Special Situations
Credit/Fail, Pass/Fail
Course grades for students participating in Credit/Fail or Pass/Fail courses will be determined as follows:
Credit/Fail – Students may petition to take up to 25 credits of certain graded courses Credit/Fail upon meeting requirements listed in the Linn-Mar High School Student Handbook. A student must receive an average priority standard scale score of at least 2 (course grade of C) for credit. An INC or NC mark for any individual standard disqualifies from credit. The process used by students to apply for Credit/Fail is described on page 14 of the Linn-Mar Student Handbook.
Pass/Fail – Current pass/fail courses include Workplace Internship and select student support services courses. A student must receive an average priority standard scale score of at least 1 (course grade of D-) for credit. An INC or NC mark for any individual standard disqualifies from credit.
Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment Courses
Concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement (AP) courses will record standards scale scores and calculate high school course grades in the same manner as is done with all other courses for which high school course credit is provided.
Assessment methods in addition to standards-based grading may be used in AP courses to enhance preparation for AP exam sessions, but standards-based methods will be used to determine the student’s high school course grade.
A similar expectation applies to concurrent enrollment coursework. Standards-based methods will be used to determine the high school course grade. In cases where a college may require points and percentages to be used to submit for college credit, the college-defined method will be used to calculate the grade for the college and a “P” will be entered on the high school transcript (signifying the student has earned credit under the requirements of a prescribed college grading system).
Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty is never acceptable and will not be tolerated. It is unethical for a student to take credit for work that is not their own. Academic dishonesty also denies a student the opportunity to acquire skills necessary to succeed in a given content area and future coursework.
Academic dishonesty will be treated in the following manner:
1. Students will be asked to provide evidence, such as notes, drafts, or other work samples.
2. Students found to have violated Academic Integrity will be subject to the following:
- When a published work is plagiarized, a letter of apology will be sent to the writer or publication.
- An NC grade (or grades) will be assigned to the student(s) involved. A single opportunity may be provided for the student(s) to redress and replace the NC with a passing standard scale score through completion of a comparable assessment. Severe infractions of the school’s academic dishonesty policy may result in an immediate Fail grade assigned to the student and removal from the course.
- A letter will be sent to parents and counselor and a behavioral consequence will be assigned to each involved student. Examples of behavioral consequences include, but are not limited to, detention, suspension, loss of time release, loss of good standing, and/or withdrawal from the course without credit. Behavioral consequences will consider the severity of the infraction and be fairly assigned.
- A second offense in the same course will result in an ‘F’ grade and removal from the course.
Student Transcripts
There will be no change to the form or function of a Linn-Mar High School student transcript as internal adjustment to grading practice occurs. A Linn-Mar High School student transcript will continue to consist of all courses, credits, and letter grades earned by a student for each year of attendance. Transfer grades will be included where applicable. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) will be calculated and displayed on official transcripts. Individual standard scale scores will not be displayed on official transcripts.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Must all levels of proficiency for a given standard be assessed on each assessment?
No, but all levels of proficiency must be assessed at some point in the term to fairly evaluate student knowledge and skill.
If an assessment is not designed to measure a level 4, can a lower score be recorded in the gradebook (i.e. can a score of 2 be recorded when the student has not yet had opportunity to earn a 3 or 4)?
Yes, but it must be exempt from the final grade.
Is a “4” more work?
No. It is a demonstration of a high level of understanding or skill which may involve transfer, applicability, or depth. Achieving a level 4 will not require production of additional artifacts of learning on the part of the student. Demonstration of level 4 proficiency will be made possible through standard measures.
How does homework influence the grade?
Homework may or may not influence a student’s grade. Homework that is “practice” does not meet criteria for summative assessment and may not be used to influence a student’s grade. Homework that is summative (a culminating assessment of the degree to which a student has met the stated expectation of learning or standard performance) may be used to influence the grade. Examples of this might include final essays, research papers, or group projects that require outside-of-class participation.
How does behavior influence the grade?
The Iowa Core lists many positive collaborative and workplace behaviors as valuable and desired employability skills. Employability skills listed in the Iowa Core may be calculated into a student’s overall course grade at a weight of up to 10%. All sections of the same course will measure and use the same employability skills and weighting. Behaviors not described as employability skills by the Iowa Core will not be calculated into a student’s overall course grade.
Can different sections of the same course use different summative assessments (summative assessments that are not completely common)?
No. All sections of the same course will use common summative assessments.
Can different sections of the same course use different formative assessments (formative assessments that are not completely common)?
Yes. The purpose of a formative assessment is to inform instruction. It is completely appropriate to address that need in different ways for different teachers of different students.
Can a score not associated with a standard be calculated into a student’s grade?
No. A student’s grade will consist only of measures of standard(s) proficiency.
Is an end-of-term, comprehensive assessment required in all courses?
Yes.
What is the result of an unresolved NC or INC at the end of a term?
In the case of an unresolved NC or INC at the end of a term, the student will be denied credit for the course or, if warranted, given up to two weeks of extension to resolve the INC. An unresolved INC grade will be recorded as a Fail grade at the close of an extension. A student may be required to repeat the course in a subsequent term if needed or desired for credit.
How does standards-based learning work with a college credit class?
Concurrent enrollment courses will record standard(s) scale scores and calculate high school course grades in the same manner as is done with all other courses for which high school course credit is provided.
In cases where a college may require points and percentages to be used to submit for college credit, the college-defined method will be used to calculate a final course grade for transcription to the college level and a “P” will be entered on the high school transcript (signifying the student has earned credit under the requirements of a college points and percentages grading system).
How does standards-based learning apply to an AP course?
Advanced Placement (AP) courses will record standard scale scores and calculate high school course grades in the same manner as is done with all other courses for which high school course credit is provided.
Assessment methods in addition to standards-based grading may be used in AP courses to enhance preparation for AP exam sessions, but standards-based methods will be used to determine the student’s high school course grade.
AP courses will remain weighted for LMHS grade point calculation purposes as follows:
| Grade Letter | Grade Points |
| A+, A | 5.00 |
| A- | 4.67 |
| B+ | 4.33 |
| B | 4.00 |
| B- | 3.67 |
| C+ | 3.33 |
| C | 3.00 |
| C- | 2.67 |
| D+ | 2.33 |
| D | 2.0 |
| D- | 1.67 |