Grading & Report Cards

ASSESSMENT PHILOSOPHY: The primary purpose of assessment is to support and encourage student learning. Each student assessment will reflect his/her progress towards, and mastery of district curriculum objectives and the development of IB Approaches To Learning (ATL) skills. Assessment criteria (graded assignments) in the IB MYP are designed, developed and applied by teachers working with students in their schools. 

RETEACHING/ INTERVENTION / REASSESSMENT: Students who receive a failing grade on any assignment that counts toward the final IB achievement level will have an opportunity to receive re-teaching, and will be reassessed for mastery. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate this process. Students will have three (3) school days to be reassessed for mastery. Per secondary guidelines,“under no circumstance will a student be allowed to retake a final examination to improve his grade.” Students will not be allowed to be reassessed on midterms and finals.

LATE WORK AND MAKE UP WORK POLICY
Students are expected to complete all assignments that assess their mastery of district learning objectives.
Late work must be submitted within three (3) school days after the due date. Work received after the due date will be marked as "Inc" or "Msg" in HISD Connect.
The maximum score for late work is IB-3 (75), but it will not be accepted after 4:00 PM on the third calendar day.
If work is not completed on time, a student may be assigned to attend detention to complete the assignment.
Students who are absent are responsible for making up missed work promptly upon their return to school.
The number of days allotted for make-up work equals the number of days absent.
For extended absences of three (3) days or more, students should request assignments from their teachers or Assistant Principal with at least 48 hours’ notice.
For absences of one instructional cycle (2 consecutive days), students are encouraged to contact classmates or teachers for information about missed instruction and assignments.

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY FOR IB: Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary consequences. Students at Tanglewood are guided to develop characteristics of IB learners, such as being Principled (a learner that acts with integrity and honesty). Additionally, being Principled means that students take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them. 
Students found guilty of academic dishonesty will be required to redo the assignment, which will be subject to the school’s grading policy (see page 20).

SPECIAL CODES IN Power School (HISD Connect):
Inc (Incomplete): This indicates that the student was absent and did not turn in an assignment. The student will be expected to complete the assignment within the accepted timeframe for an absence.
Msg (Missing): This indicates that the student was present and did not turn in an assignment. The student will be given three (3) school days to complete the assignment for a maximum score of IB-3 (75).
Exc (Excused): This indicates that the teacher has excused an assignment, and that the grade will not be factored into the student’s final IB achievement level.

CONDUCT: Academic grades will not reflect students’ conduct. Teachers will use District pre-set comment codes on the progress report /report card to give feedback about conduct. Students may receive conduct cuts due to behaviors such as incorrect headings, consistently late assignments, inappropriate behavior, etc.
E (Excellent): Indicates that the student is always prepared for class, respectful to teacher and peers, and completes homework and turns it in on time.
S (Satisfactory): Indicates that the student consistently is prepared for class, is respectful to teacher and peers, completes homework and turns it in on time.
P (Poor Quality): Indicates that the student sometimes is prepared for class, is respectful to teacher and peers, completes homework and turns it in on time.
U (Unsatisfactory): Indicates that the student rarely is prepared for class, is respectful to teacher and peers, or completes homework and turns it in on time.

POSTING OF GRADES: Assignments will be assessed and posted on HISD Connect in a timely manner so that students are receiving feedback and parents are able to access accurate information. Teachers will make every effort to assess and post the assignment grade within seven (7) school days from when the assignment was received, barring unforeseen circumstances.
REPORT CARDS / PROGRESS REPORTS: All student grades are documented in HISD Connect by teachers. 
Alerts are placed in the electronic grade book for missing assignments. Parents and students are responsible for reviewing grades at least weekly. Grades are found on HISD Connect for parents & students shortly after the close of each grading period. At the mid-grading period point, a progress report with input from all teachers will be available in HISD Connect. See the monthly calendars for the dates of posting.

IB Rubric Score/Grading Scale

Letter Grade	IB Grade (HISD Grade)	Description
A	IB 8 (100) IB 7 (95) IB 6 (90)	A consistent and thorough understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them almost faultlessly in a wide variety of situations. Consistent evidence of analysis, synthesis and evaluation is shown where appropriate. The student consistently demonstrates originality and insight, and always produces work of high quality.
B	IB 5 (85) IB 4 (80)	A consistent and thorough understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them in a variety of situations. The student generally shows evidence of analysis, synthesis and evaluation where appropriate, and occasionally demonstrates originality and insight.
C	IB 3 (75)	A good general understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them effectively in normal situations. There is occasional evidence of the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
D	IB 2 (70)	Limited achievement against most of the objectives, or clear difficulties in some areas. The student demonstrates a limited understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and is only able to apply them fully in normal situations with support.
F	IB 1 (65 or below)	Minimal achievement in terms of the objectives. Based on teacher review of assessment. No demonstration of required knowledge and skills.