A look at the conversation about grades

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Purpose
Parent Portal View
Explanation and how to use
Questions

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LCPS is committed to quality and consistent assessment and grading practices
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Demonstrated through CLARITY
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Teachers design assessments to align with pace of the class

At Aldie, the Portal is an instrument to be used to communicate your child’s progress on a frequent basis.

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Conferences
Interims
Report Cards
Email communication
Phone calls
Notes

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Parents have a live view of their child’s progress and accountability in…
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• Academic Subject area
Specialist areas where grades are given
Homework status
Work/Study skills
• Regular comments are included

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Consider
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• Assessment type and form
Weight

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Naming convention is most important

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• Type – Assessment – Weight – Concept
 S – Quiz (1x) – Time and Calendar
 F – Exit Ticket (0x) – Bar Graph
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Type – Assessment – Weight – Concept
S – Quiz (1x) – Time and Calendar
 “ S ” = Summative Assessments
 “ F ” = Formative Assessments

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Diagnostic Assessment: Occurring PRIOR to learning that is used to identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses.
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Formative Assessment: Occurring DURING the learning that is used to adapt instruction
• Students use to determine their current progress.
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Summative Assessment: Occurring AFTER the learning that documents how much learning has occurred at a point in time.

You’ll see grades for all assessments entered (F, S, Homework)
Only Summative Assessments count towards the report card letter grade.
Any assessment that is weighted twice (2x) is subject to retake if student does not score a 2+ or higher (the standard).

Type – Assessment and Weight – Concept
S – Quiz (1x) – Time and Calendar
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“ Quiz (1x) ”
“ Test may be weighted (2x) ”
“ Exit Ticket (0x) ”

Type – Assessment and Weight – Concept
S – Quiz (1x) – Time and Calendar
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Test
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Chapter
Unit
Quarter
More on longer side
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Quiz
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1 or 2 concepts
More on shorter side
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Projects
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Exit Ticket
• Check for understanding

Type – Assessment and Weight – Concept
S – Quiz ( 1x ) – Time and Calendar
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Formative –weighted “ 0 .”
• Exit ticket or other quick checks for understanding
• Formative assessment do not contribute to the child’s grade
 They are seen in the reporting categories
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Summative – Only summative assessments will be weighted.
• End of unit tests and cumulative projects may be weighted“ 2x ”
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• Quizzes and detailed class assignments are weighted “ 1x .”
A small/minor summative assessment may be weighted “0 .5x
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Letter Grades
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• An average of all weighted assessments
The “heavier” the weight the more the grade “counts” in the average

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4 – Exceeds the standard
3 – Meets the standard
2 – Progressing toward the standard
1 – Below the standard
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X – Missing assignment due to absence or exemption
Z – Missing assignment

Type – Assessment and Weight – Concept
S – Quiz ( 1x ) – Time and Calendar
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Concepts taught are based upon
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• Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs)
LCPS Pacing Guide of the VA SOLs

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Teachers can write short comments about how your child performed on the assignment

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Grades on report cards come from the average of Summative Assessments
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Formative assessments tell parents how well concept is understood so far
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Routine is the same for each subject area

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Year end goals
Kindergarten is developmental progress
Rubric for progress
• Posted on Kindergarten website
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• Does not equate to a quarterly routine
Comment section is important

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Example of concept
• Counts by 1’s, 5’s, 10’s is topic statement
 “Meets” is
 Counting to 100 by 1’s,
 Counting to 100 by 5’s
 Counting to 100 by 10’s
 Counts backwards from 10
 Count one more and one less
 Count on by one number from a given number

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First step, talk with your child about the assignment seen in the Parent Portal.
• Ask if they studied the information.
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• Ask if they completed a retake.
Second step, wait for the assignment to come home in backpack/folders.
Third step, communicate concerns with the teacher.

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Make sense so far?
(F – Check for understanding(0x) – Portal Presentation)

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Grades are updated each Wednesday
• Teachers will inform parents if no new grades are posted
 It’s best to see the graded assessment before inquiring further
 Thursday folders come home the next day
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Homework updates are posted each
Friday
• Reflects the past week of completion

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Course Narratives
Provides a brief statement with hyperlink about where to locate relevant nine week plans, as well as grading and assessment procedures.
• E.g., “Please click here to view the 5 th Grade website and our 9 week plans. Please click here to view team grading policies.”

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Complete the Access Request Form – return to the school office;
Parent Information Verification (PIV)
• Sent home on Tuesday, October 2, 2013 with students;
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• Will include CLARITY portal login address
Access is limited to primary contact within
Student Information System
Portal closes in June

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Security
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• Requires student ID and provided password
Change password
DO NOT SHARE •
Help
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• If access code is lost or forgotten, call our Portal
Contacts
 Wanda Payne– wanda.payne@lcps.org
 Joyce Shanholtzerjoyce.shanholtzer@lcps.org
You will need:
 Student number
 Child’s first and last name
 Street address