Becky Donahue, Natalie Clare, Carrie Hiller, Leah Melendy, Tracy Riebel, Tracey Ziegenhorn, Lori Ettinger, Thomas Schultz, Jill Eshelman, Sam Stalter, Nicole Zielinski-Venegas, Kristin Mullens, Matt McCaw, Emily Hrdlicka, Jaime Peterson, Tom Jatkowski, Jennifer Tracy Prescott, Traci Bresko, Dave Poehls, Matt Durr, Anna Rose, Beth Perce, Denise Fiddes-Termaat, Denyse Hagemann, Emily Bernardi, Gail Lewellyn, Kathy Rodriguez, Laura George, Lisa Gifford, Lisa O’Malley, Melissa Winters, Michael Kuhn, Michelle Couri, Molly Lynd, Rachel Maher, Sue Malahy, Tabitha Hannah-Lewis, Timika Rutherford, Tyler Patton, Wendy Clark, Brett Elliott, Lawrence Tourijigian Susan Gobeyn, Marcy Steele, Susan Grzanich

3. Purpose of Grading
The purpose of grading is to communicate an accurate evaluation of what a student knows and is able to do according to grade level standards. Grading will be a consistent and ongoing monitoring of individual student growth for both students and teachers to reflect upon learning.

4. reporting grades Grades will be determined by earned percentages.
Letter grades aligned to the earned percentages will be displayed on report cards.
High school students will earn a final grade each semester.
Primary students in grades 1st – 8th will earn percentages each semester. At the end of the year, both percentages will be averaged together for the final course percentage/grade.
Letter Grade
Percentage
Points
Mastery Level A
100-90 5
Student has demonstrated consistent, exceptional mastery. B
89-80 4
Student has demonstrated regular, good mastery. C
79-70 3
Student has demonstrated acceptable mastery. D
69-60 2
Student has demonstrated partial mastery. F
59-50 1
Even with help, student has not demonstrated mastery. 40
No evidence provided.

5. reporting Grades - Kindergarten
Kindergarten will follow the same timeline as 1st - 8th grades.
Communication of grades will remain standards-based.
Kindergarten will now have three ratings:
M = Mastery of Standard
P = Progressing towards Mastery of Standard
N = Not Progressing towards Mastery of Standard

6. Grading Categories Weighting is the same as 2017-2018 school year
Primary & Middle Schools
Summative 60%
Formative 35%
Other 5%
High School
Summative 65%
Formative 15%
Midterm Exam 10% (required participation)
Final Exam 10% (required participation)
Failure to take a required exam/put forth good-faith effort will result in a zero in that specific category. Otherwise, the lowest percent a student may receive on a required exam is 50%.

7. Categories defined
Summative – a task or product used to illustrate an individual student’s level of mastery of skills/concepts/processes related to grade level standards.
Examples: Unit Assessments, Projects, Performances, Formal Essays, etc.
Formative - a wide variety of methods teachers use to consistently monitor an individual student’s level of mastery of skills/concepts related to grade level standards.
Examples: in-class assignments, daily practice, bell-ringers, small quizzes, exit tickets, etc.
Formative Assessments should be directly related to grade level standards that will appear
on Summative Assessments.
Other– a task meant to provide additional practice of skills and concepts already sufficiently taught in class.
Examples: Homework and Group Work

8. 40% versus 50% Clarification
Students who make a legitimate attempt on an assessment (The definition of legitimate attempt is based on teacher discretion; however, factors considered include whether the student willingly took the original assessment and/or the student read and attempted all portions of the assessment showing work where applicable.) will earn no lower than a 50 percent on the assessment. However, students who do not make a legitimate attempt on an assessment or do not complete an assessment will earn a 40 percent to indicate that no evidence of learning was available.

9. ESSA Update on Absences
Absences. Excused and Unexcused Absences are defined in Board Policy 7:70 (“Attendance and Truancy”). ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) defines absences as the same regardless of the absence being excused or unexcused. Therefore, all responses and actions shall be the same for either reason.

10. Academic Dishonesty - Addition
Academic Dishonesty: The act of demonstrating behaviors to gain an advantage on assigned work that no longer allows for assessment of one’s own knowledge and abilities (including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, or using notes or other aids during an assessment).
Consequences for All Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty.
A student who commits academic dishonesty shall receive a grade of forty (40%) for the assignment. The student may complete an alternative assignment and receive a maximum grade of eighty (80%). Two separate grades will be entered in the gradebook, the first grade for the original assignment and the second grade for the alternative assignment.

11. High School Exam Requirements
Special Conditions: High School Students must take all summative course exams as indicated in the course syllabi. Failure to complete an exam shall result in a zero (0%). All state-required course assessments for all students must be completed.

12. High School Class Rank
Class Rank ends with the Class of Class rank will not take place until a student has earned a minimum of 13 credits and attained 11th grade status.

13. District Summative Reassessment procedure
Every Peoria Public School student has the opportunity to show new learning through reassessment of skills presented on summative assessments.
A teacher must provide a student with at least three opportunities for summative reassessment per semester in each subject area, regardless of grade level and/or score on the initial summative assessment.
A teacher may elect to offer reassessment on more than three summative assessments per semester.

14. District FORMATIVE Reassessment
Teachers have at their discretion to allow students to do an assignment over, correct assignments or give alternative assignments, etc. for full or partial credit.

15. Semester Timing
The reassessment must be completed prior to the class’ next scheduled summative assessment. A student is not permitted to reassess within the final ten days of the grading period (i.e. Fall and Spring semesters).

16. Eligibility
A legitimate attempt on the original summative assessment must have been made for a student to be eligible to reassess. The definition of legitimate attempt is based on teacher discretion; however, factors considered include whether the student willingly took the original assessment and/or the student read and attempted all portions of the assessment showing work where applicable. 

17. Process Initiation and Ownership
Once the eligibility is determined, the process to reassess must be initiated by secondary students (grades 5-12). Secondary students must take accountability for the process. In comparison, this process may be guided by a guardian and/or teacher at the primary level (K-4). However, teachers may encourage older primary students to take ownership of the process. Reassessment request forms are available to guide the procedure but are not required. The forms can be found in CAPPS.

18. Process Steps
Step 1
Schedule a time between student and teacher to review Skyward and identify any formative assessments and/or homework that should be completed/corrected that are aligned to the misconceptions on the original summative assessment.
Teachers, may at this time, suggest new learning activities to advance student understanding. (i.e. specific online learning tasks, tutoring sessions, etc.) If a teacher chooses, he/she may use the optional reassessment forms (1,2, and/or 3) to guide this work.

19. Process Steps
Step 2 Schedule the reassessment. A student in a primary school (K-4) will work with the teacher to arrange a reassessment time. Secondary level students (5-12) are responsible for arranging a reassessment time with the teacher that will not interrupt the current unit of study.

20. Process Steps
Step 3 Student takes the reassessment at the agreed upon time. Note: A teacher may allow a student to reassess portions of the summative assessment in which the student wants to show growth, if the original assessment is organized by skills/concepts.

21. Recording/Grading
After the summative reassessment is complete, the teacher will: • Enter the higher of the two grades into the Skyward grade book (replacing the original grade, if applicable) • Note the reassessment date and original score in the notes section.

22. Communication of Procedure
• High School – The District Summative Reassessment Procedure will be included in each course syllabus and/or systematically communicated to all parents/guardians. • K-8 – The District Summative Reassessment Procedure will be systematically communicated to all parents/guardians. • Individual teacher requirements must be clearly communicated to students and parents.

23. Rationale The focus is LEARNING!
In a standards-based system, reassessments are a necessary part of the learning process. “True competence that stands the test of time comes with reiterative learning. We carry forward concepts and skills we encounter repeatedly, and we get better at retrieving them the more we experience them.” (Wormeli, 2011). Making reassessments a school-wide practice changes the learning culture for students from one where they are trying to earn enough points to pass to one in which they are held accountable for everything they need to know and be able to do. Reeves (2000) describes the cultural shift that will happen over time as schools implement such a policy. “The consequence for a student who fails to meet a standard is not a low grade, but rather an opportunity – indeed, the requirement – to resubmit his or her work.”
The focus is LEARNING!