SPECIAL EDUCATION
39139 N. Tenth Street East * Palmdale * California * 93550
Telephone (661) 456-1451 Fax (661) 456-1467
RSP Grading Procedures
(for K-8 pull-out program)
1. K-3 and 7-8 RSP students should have their Language Arts (and/or math) grade reflected
on the regular, grade-appropriate report card each trimester.
** 4-6 RSP students should have their Math grade reflected on the regular, gradeappropriate report card each trimester, however, their English Language Arts grade will be
based on Language! and marked on the Alternative Report Card.
The RSP teacher is the teacher of record for Language! (ELA) and therefore, will provided
the ELA grade on the Alternate Report Card.
2. K-3 students should receive grades ( LA and /or Math) that reflect a collaborative effort
between the RSP teacher and the classroom teacher and are also reflective of entries made on
the student's IEP on the accommodations page .
**4-6 RSP students who receive math support should receive grades that reflect a
collaborative effort between the RSP teacher and the classroom teacher and are also
reflective of entries made on the student's IEP on the accommodations page.
3. RSP students ALSO need to have a progress report (completed by the RSP teacher) sent
home to parents that reports to the student's progress towards individual goals/objectives. This
is accomplished best through the use of the dedicated progress report form within SEIS,
special education software. If a student is new to the district and does not have a completed
SEIS file with goals and objectives, you may use copies of the actual goal pages from the
most recent IEP to mark their progress
**RSP students should be provided with a midterm progress reports if that is the
practice of the school and all general education students are receiving one.
3. 7-8 RSP teachers who teach Language! will also fill out the ELD report card for their
English Language Learners.
The completion of this page should be carefully thought out at each student's IEP meeting
and a consensus arrived at for the development of grades. For RSP students, especially,
skipping this step can create a lot of confusion about what to put on a report card and a few
minutes extra effort here will provide clarity about RSP grading.
4. Classroom teachers of RSP students should consider the entries on the accommodations
page as authorization to make accommodated grades for students with disabilities based on
the accommodations and modifications listed. (failure to do so can actually be an Ed Code
violation.)
5. The loss of general education class time resulting from the student’s Special Education
attendance SHOULD NOT result in a grade penalty for the student (in any subject) and the
grading modifications necessary to accomplish this should be part of the discussions at the
IEP meeting.
** Accommodations generally do not affect course content or curriculum
The California Department of Education (“CDE”), on its website, has published a series of
frequently asked questions regarding promotion, retention, and grading of students with
disabilities. In that publication, the CDE stated:
A symbol or code may be used on a student’s report card to indicate
that the student has had a modified curriculum in the general education
classroom. However, this type of coding should not be used solely for
students with disabilities. A policy should be developed that applies to
all students. (http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/sr/promoretntn.asp.)
FAQs
a) How should RSP students be evaluated?
RSP students should be evaluated based on the expectations that are set
during the IEP meeting. Discussions should include what the expectations
would look like if they are met and if they are not met. If a child is doing
everything that is being asked of them then they need to grade them
according to those expectations. Example: if the expectation is to write a 5
sentence paragraph and student meets that expectation, then student should
receive the grade commensurate with all others who have met the criteria.
b) What is the lowest grade that General Ed. Teachers can give to RSP students?
The lowest grade that RSP students should get is that which reflects his/her
work. However, the grade should not merely reiterate the fact that the
student is not at grade level. If after collaborating with General Ed. and
Resource Teacher student continues to fail or fails to produce, there should
be a revisiting of the expectations to determine if they are appropriate for
this student.
c) Can General Ed. Teachers write “No Mark/Not Available” on the report card?
It is not advisable for a teacher to write No Mark or Not Applicable. If there
is not enough evidence to properly evaluate the student, then scheduling
within the program needs to be addressed.
d) Should notations be made regarding modifications of assignments?
Comments such as modifications of assignments can be made only if it is
done with regard to regular ed. students as well. We cannot single out
students with disabilities.