1. Academic Affairs

GRADING POLICY

     This school believes that the issuance of grades serves to promote continuous evaluation of student's performance, to inform the student and parents of the student's progress, and to provide a basis for bringing about needed changes in that student's performance.

The basic grading system for subject-area grading in grades six (6) through twelve (12) is expressed by numerical value.  The numerical values are equivalent to the following letter grades:

 

                                        

                                               A ................................93-100

                                               B ................................ 85-92

                                               C ................................ 75-84

                                               D ................................ 70-74

                                               F ..............................Below 70

  Conduct grades are based on behavior and are not deducted from academic grades.

  Grades are given at the end of each six-week period and will be determined from daily work, written assignments, and tests.  The teachers will weigh the value of grades given for various assignments within the six-week period in computing the grades for each student.  The six-weeks grade reflects at least 50% of the student's evaluation through the use of tests or the equivalent of tests, I.E., projects, reports, or reading assignments that may have been assigned the value of a test by the teacher.  The remaining percentage should consist of the criteria which the teacher may elect to use, such as class participation, homework, classwork, etc., with the percentage for each being determined by the teacher.

  The final grade for the year will be determined by averaging the two semester grades.  The final exam will be counted as one-seventh of the yearly average.

HARRIS MIDDLE SCHOOL EXAM EXEMPTION POLICY

  Harris Middle School will exempt students from final exams when they meet the following criteria:

 

                                      93-100................................No more than 4 absences

                                      85-92..................................No more than 3 absences

                                     75- 84..................................No more than 1 absence      

                                     Below 75.............................No exemption

 

Students will be exempt on a per class basis.  Teachers will keep the attendance for each class and exemptions will not be connected to the student's total school attendance. 

 

Tardies to school and all tardies occurring after first period will be equal to one third of an absence in that class to which the student is tardy.

  Students who do not meet the grade and attendance requirements will be required to take their final exam in all classes in which they are not exempt.

  All students who are exempt from exams will have their second semester average figured by averaging the fourth, fifth, and sixth six weeks grades.  In order to be exempt from exams the student must have been in attendance for the entire second semester and all absences will be counted from the time of enrollment.

  Classes missed because of school sponsored activities, including 4-H, will not be counted as absences.  Students will not be counted as absent on recognized religious holidays.  All other absences will count against exemptions.

  Teachers will have the latitude to exempt students with an "A" average who may have had extenuating circumstances that caused them to miss more than four class periods during the school year.  Examples of some qualifying circumstances may be but are not limited to:  Long term hospital stays, family crisis, or approved trips.  All exemptions of this nature must have the approval of the school's administration.

Home

To the next page of the handbook