Number Grades for "Special Classes"

[momabaarjo]

I have a question do your schools give number grades to classes like PE, Music, Computer, and Library? My children attend a PreK-5th Catholic school who has just changed to this type of grading and the parents are up in arms...me included (and I am a public school adminstrator), not only is the grading scale harder than most public or private schools around children are falling off the honor rolls because of these classes.

Please give me some insight, all the experience I have deals with the public schools with N, S, S+, O.

 

[wig]

By number grades do you mean percentages?

We have done both. Anyone with less than a Satisfactory could not be on the honor role. Our criteria for honor role is a certain percentage in the core subjects with nothing below the equivalent of a C (S) in the specials

Is the issue more that it counts toward honor role or that they are using numbers.

IMO if they are not doing satifactory in ALL subjects, they do not belong on the honor role.

 

[Ms. Bell]

Number Grades

My school uses a 1-5 number scale for special classes. 5 is outstanding, and 1 is poor, etc. I'm not exactly sure what the cut-off is for the honor roll, but I know that special class grades do count towards it in the upper grades. We do not do honor roll for the lower grades. I feel that in the elementary grades, honor rolls can be unfair because many students have not really learned to take ownership of their learning. Many are still studying with mom or dad before they take tests, and therefore, the honor roll sometimes reflects which parents have taken the most time to assist and study with their children.

 

[wig]

I agree. We start with fifth grade for honor roll. That is plenty early IMO.

 

[momabaarjo]

I am not sure what my issue really is...giving number grades (same grading scale as academic classes) or just grading special classes in general...I am puzzled how you assign a numerical grade to PE and Music, now library and computer are subjects that can easily be assessed.

I agree that nothing below an S should count towards Honor Roll.

 

[wig]

PE and Music are more participation thatn anything and frankly, I don't know of anyone getting below a B. Computer class IMO is easily graded if it is not a period to play on the computer. We have objectives and they do work to reflect the objectives. If the students are being taught library skills, they can again be assessed on that.

 

[Teach 5]

Grades

Yes, our school does give percent/letter grades for the special classes. However, when we figure out the honor roll, we only use the academic subjects to determine placement. The only way they would be excluded from the honor roll would be if they had a D or an F in one of the special subjects.