Grades, Credits, and Graduation

April 24th, 2020 /
Caleb Price /
Coronavirus Disease 2019, News, Public Relations, Schools, Updates/Announcements

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting school dismissal has impacted the learning of our students. The following guidelines are provided to support families and schools as they navigate the end of the school year.

GRADES

Teachers and students have made tremendous efforts to make the transition to distance learning during the 4th quarter of the school year. Nevertheless, students and teachers continue to face many challenges that may call into question the fairness of grades at this time. In response, adjustments to the district’s grading scale have been made for the 4th quarter of 2019-20 school year. These adjustments include:

● Students may receive a grade of A, B, C, or D, based on the teacher’s evaluation of student performance in the class. These letter grades will calculate into the student’s cumulative grade point average and will be accompanied by credit that may fulfill graduation requirements.

● Students may choose to replace a letter grade of A, B, C, or D, with a Pass (P). A Pass (P) will not be calculated into the cumulative grade point average, but it will provide credit that may fulfill graduation requirements. Any student in grades 9-12 may receive a Pass to replace a letter grade at any time.

● Students that are unable to complete course requirements or provide sufficient evidence of proficiency will receive No Grade (NG) in the course. A No Grade (NG) will not be calculated into a student’s cumulative grade point average nor will it provide credit towards fulfilling graduation requirements. Students that receive a No Grade (NG) in a course may continue working with a teacher beyond the end of the grading period to complete course requirements. Students that are successful in doing so may have the No Grade (NG) replaced with a letter grade or Pass (P) and credit may be issued.

● Students may appeal any teacher’s letter grade under certain circumstances by following the process in Policy 4420 P3.

● The last day for assignments to be given to secondary students is May 12th. The last day for assignments to be given to elementary school students is May 15. Teachers, however, will continue to work with students through May 22nd. Students will be able to turn in any assignment up to May 22nd.

CREDITS

The district requires students to fulfill 27 credits to earn a High School Diploma. For the senior class of 2020, however, this requirement will be reduced to the state minimum of 24 total credits. Minimum expectations still exist for credit completion in the following core academic areas:

● 4 credits in English Language Arts

● 3 credits in Mathematics

● 3 credits in Social Studies

● 3 credits in Science

School principals, by state rule (R277-700-6 (25)) and board policy (4410 P5), have the flexibility to adjust other requirements to best meet the student’s learning plan. Principals should follow existing district procedures when making these adjustments.

GRADUATION

High school graduation is the pinnacle of a student’s school experience, and it has come to represent the passing of the student from youth to adulthood. The importance of this tradition to students, parents, and teachers cannot be overstated. Nevertheless, the guidance from the Health Department to currently maintain social distancing will not allow us to conduct a traditional graduation ceremony after the 2019-20 school year. School administrators are working with school staff, parents and senior class officers to identify and develop alternative ways to celebrate our students.

The district is committed to providing some means to celebrate the accomplishment of these students. A final decision for conducting alternative graduation will be made later in May after more information has been provided by the Health Department and schools have considered all possibilities.

SUMMER SCHOOL – High School Students

Students that are deficient of credit towards graduation will be provided an opportunity through the summer to make up credit through paper packets and online courses. Both paper packets and online learning will be delivered through a distance learning format as district buildings are likely to be open by appointment through the summer. Seniors that fulfill graduation requirements during the summer will receive a high school diploma and may participate in the district’s Fall Graduation program.

Any student in grades 9th to 11th that is credit deficient may also recover credit during the summer by completing a paper packet or online course. Successful completion will result in a Pass recorded on the student’s transcript, indicating the issuance of credit. A Pass, however, is not calculated into the student’s cumulative grade point average and it does not replace the prior grade of F.

Any student in grades 9th to 11th that wants to accelerate through the summer by earning original credit in courses counted towards graduation may do so through recognized outside agencies, such as BYU Independent Study. Once a course is completed and a grade has been issued, a student may transfer the course grade and credit to the home high school and request that it is applied to the high school transcript. It is important to note that these courses generally have an associated fee charged by the outside agency that will be the responsibility of the student and family.