Grading System

Families will receive the following reports 3-4 times per year.

• Report cards containing all of the standards covered during that term

• Interim reports containing data from tests such as Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), Fountas & Pinnell reading levels, Cambium and Star Assessments, etc. This report will not include grades and helps you determine how your Scholar is performing.

Standards are set by the State Department of Education. These are educational goals that are established for each grade level. Scholars are required to master these standards by the end of the year.

A system is designed to inform families about their Scholar’s progress towards achieving specific learning standards. CIJS establishes high and challenging performance expectations for all Scholars.

Standards-based reporting lends itself well with the project-based curriculum, because it describes what students should know while allowing teachers to assess Scholar progress with multiple standards while engaging in projects. This allows for meaningful assessments that are applied to real world situations.

To clearly communicate to families a Scholar's performance of grade level standards and expectations. It also provides an in-depth outline in each of the major academic content areas and shows how well they are progressing towards those grade level goals. By providing a more detailed description of progress, CIJS is able to establish an environment that meets the need of each Scholar individually. This provides the ability for both parents and teachers to differentiate instruction based on each Scholar's individual needs.

In addition, standards-based learning prepares students for intrinsic motivation which is extremely powerful. When a Scholar is involved in the learning process, by knowing their individual strengths and weaknesses, the parents, teacher, and Scholar can work together to set meaningful individual goals. This reduces frustration in Scholars and increases their confidence level as they discover their true ability. Scholars can see for themselves that they are able to make progress towards each skill, instead of enduring a sense of "failure" because they are expected to meet a goal that is set too high.

Through standards-based instruction and project-based learning methods, teachers will know if their Scholars have already mastered concepts prior to a lesson or unit. It gives teachers an opportunity to provide meaningful and challenging work. Teachers differentiate instruction so that Scholars continue to progress. Teachers are better able to see who really has mastered the standard and who needs additional instruction or intervention.

Homework is meant for Scholars to practice and reinforce skills, but homework is not a reliable indicator of a Scholar's achievement. Therefore, it will not be used to determine proficiency. However, Scholars will be monitored and may receive feedback for completion of the assignments. 

Additionally, they may receive a grade for completing their homework. 

Standards-based grading allows teachers to determine mastery of content knowledge through the use of regular formative assessment (monitoring student learning in real time). Teachers will communicate that learning back to Scholars and parents. Formative assessment allows educators to drive their instruction based on the needs and performance of the Scholars.  A variety of methods may be used to communicate Scholar progress to parents including but not limited to:

• Online management systems
• Scholar portfolios
• Progress reports
• Email updates
• Parent conferences
• Teacher websites
• Phone calls

We also encourage you to communicate with your Scholars to help them monitor their own progress towards meeting the standards.

Traditional Grading:

• Grades of A, B, C, D, or F which represent percentage of points accumulated

• Non-academic factors affect grades, such as participation, attendance, and late work

• Everything is graded and averaged together

• Early assignments can skew the final grade

• Reports a single grade for each class

Standards-Based Grading:

• Scores of 4, 3, 2, or 1 which represent student performance in relation to specific standards

• Based on common core, national, state, and school standards

• A report of what Scholars know and are able to do

• Reflects current knowledge not an average over a semester

• Reflects academic performance only

• Allows teachers to differentiate instruction

• Intermediate school has a secondary conversion for traditional grades (A,B,C, D, or F) on their report cards as well as standards-based.

We will always work with your child at their developmental level, but for the purpose of report cards, we will assess the standards based on their grade level. For example: if your child is performing above grade level, we will differentiate instruction within the classroom to meet their needs, but we will assess the grade level standards and report that on the progress reports.

4 - (Meets or Exceeds Mastery) Your Scholar consistently demonstrates high level of knowledge and understanding of the standard above grade level.

3 - (Mastery) Your Scholar is on track, meeting grade level expectations, and demonstrating a solid knowledge and understanding of the standard.

2 - (Near Mastery) Your Scholar is demonstrating some progress towards understanding the grade level standard. However, they are mot consistently meeting expectations for that standard.

1 - (Far Below) Your Scholar is well below meeting the standard or not meeting grade expectation.