Grading Plan

The Wake County Public School System and Garner Magnet High School are committed to maintaining rigorous performance and achievement standards for all students and to providing a fair and consistent process for evaluating and reporting student progress that is understandable to students and their parents and relevant for instructional purposes. The purpose of a grading system is to appropriately and consistently measure and communicate a student’s level of mastery of defined learning objectives. In addition, all WCPSS grading and reporting practices will support the learning and teaching process and encourage success for all students. The following grading plan has been developed in accordance with WCPSS Policy Code: 3400 Evaluation of Student Progress, WCPSS Regulation Code: 3400-R&P Evaluation of Student Progress and WCPSS Policy Code: 3410 Testing and Assessment Program.

Grading System

The North Carolina State Board of Education directs public schools to use a standard 10-point grading scale for all students in grades 9-12. (State Board Policy GCS-A-016 and GCS-L-004)

Using this scale, letter grades are assigned as follows:

A: 90-100
B: 80-89
C: 70-79
D: 60-69
F: < 60

Grades are reported on report cards and student transcripts as numeric grades, rather than letter grades.

All courses use a uniform process and formula to calculate students’ grades.

36 Week Courses (Year-long)
Semester 1 Mid-Term Exam Semester 2 Final Exam	35% 10% 35% 20%

18 Week Courses (semester 1)
Quarter 1 Mid-Term Exam Quarter 2 Final Exam	35% 10% 35% 20%

18 Week Courses (semester 2)
Quarter 3 Mid-Term Quarter 4 Final Exam	35% 10% 35% 20%

 

All courses will include a comprehensive midterm assessment that will count for 10% of the final course grade.

All courses will include a comprehensive, written final examination that will count for 20% of the final course grade and will be given during the school-wide scheduled final exam window. Seniors will be exempt from non-state exams under the following parameters:

Senior Exam Exemption

Students in Grade 12 may be exempt from exams based on the following criteria:

1. Students must have a projected final grade of B or higher.
2. Students must have 10 or fewer absences in the course.*
3. Students cannot be exempt from state testing, including field testing.

*All absences, whether excused or unexcused, will be counted when determining eligibility for exam exemptions. Students are allowed up to 10 total absences. Absences for college visits will be included in the 10 day total. Principals may waive absences beyond the 10 day limit for documented absences that are outside of the student's control (for example, absences due to medical reasons or transportation issues).

The principal (consistent with GS 115C-288) has final authority to determine a student's exemption status.

Homework, Classwork, Assignments and Assessments

WCPSS Regulation 3135-R&P Homework gives district expectations regarding homework. The following are school-wide expectations for student engagement, homework, classwork, assignments, and assessments:

• Assignments identified as homework will count for no more than 10% of a student’s term average.
• Assignments identified as classwork will count for no more than 20% of a student’s term average. Classwork assignments are assignments, described by the subject area professional learning community (PLC), that a student is expected to substantially complete during class time.
• The maximum any single assignment or assessment will count is 10% of a student’s term grade.
• A student who is present throughout the 90 minute block and refuses to adhere to the requirements of an assignment can earn a “0” on the assignment.

Missed and Makeup work.

Students who do not submit an assignment on the assigned due date as the result of an excused absence may make up the work under the conditions set forth in WCPSS Policy 4400 Attendance § C Excused Absences. In order for an absence to be considered excused, a note must be submitted within 2 days of the return to school. Note: When an assignment is missing—even in the case of an absence—a grade of “0” will be entered into PowerSchools Gradebook for the assignment.  

Late Work

Except in the case of an excused absence, work that is submitted after the assigned due date will be considered late. Late work will be graded at a standard consistent with the original work and assigned a deduction as follows:

1. One class day late = 10% deduction
2. Two class days late = 20% deduction
3. Three class days late = 30% deduction
4. Four class days late = 40% deduction
5. Five or more class days late* = 50% of the earned grade (Example, an assignment earning a 90% will receive a grade of 45%.)

Gradebook Symbols/Comments

In order to help students and parents understand the status of a student's assignments in PowerSchools Gradebook, the following symbols will be used separately and in combination to indicate the status of a student’s work.

 Collected  

A student has submitted an  assignment that has yet to be graded.

 Incomplete  

A student has submitted an assignment but the submitted work was incomplete.

 Missing  

A student has not submitted an assignment. Note: When an assignment is missing—even in the case of an absence—a grade of “0” will be entered into PowerSchools Gradebook for the assignment. A student may still submit the assignment and the “0” will be updated to the earned grade less any applicable late deduction.

 Exempt  

The teacher has exempted the student from the assignment and the assignment will not be used in grade calculations.

Symbols can be used in combination to give additional information about the status of an assignment

 Missing/Absent  

A student has not yet submitted the assignment but the student was absent on the day the assignment was collected. Students who do not submit an assignment on the assigned due date as the result of an excused absence may make up the work under the conditions set forth in WCPSS Policy 4400 Attendance § C Excused Absences. 

 Missing/Late  

A student has not yet submitted an assignment, but the original due date has passed. If the student submits the assignment prior to the Excessively Late Work deadline, the work will be graded and “0” will be updated to the earned score less any late deduction.

 Collected/Late  

A student has submitted an assignment, but it was submitted after the assigned due date not due to an excused absence.

When marked late, an assignment will also be accompanied by a comment as follows:

• L1 = One class day late: 10% Deduction
• L2 = Two class days late: 20% Deduction
• L3 = Three class days late: 30% Deduction
• L4 = Four class days late: 40% Deduction
• L5 = 5+ class days late: 50% of earned grade

Academic Misconduct

Work submitted that does not adhere to the District Academic Honesty Policy will be subject to the consequences outlined in that policy.

Intervention

For all students, our school seeks to provide a prevention/intervention system that promotes successful completion and mastery of work. In the circumstance that a student’s 1st term average is below a 60%, the student will be given the opportunity to complete an Academic Recovery Plan. If the student adheres to the conditions of the plan, the student’s first semester average can be recovered to a minimum of 59%.

Adopted: August 2017; Revised August 2022

Garner Magnet High School