COMMUNICATING GRADING CRITERIA

Grading must reflect what a student knows, understands, and is able to do related to the course standards.  Grades are not intended to be a consequence for student behavior.

GRADING and REPORTING

The high school philosophy of reporting student progress is supported by the following guidelines:

• The system of reporting is one that is clear and easily communicated to stakeholders.
• The evaluation of student progress is based upon all learning goals of a subject.
• Each student's progress will be reported in terms of academic achievement and may be clarified through the use of comments regarding work habits and attitudes. 

MAKE-UP WORK, LATE WORK, AND RETAKES

Throughout the school year, circumstances will arise in which students need the opportunity to complete missing work or retake assignments/assessments.

Make-up Work

• Regardless of reason for absence, a minimum of two class days will be allowed for each day of absence without grade penalty. If the assignment is turned in beyond the allotted number of days, the assignment will be graded based upon the late work policy of the teacher.
• If the absence(s) occur at the end of the marking period an incomplete may be issued.

Late Work

• Regardless of reason for lateness, a minimum of two class days will be allowed for a late assignment without grade penalty. If the assignment is turned in beyond the allotted number of days, the assignment will be graded based upon the late work policy of the teacher. This policy will be outlined in the teachers’ grading criteria and approved by the school principal.
• Work due the day of an absence is due on the day the student returns.

Retakes

• Regardless of reason, teachers must allow and grade the retake of all summative assignments in accordance with the following criteria:
• Students will take the same or a comparable assignment.
• Students can retake summative assignments once.
• Students will receive the higher grade.
• Students will retake the assignment within two weeks after the initial assignment has been graded and returned.
• Students will retake the assignment at a mutually agreed upon time.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Integrity is at the heart of a sound academic policy.  The integrity of a school course and program depends on the honest completion of student work.  Cheating and plagiarism violate the most basic understanding between a student and a teacher that a student's work is his/her own and occurs when someone takes credit for something he/she did not do.

• Examples of cheating include but are not limited to:
• copying someone else's work.
• allowing someone else to copy his/her work.
• allowing someone to complete his/her work.
• completing someone else's work.
• using technology resources inappropriately.

• If a student is caught cheating, he/she will:
• be referred for disciplinary action.
• be given an opportunity to complete a comparable assignment for full credit.
• receive a 50 that will be replaced with the grade of the comparable assignment.

Plagiarism is the representation of someone else's ideas, statements, or words as one's own without giving credit.  Any material used in a completed assignment that includes the words, ideas, and statements from a traditional or electronic source must be documented using a standard format such as MLA or APA.  This includes interviews, television shows, movies, computer media, and Internet sources.

• Students found to have plagiarized will:
• be referred for disciplinary action.
• be given an opportunity to complete a comparable assignment for full credit.
• receive a 50 that will be replaced with the grade of the comparable assignment.

CREDIT RECOVERY/GRADE RECOUP /GRADE REINSTATEMENT

Cecil County Public Schools acknowledges a need to provide high school students with various opportunities to master academic content standards through separate programs that include Credit Recovery, Grade Reinstatement, and Grade Recoup. All high school students in CCPS will have the opportunities described below as a means of passing courses.

Credit Recovery – Students who have passed one marking period for semester-long courses or at least two of the four marking periods for year-long courses are eligible for the CCPS Credit Recovery program. These students will complete a module of assignments that will be facilitated by school staff. Once the student has satisfactorily completed the work, the student receives a P grade for the class, and a credit is awarded. The original F on the transcript remains and is factored into the student’s overall GPA.

Grade Recoup – Any students who earn a 60% to a 64.9% as their final grade for a marking period are eligible to participate in the CCPS Grade Recoup program. Students are made aware of their eligibility in writing within five (5) days of the issuance of report cards. Students must then meet with their teacher(s) to identify which assignments must be completed to successfully recoup their grade. Students are given five (5) school days following the notification of their Grade Recoup status to complete the assignments. The highest marking period grade a student can earn from successfully completing Grade Recoup is a D (65%). High School Assessment (HSA) courses are not eligible for Grade Recoup, unless the student has passed the HSA requirements. (English 10 is an HSA course.)

Grade Reinstatement – Grade Reinstatement provides students with an opportunity to have a grade reinstated in the event that a student has failed a course due to attendance for the second or fourth marking periods. During this afterschool time (five [5] days, three [3] hours per day) students may also complete Credit Recovery and/or Grade Recoup for a course. Students working to complete assignments due to failing for attendance will have their earned grades reinstated. Students completing Credit Recovery and/or Grade Recoup will follow the same process articulated above.