Board Policy

BP 5121

Students

Grades/Evaluation Of Student Achievement

The Board of Education believes that grades serve a valuable instructional purpose by helping students and parents/guardians identify the student's areas of strength and those areas needing improvement. Parents/ guardians and students have the right to receive course grades that represent an accurate evaluation of the student's achievement.

(cf. 6146.4 - Differential Graduation and Competency Standards for Students with Disabilities)

Teachers shall evaluate a student's work in relation to standards which apply to all students at his/her grade level, not in relation to the work of other students in one particular class. The Superintendent or designee shall establish and regularly evaluate a uniform grading system, and principals shall ensure that student grades conform to this system. Teachers shall inform students and parents/guardians how student achievement will be evaluated in the classroom.

Grades should be based on impartial, consistent observation of the quality of the student's work and his/her mastery of course content and objectives. Students shall have the opportunity to demonstrate this mastery through a variety of channels such as classroom participation, homework, tests and portfolios. The Board recognizes that portfolios may be especially useful in assessing how skills, knowledge and thought processes have been combined from a number of different subject areas.

(cf. 6030 - Integrated Academic and Vocational Instruction)

When reporting student grades to parents/guardians, teachers may add narrative descriptions, observational notes and/or samples of classroom work in order to better describe student progress in specific skills and subcategories of achievement.

The Board recognizes that the developmental levels of young children vary a great deal. In order to give parents/guardians more information and also promote students' self-esteem and experiences of success, students in kindergarten through third grade shall receive narrative evaluations rather than letter grades.

Behavior, effort and attendance shall be reported in separate evaluations, not in the student's academic grade.

(cf. 5113 - Absences and Excuses)

(cf. 5123 - Promotion/Acceleration/Retention)

(cf. 5124 - Communication with Parents/Guardians)

(cf. 5125.3 - Challenging Student Records)

(cf. 6154 - Homework/Make-up Work)

Unexcused Absences

If a student misses class without an excuse and does not subsequently turn in homework, take a test or fulfill another class requirement which he/she missed, the teacher may lower the student's grade for nonperformance.

Legal Reference:

EDUCATION CODE

48070 Promotion and retention

48205 Excused absences

48431.6 Required systematic review

49066 Grades; finalization; physical education class

49067 Mandated regulations regarding pupil's achievement

UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 20

6101-6251 School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994

COURT DECISIONS

Johnson v. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education

(App. 2 Dist. 1986) 224 Cal. Rptr. 885, 179 Cal. App. 3d 593

Management Resources:

CDE PUBLICATIONS

It's Elementary!, Elementary Grades Task Force Report, 1992

Policy PALOS VERDES PENINSULA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

adopted: May 24, 2001 Palso Verdes Estates, California