Assignments and Practices are noted in Amplify and Canvas as Complete or Incomplete (NOT POINTS)
The goal of ALL assignments is to practice the standard we are working on to achieve mastery and are not assigned to a "Point" system.
Assignments/Practices are reviewed in class in order for both the students and the teacher to formatively assess current level of mastery of a given standard. Students are expected to make revisions and take notes on areas they need more practice on and review/practice them.
PowerSchool Grade
The "Grade" in PowerSchool is a measure of their mastery of the current standard(s) which is measured in the form of a three-dimensional NGSS Assessment. Based on this assessment which measures the mastery of the current standard(s) students receive the following grades:
A/4 = Exceeds Standard* = Receives a 4 and comment noting that you went above and beyond and exceeded the standard
A/3 = Meets Standard
B = Moving towards Meeting Standard
C = Approaching Standard
D = Insufficient evidence (Did not show understanding of standard in the assessment(s) and does not have ALL of their Assignments/Practices in to determine if they are approaching standard.)
Why not extra credit?
Rather than give "Extra Credit" which is typically associated with points that do NOT measure mastery but rather completion of an extra piece or pieces of work, a sequentially completed body of work to review is a more accurate method of measuring progress.
It is important that students do their best to complete ALL Assignments/Practices in BOTH Amplify and Canvas.
If they are not able to show evidence of approaching the standard(s) in the assessment(s), I can go to their completed body of work and review it to assess if they are working towards approaching the standard(s). I can also have a one-on-one conference to discuss their progress using their completed work as a scaffolding of where they need to practice more to achieve mastery.
My child has a D, how can they raise their grade to a C?
If they have a D, they are most likely NOT showing evidence of understanding of the standard(s) in their assessment(s) and HAVE NOT completed ALL Assignments/Practices.
If they had completed ALL Assignments/Practices they would be eligible to retake the assessment. At this point many students have practiced enough that they are mastering the standard at a level 2 or C. If for some reason they are not showing evidence of a level 2 mastery on the retake, I would then go to their completed body of work and review it to assess if they are working towards approaching the standard(s). At this point, I can then have a one-on-one conference to discuss their progress using their completed work as a scaffolding of where they need to practice more to achieve a higher mastery level. After conferencing, if there is evidence of approaching, I would note this in the PowerSchool (comments section) and raise their grade to reflect a level 2 mastery or C.
(Bottom line, complete ALL Assignments/Practices .)
If your child was in 7th Grade Science at Standley last year, the only thing that has changed in 8th Grade Science is the TEACHER and the TOPIC.
If you as a parent need to see their assignments and do not know how, ask them to show you, they do it in class EVERYDAY!
Why bother to take a level 4 assessment when they both (levels 3 & 4) show up as an A in PowerSchool?
When a student takes a level 4 assessment and shows evidence of exceeding the standard (moving beyond the bull's eye of the current standard) they receive a comment in PowerSchool indicating that they took a level 4 assessment and have exceeded the standard. This indicates that they went above and beyond in their academics in science.
*Exceeds Standards means you understood the basic standard and were able to go above and beyond in complexity and difficulty much like an AP or advanced course of study. (an early indicator of being prepared for the workload and developing high school and college-level academic skills.)
The goal of ALL assignments is to practice the standard we are working on to achieve mastery and are not assigned to a "Point" system.
Assignments/Practices are reviewed in class in order for both the students and the teacher to formatively assess current level of mastery of a given standard. Students are expected to make revisions and take notes on areas they need more practice on and review/practice them.
PowerSchool Grade
The "Grade" in PowerSchool is a measure of their mastery of the current standard(s) which is measured in the form of a three-dimensional NGSS Assessment. Based on this assessment which measures the mastery of the current standard(s) students receive the following grades:
A/4 = Exceeds Standard* = Receives a 4 and comment noting that you went above and beyond and exceeded the standard
A/3 = Meets Standard
B = Moving towards Meeting Standard
C = Approaching Standard
D = Insufficient evidence (Did not show understanding of standard in the assessment(s) and does not have ALL of their Assignments/Practices in to determine if they are approaching standard.)
Why not extra credit?
Rather than give "Extra Credit" which is typically associated with points that do NOT measure mastery but rather completion of an extra piece or pieces of work, a sequentially completed body of work to review is a more accurate method of measuring progress.
It is important that students do their best to complete ALL Assignments/Practices in BOTH Amplify and Canvas.
If they are not able to show evidence of approaching the standard(s) in the assessment(s), I can go to their completed body of work and review it to assess if they are working towards approaching the standard(s). I can also have a one-on-one conference to discuss their progress using their completed work as a scaffolding of where they need to practice more to achieve mastery.
My child has a D, how can they raise their grade to a C?
If they have a D, they are most likely NOT showing evidence of understanding of the standard(s) in their assessment(s) and HAVE NOT completed ALL Assignments/Practices.
If they had completed ALL Assignments/Practices they would be eligible to retake the assessment. At this point many students have practiced enough that they are mastering the standard at a level 2 or C. If for some reason they are not showing evidence of a level 2 mastery on the retake, I would then go to their completed body of work and review it to assess if they are working towards approaching the standard(s). At this point, I can then have a one-on-one conference to discuss their progress using their completed work as a scaffolding of where they need to practice more to achieve a higher mastery level. After conferencing, if there is evidence of approaching, I would note this in the PowerSchool (comments section) and raise their grade to reflect a level 2 mastery or C.
(Bottom line, complete ALL Assignments/Practices .)
If your child was in 7th Grade Science at Standley last year, the only thing that has changed in 8th Grade Science is the TEACHER and the TOPIC.
If you as a parent need to see their assignments and do not know how, ask them to show you, they do it in class EVERYDAY!
Why bother to take a level 4 assessment when they both (levels 3 & 4) show up as an A in PowerSchool?
When a student takes a level 4 assessment and shows evidence of exceeding the standard (moving beyond the bull's eye of the current standard) they receive a comment in PowerSchool indicating that they took a level 4 assessment and have exceeded the standard. This indicates that they went above and beyond in their academics in science.
*Exceeds Standards means you understood the basic standard and were able to go above and beyond in complexity and difficulty much like an AP or advanced course of study. (an early indicator of being prepared for the workload and developing high school and college-level academic skills.)