Department Policies
ELA Department Policies
Grading Policies
Learners will be graded for mastery of standards. Teachers will use a common grading policy to better triangulate our data to show growth of student knowledge on standards.
Mastery = 9.5
Meeting = 8.5
Approaching = 7.5
Developing = 6.5
Emerging = 5.5
Present but no participation = 1
Absent = Missing*
Honorable Exemplar = 10
Missing will default to 50% as a school wide directive.
*Missing assignments can be made up within the same quarter.
Assessments may be retaken to improve their grades.
Essential Skills will include i-Ready and skills learned in class. This is worth 40% of their grade.
Assessments will include quizzes & book projects. This is worth 40% of their grade.
Quarter Finals will be over any skill taught in a quarter. This is worth 20% of their grade.
ELA teachers will devote 1 class period a week in class to supporting i-ready practices to fill learning gaps.
Learners will be expected to complete the remainder of their minutes as out of class time. Time will be given on Thursdays in Intervention. Otherwise, this is expected to be completed at home.
Grading will be based on completing 2 lessons & quizzes per week with a 70% or better. If lessons are missed, they can be made up prior to the end of the quarter.
Assessments are only one part of a learner's life. However, how a learner does on an assessment indicates how the classroom teacher responds. As a department, we will evaluate whether we need to reteach, remediate or extend learning opportunities for each learner.
Common unit finals and/or common quarterly finals will be administered within a similar time frame at the grade level's discretion.
All exams are created within the common grade level.
Reading Practices
- Each teacher in the building will encourage students to read each Thursday in Advisory
- Learners are encouraged to have a book every day for every class.
- ELA teachers will have a 3-week rotation through the library for students' chosen books.
- Learners will be expected to complete a 1-page written reflection or book project on one book every quarter.
Writing focus
- Writing prompts will reflect units in their new HMH curriculum.
- Common grading rubrics will continue to be used as a department.
- Writing focus will mirror the district expectations by grade level and HMH unit:
6th Grade
|
HMH Unit 1: |
HMH Unit 2: |
HMH Unit 3: |
|
Argument |
Non-fiction narrative |
Informative |
|
HMH Unit 4: |
HMH Unit 5: |
HMH Unit 6: |
|
Argument |
Explanatory |
Short story |
7th Grade
|
HMH Unit 1: |
HMH Unit 2: |
HMH Unit 3: |
|
Informative |
Informative |
Argument |
|
HMH Unit 4: Inspired by Nature |
HMH Unit 5: |
HMH Unit 6: |
|
Argument |
Short story |
Research report |
8th Grade
|
HMH Unit 1: |
HMH Unit 2: |
HMH Unit 3: |
|
Argument |
Literary analysis |
Short story |
|
HMH Unit 4: |
HMH Unit 5: |
HMH Unit 6: |
|
Research report |
Argument |
Personal narrative |