TMS Policies & Procedures

• Student Grades will be determined by performance on assessments that measure mastery as defined by local, state and national standards.
• Non-Academic factors, while certainly valuable and worthy of reporting, will not be reflected in an academic grade. Non-academic factors will be reported through comment codes.
  • Examples of work habits would be: effort, participation, adherence to class rules, preparation, evidence of supplies, etc.
• Summative assessments of learning shall be developed by the department and administered to all students.
• Reasonable accommodations should be made available based on the professional judgment of the general education and special education teacher.
• Guideline on Participation
  • If participation is mastery (drama, PE, music., etc.), then it is appropriate to assess and grade in the summative portion of the grade. If participation is the route to mastery (participating in class discussion or group so that knowledge is learned), then it is counted in the formative portion of the grade, not the summative demonstration of mastery.
  • Special Education, ELL and students working through the tiered system of support can and should be granted accommodations (not modifications) for assessments and assignments.

• It will be clearly communicated how final grades will be determined and how students will be graded on projects and assessments.
  • Students will be provided with clear descriptions of achievement and expectations.
  • Teachers should ensure that students understand in advance how their grades will be determined.
  • Teachers should share rubrics and exemplar models with students ahead of their work so that they know what target they have to reach.
• Curving of grades will not occur.
• Grades will be based on a student’s achievement relative to the standard, not in comparison to other student’s achievement.
• Teachers should involve students in the assessment process, record keeping, and in communicating their achievement and progress.

• Teachers should use assessments that meet rigorous design criteria (clear targets, clear purpose, appropriate match of target and method of assessment, appropriate sampling, lack of bias and distortion).
• Non-negotiables for balance of quality assessments
  • Every unit or chapter must have a summative assessment that is commonly developed, administered on the same day or near the same day if there are extenuating circumstances, and analyzed by the department to improve instructional practice.
  • It is considered best practice to have the formative assessments be commonly developed, administered and analyzed as well, so that teachers can dialogue about how to change instruction before summative assessment.  These assessments, while common, do not have to be administered on/near the same day.
  • Best practices dictates that every lesson correlates to a learning target (state standard or district objective).
  • Assessments should focus on umbrella conceptual framework instead of rote memorization.

• No extra credit of any type will be offered.

• Instances of cheating or plagiarism will be addressed through the discipline referral system.
• A “0” cannot be issued for cheating.
• Students will be reassessed, or given the opportunity to redo an assignment/assessment so that the student’s level of mastery can be determined.

• In order for course grades to represent a clear and accurate indicator of what a student knows and is able to do - mastery - an appropriate balance between summative and formative assessment is needed.

 Summative Assessments of Learning 

• These are major assessments administered to every student in the course.
• Unit assessment, and also mid-unit assessments for long units, which measure course and unit standards.
• Major performance tasks - mainly products, performances, and projects (e.g. essays, artwork, visual representations, models, multimedia, oral presentations, lab experiences, live or recorded performances)
  • The lowest score recorded in the gradebook for a student that has taken the summative assessment shall be 50%.
  • Students must be expected to complete all major work assigned. An incomplete.  “0”, or excused will be assigned to students who do not complete enough major assessments to judge their mastery. This will be determined in collaboration with the teacher and administration.
  • Tasks should be designed so that total points possible on each summative assessment are daily equal in importance.  A major score should be weighted more heavily only on occasion when it is much more significant (e.g. culminating assessment).
• Retakes will not be offered on summative assessments.
• All summative assessments will be weighted as 70% of the student’s final grade.

 Formative Assessments of Learning 

• Please reference the Troy CCSD 30-C Parent/Student Handbook for the homework policy
• Independent practice on daily work (daily assignments and homework).
• Brief progress checks (e.g., short quizzes over multiple lessons, reviews, or warm-ups).
• The appropriate role of daily practice is to develop knowledge and skills effectively and efficiently through repetition and feedback that is accurate, helpful, and timely.  It is not to provide grading opportunities.
• It is also critical that teachers communicate to students the important relationships between practice - both guided and independent practice - and performing well on assessments and performance tasks.
• Since the purpose of formative work is to prepare for the summative assessment, any formative assignment may be submitted up until the date of the summative assessment.
• Students may be provided with multiple opportunities to show what they know, understand, and how they can use the knowledge if they do not meet mastery level on the formative assessment.
  • Students must provide evidence that they have completed some type of corrective action (e.g., personal study or practice, participation in reteaching)
  • Teacher judgment is to be utilized if students are chronic redoers.
  • A student’s score on the reassessment should not be averaged with the first score, the new score will be recorded in the grade book.
• All formative assessments will be weighted as 30% of the student’s final grade.