GRADES

A.            Failures:

The classroom teacher is responsible for reporting failures to parents via telephone calls, mail, or parent conference and always at interim report and report card time.

B.            Incompletes:

Student work that is not submitted by the determined deadline should be assessed or penalized

as determined by the teacher and communicated to the student.  This assessment or penalty

should be incorporated when calculating the grade for the marking period.

 

If it is necessary an "incomplete" be given, the student has three school weeks (15 school

days) to remove the incomplete.

 

No Incomplete can be given by a teacher without administrative approval for 4th quarter.

 

A current "incomplete" will prevent a student from being considered for any position requiring an

academic standing (honor roll, National Honor Society, scholarships, etc...).  It will be considered

a failing grade in terms of the academic eligibility policy. (See Academic Eligibility Policy in the

Student Handbook.)

 

C.            Report Cards

Report cards will be issued at the close of each ten-week period.  Reporting instructions will be given to each teacher prior to the end of the ten week reporting period. 

 

Special Education teachers will complete progress reports from IEP Direct each quarter and send these home on report card days.

 

FINAL GRADE PROCEDURES

Final grades are obtained in the following manner:

One-credit courses:  Final grade obtained by adding four quarter grades with final exam grade

(Regents or school examination), then dividing by five.

Half-credit courses:  Final grade obtained by multiplying each quarter grade by two.  Add final

grade (Regents or school), divide by five.

 

In courses where the final exam is not a state exam, if the student has an average of 90 or higher for the 4 quarters (or 2 quarters in a half-year course), then the student may opt not to take the final exam.  In such a case, the final course grade will be the average of the 4 quarterly grades (or the 2 quarterly grades in a half-year course).

 

REGENTS GRADES AND TESTING PROCEDURES

To insure the best performance by each student, we will administer the course Regents exam to the students in June* with the exception of any students whose classroom teacher recommends that they take the exam in January.  Any student may elect to take the exam in January if they wish.

 

In courses that end in a Regents exam, the June Regents will be the final exam. All students must take the Regents exam in June. If a student takes the exam in January, the higher of the 2 Regents scores will count as the final exam grade.

 

Students who elect to take the January Regents can be exempt from the June Regents if they meet the one of the following 2 criteria:

 

                -90 or above average for the 4 quarters

                -85 or above on the January Regents exam.

 

Exempted students would have the average of their 4 quarter grades or the January Regents entered in the final exam column, whichever is higher.

 

STUDENTS IN SCHOLASTIC DIFFICULTY

It is recommended that teachers contact the guidance office any time a student appears to be in serious scholastic difficulty.  Please do not wait until the quarterly marking period to do this.  Interim Reports are to be sent home at the end of the first five (5) weeks of each marking period so that parents are informed regarding scholastic difficulty.  At that time parents MUST be informed when students are doing failing work or their performance has dropped off significantly and the student is in danger of failing.  Whenever a student’s average drops below 50, the teacher must make contact with the parent.  We encourage staff to call parents and document the call.  If a call is not possible, the parent must be contacted by letter. (There is a form letter available in the office or a teacher may develop their own letter with copies to guidance and the principal.

 

Phone calls and parent conferences are to be made prior to student failure.  Deficiencies may be reported at any time using the Deficiency Report Form or letter available in the main office.

 

CLASS RANKING AND PASSING GRADE

CLASS RANK:  No distinction will be made between Regents and non-Regents. 

 

COMPUTING AVERAGES AND RANKS (SEVEN SEMESTERS):  In determining the senior year averages to be used for ranking the senior class, the marks in repeated subjects shall be the higher of the two grades in computing the average.  The final grades of both classes will appear on the transcript, but only the higher of the two will be used to determine an average.

 

Physical Education, swimming, Swinging Sounds, and Jazz Ensemble will not be used

to compute averages and honor roll status.

 

HONORS:             Honor Roll is established -- 90% and above.

                Principal's List is established -- 94% and above.

 

PASSING MARK:  Passing mark is 65%.

 

GRADUATION HONORS

In addition to the valedictorian and salutatorian tradition, a senior class honors group will be designated.  Any graduating senior with a 3-1/2 year cumulative average of 90 or above will be listed as an honor student. 

 

CALCULATING GRADES

Students will receive a numerical grade for each course based on the average of the work for the quarter.  The only exception is that a freshman’s first quarter report card grade may not be less than a 55.  Teachers should be mindful that there is no educational advantage to giving any student an excessively low grade during the first quarter of a semester course or first two semesters of a yearly course.  The result of an excessively low grade in the first half of the course tends to discourage any additional work on the students part and often results in disciplinary problems in the classroom.  It is our philosophy that a student not be "buried" in the first marking period.  Exceptions to these procedures must be referred to the principal for a decision.

 

(If contact is made by phone, the teacher should document the call and provide the administration with a copy of the documentation.)

 

FINAL EXAMS: All courses will end in a final exam.  If a student has a 90 average after 4 quarters,

and the final exam is not a regents, the student may choose to be exempt from the final exam.   

 

In order to have the privilege of being exempt from a final exam with a 90 average a student must not have exceeded the attendance policy.  Students who have exceeded the attendance policy do not qualify for a final exam exemption and will receive a zero for a final exam grade.

 

ATTENDANCE AT SUMMER SCHOOL

Many students from Franklin Academy take advantage of the FEH BOCES Summer School Program.  It is important that students put a maximum effort into being successful during the school year.

 

In order to attend a summer school course for credit a student must meet minimum grade and attendance requirements:

 

Minimum Grade and Minimum Attendance:

A student who has excessive absences in a course may not attend the summer school course for credit.  Any student who has in excess of 30 absences (2X acceptable number of absences) in a course during the school year will not be allowed to access the summer school course for credit.  (They may attend for Academic Intervention purposes.)

 

Students who do not meet a minimum course average will not be allowed to take the course in summer school for credit.  A student who has a course average of less than 55 will not be allowed to attend the summer school course for credit.  (They may attend for academic intervention purposes.)

 

Students who do not qualify for credit in a course may take the course for skill building or for academic intervention purposes. 

 

In addition, parents and students should be aware that the following procedure will be used to determine a final grade as a result of summer school.