GRADING PRACTICES

PURPOSE OF GRADES: The purpose of grades is to show mastery of standards on curricula. 

CURRICULUM: All assignments will be in alignment with the NC Essential Standards, College Board for AP, and IBO for IB. 

GRADING CATEGORIES are MAJOR and MINOR. PLCs determine the assignments that belong in each category. 

Standard*/Honors:

IB and AP:

WORK, DEFINED:

ON TIME: Students are expected to complete all assignments and submit them by the assigned due date. Assignments that are turned in on the original due date are considered to be on time. This work will be given feedback from the teacher and will be awarded full credit.

LATE: Assignments not submitted by the due date are considered late. Students will have a two-class grace period to submit their work. This date will be known as the “Not Accepted After (NAA)” date. As long as it is submitted on or before the NAA date, this work will be given feedback from the teacher and will be awarded full credit.

MISSING: Assignments submitted after the NAA date and before the end of the quarter are considered missing and will be awarded a grade of 0%. Because of credit recovery needs, attendance needs, and student and teacher understanding of student learning and because the purpose of grades is to show mastery of standards on curricula, when there is no assignment submitted, no credit may be recorded. 

Scenarios from the examples above are illustrated in the following table:

CLASSWORK. Classwork is to be completed during instruction and is due when the teacher specifies. The NAA date does not apply to classwork. Students with IEP/504 plans will adhere to their accommodations.

HOMEWORK. Homework is an extension of classwork and will afford students the opportunity to practice skills and apply concepts learned in the classroom. Homework reflects content and skills explicitly taught and practiced in class first. Projects or long-term work that is developed both in class and at home is not considered homework for grading purposes.  According to board policy, all grades must be tied to student learning of the standards and cannot be punitive. Students with IEP/504 plans will adhere to their accommodations.

• Students should be prepared for homework in all subjects. Board Policy R&P 3135 suggests approximately 30 minutes per class session per night as a guideline.
• Expect approximately 1 hour of homework per AP/IB class, per night.
• If homework is graded, it will not count more than 15% of a student’s total quarter grade, as defined by the PLC. 

MAKEUP WORK AS A RESULT OF AN ABSENCE

• EXCUSED/UNEXCUSED: Students who are absent should check the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) to see what work or assignments they missed during their absence. Students will have the opportunity to submit make-up work for full credit but must still adhere to the definitions above. The due date established for make-up work will follow the guidelines set out in the Enloe Student Handbook.
• ALC & SUSPENSION: Students in ALC are considered to be present and are, therefore, expected to check the LMS and complete any assignments by the assigned due date. Suspended students are also expected to check the LMS and complete assignments as outlined by the teacher.

REMEDIATION and RECOVERY. Students who want to improve their grades by demonstrating mastery of course material can take advantage of remediation and/or recovery.

REMEDIATION takes place during the quarter and provides additional support for students to master course material. Remediation policy is determined by the PLC and may involve reteaching (e.g., during office hour support) followed by some opportunities for reassessment.

RECOVERY takes place after the quarter has ended and provides a final opportunity, as determined by the PLC, for students who failed to improve their quarter grade up to a 60%. All recovery plans MUST BE submitted to our intervention coordinator. 

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES: Should extenuating circumstances arise, the individual teacher will have the right to modify any of the above.  This will be clearly communicated to the student and will be part of an ongoing conversation designed to help the student to be successful.  

HONOR CODE POLICY

The WCPSS Honor Code Policy (4310) outlines the school district’s expectations regarding academic honesty and provides definitions of prohibited behavior including cheating, plagiarism, and falsification or deceit. Unless a student is explicitly told otherwise, using online translations of stories, online translators (e.g., Google Translate), or AI (e.g., ChatGPT) is a violation of the honor code.

The consequences for academic dishonesty are described in section B, item 2:

A student’s grade may or may not be impacted by a violation. If the violation impacts a student’s grade, the school may impose academic consequences according to the following criteria: (a) when reasonably possible, the student will be expected to complete the assignment or an alternative assignment as determined by the professional learning community (PLC) guidelines and will do so in an honest manner consistent with the honor code, and (b) the student may receive full, partial, or no grading credit for the assignment as determined by PLC guidelines approved by the principal.

The Department therefore establishes the following guidelines (in alignment with the Enloe Student Handbook) regarding the consequences for violating the WCPSS Honor Code:

1st VIOLATION:

• Incident will be documented in ECATS:
• Parent(s) and/or guardian(s) will be notified;
• Counselor will be notified for documentation and use in college recommendations;
• Adviser(s) of extra-curricular activities and honor societies will be notified. 

2nd VIOLATION:

• The same individuals will be notified as in the 1st offense;
• Incident will be documented in ECATS;
• Grade level administrator will be notified for disciplinary consequences.

3rd+ VIOLATION:

• The same individuals will be notified as in previous offenses;
• Incident will be documented in ECATS;
• Administration will be directly notified for consequences which may include ISS/OSS.

Severe cheating that involves theft and/or distribution of course material will result in an immediate referral to the administration.