Grading Policy - 4th Quarter - 2020
Students, Parents and Community Members of Sunset Ridge Middle School,
Our focus at Sunset Ridge has been 1) our students being able to demonstrate a year's worth of academic growth in a year’s time; 2) that none of our students leave Sunset Ridge credit deficient; and 3) that our students know, everyday, they are ours, they are loved and we believe in who they are and who they will become.
In these truly remarkable times, we want to work with our students, parents and community members to keep our students engaged in the learning process with the academic support they need through the end of the school year (June 5, 2020). In an effort to reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with learning in a new and different way, some in homes where they may not have enough to eat, they may have a sick family member, they may be sick themselves, or their family is experiencing economic hardship, we hope to offer some relief by making some changes to how learning is being reflected in teacher gradebooks and on report cards.
Beginning at 8:00 a.m., May 26, 2020, if students (or parents) are concerned about a grade a student has earned, the student (or parent) may complete the Grade Change Request Form. Students (or parents) must complete a grade change form if they would prefer a P rather than an A, A-, B+, B, or B- . Grades of C+ or lower will automatically be changed to a P on June 5th. However, if a student (or parent) would prefer to have the C+, C, C-, D+, D, or D- rather than a P, a grade change form must be completed. You must complete a separate grade change form for each class in which you are requesting a grade change. No failing grades (F’s) will be issued. All failing grades will automatically convert to No Credit (NC’s) at the end of the term. (Please see the 4th Quarter Grading Policy for clarification and additional information).
It is our recommendation that students (or parents) wait until all assignments and assessments have been completed, submitted and graded, before requesting a grade change. From May 26th thru June 4th, students will be able to turn in missing assignments, complete assigned work, re-take assessments, etc. The last day to turn in assignments, re-take assessments, etc. is June 4th. Grade change requests will be posted June 5th. Students/Parents will have until noon on June 8th to review grades and ensure that the grades posted in Skyward accurately reflect the grades the student earned or requested. Grades will not be finalized until the end of the quarter (June 8, 2020). It is our hope these changes will help to alleviate some of the school related stress and anxiety you and/or your family may be experiencing.
The following letter grades will be issued for 4th Quarter: A, A-, B+, B, B-, P (pass), or NC (no credit).
No failing grades (F’s) will be issued. All failing grades will automatically convert to No Credit (NC’s) at the end of the term.
The following exceptions will be made upon student/parent request:
- All A’s and B’s will remain on 4th quarter report cards, UNLESS a student or parent requests that it be converted to a P (pass).
- C’s and D’s will automatically be converted to a P (pass), UNLESS a student or parent requests otherwise.
- In order to request a grade change a student/parent will need to go to the “Daily Agenda – Grade Change Request” spreadsheet either in Falcon’s Lair on the Announcement page or on our Website (click on “Newsfeed”, scroll down to Daily Instruction, click on “Daily Agenda - Grade Change Request”). On the “Daily Agenda – Grade Change Request” spreadsheet you will see four columns. Column one holds teacher’s names, column two holds courses taught by that teacher, column three is the Grade Change Request form for that class and column four is a link to the teacher’s static site. Click on the “Grade Change Request” link and complete the form. You will need to complete a Grade Change Request for each class in which you want a grade changed. Grade Change Request Forms will be available Tuesday, May 26, 2020.
- Grades changes will not be made until Friday, June 5, 2020. Parents and students will have until noon, June 8, 2020 to contact teachers if the grade appearing in Skyward is not accurate.
- Please contact your students’ current counselor if you have any questions about how a “P” or an “NC” will affect your students Grade Point Average or academic standing.
Important information about P (pass) grades
- Currently, the NCAA calculates Ps as Ds as they relate to NCAA scholarships (find updated NCAA reactions to COVID-19 here). However, the NCAA is issuing COVID – 19 Waivers. For student athletes it will be important to print off and retain this information for any future eligibility discussions. There may also be other private scholarships, that affect a small number of students, that operate in the same manner.
- Scholarships administered by The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) (including both Regent’s and New Century) will not be affected by P/I.
- Federal financial aid guidelines are dependent on the pace of credit earning versus GPA and so will presumably be unaffected by P/I.
- A P (pass) does not positively or negatively impact a students Grade Point Average (GPA).
Important information about NC (No Credit) grades
- An NC (no credit) does not positively or negatively impact a student’s GPA.
- An NC means that a student did not earn credit for the class.
- Students MUST make up NC (no credit) grades in classes required for graduation (for Freshmen this would include Language Arts, World Geography, Mathematics and possibly PST. Science requirements can be met by taking an additional science course at the high school that fulfills a requirement similar to the students’ current course).
- An NC may prevent you from being eligible for fall sports at the high school. Utah High School Activities Association Scholastic Rule, in part, states: A student-athlete cannot fail more than one subject in the preceding grading period (for purposes of this rule, a failure in a multi-period subject shall be counted as the number of failures equal to the number of periods in the class); and, must have obtained a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, for the preceding grading period, based on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent. Incompletes (I), no grades (NG) and no credits (NC) are considered failures and must be factored into the grade point average (GPA) until made up. The GPA must be recalculated once an I, NG or NC has been made up, with the new grade replacing the deficiency. A recalculation of the GPA would also need to be done if deficiencies are replaced during the summer grading period. In order to replace the deficiency obtained during the final grading period, the new grade must be earned in the same subject area and must come from a summer program that has been approved by the school district, charter or private school. Deficiencies, for purposes of this rule, include any letter grade. No other makeup work is accepted to gain academic eligibility during the school year.
Questions concerning graduation credit – please contact your/your student’s high school counselor.
