Philosophy

South Lakes High School believes that grades should directly reflect work achievement of the standards of the curriculum for the course. The curriculum may be FCPS Program of Studies, International Baccalaureate, university designed (Dual Enrollment) or Industry Credentials. A student’s attendance, effort and attitude are important behaviors that should be communicated through report comments or other narrative forms but not figured into the grade.

South Lakes teachers work together in Collaborative Teams (CT) organized by course (e.g. World History I, IB Math Studies, English 10, etc...). Grading practices aim to provide consistency where applicable while still allowing for some flexibility by CTs when appropriate. Grading practices must be consistent within CTs.

Homework

Homework may look different for each student based on their course load, proficiency in completing tasks and time management skills. Homework may also differ in the type of tasks students are asked to do. Regardless of the type of assignment, homework should provide a meaningful learning opportunity. Purposes of homework may include: opportunity for students to review and practice concepts and skills, prepare for complex or difficult lessons, provide additional time for the exploration of a topic, reflect on prior learning and/or enhance and supplement learning.

South Lakes believes that all families (students and staff) should enjoy a break over the winter and spring breaks. We will not have long-term assignments due or schedule major assessments the first class meeting back from break.

Homework tasks may not always be graded. Teachers may record homework done for completion with a coding system however it will not be a factor in the grade. Homework that is graded will be assessed for accuracy/ mastery of standards. Homework may not count for more than 10% of a quarter grade.

Retakes

South Lakes High School believes in providing students who have not shown mastery (defined as earning an 86% on a 100 point scale) on a major assessment a second opportunity to demonstrate their learning. Students earning less than an 86%% on a major assessment (as defined by CTs) have the opportunity to take a reassessment on the unit objectives.

Reassessments must be taken within two weeks (10 school days) of the original major assessment being returned to the students, and will be given during a time specified by the teacher. The maximum grade allowed on the reassessment is an 86%. Students should receive the highest grade earned.

In order for a reassessment to be provided, students must complete the type of preparation needed to support their learning during Seahawk Seminar or during an agreed upon time by the student and teacher. This may include content review assignments, quiz/test corrections on the content of the unit, one-on-one teacher directed intervention, parental signatures, reassessment readiness checks or other activities as determined by the CT and indicated in the course syllabi. Midterms, final exams, and other major assessments defined by departments that are not eligible for retakes will be communicated by the CT.

Determination of Grades

Grading Categories

Collaborative teams will determine the weighing of grading categories at the beginning of the school year and they shall be consistent for all teachers on the team. Teachers will publish their grading system in their syllabi. Gradebooks shall be set-up to reflect the agreed upon grading system.

Late Work

Please refer to the course syllabus for late work policies.

In General:

• Late work will be accepted up to a logical deadline as determined by the CT.
• A reduction in the grade is not required. However, if one is applied, it shall not exceed 10% of earned grade. 
• Assignments not handed in are recorded as zero in the gradebook.
• If the missing work is not turned in by the late work deadline, it will be permanently recorded as a NLA (No Longer Accepted) and will be worth a zero.

Extra Credit

South Lakes encourages students to do their best on all assignments and therefore does not support extra credit opportunities. In cases where they miss an assignment they should turn the assignment in late. If a student does not earn a desired grade on a major assessment they should work with their teacher in accordance with the retake policy.

Quarter and End of Year Grades

South Lakes follows the FCPS 100 point grade scale:

Grade	100 Point Scale	Definition
A	93-100	Designates the status of a student who consistently demonstrates accurate and complete knowledge of content and skills specified in the FCPS Program of Studies (POS) and applies that knowledge to solve problems in a variety of settings.
A-	90-92
B+	87-89	Designates the status of a student who demonstrates knowledge of content and skills specified in the FCPS POS, with some improvement needed in accuracy and/or consistency in performance, applying that knowledge to solve problems in a variety of settings.
B	83-86
B-	80-82
C+	77-79	Designates the status of a student who demonstrates knowledge of basic content and skills specified in the FCPS POS, but requires additional practice and instructional experiences to acquire skills necessary to solve problems.
C	73-76
C-	70-72
D+	67-69	Designates the status of a student who needs significant practice and instructional experiences to acquire the knowledge of basic content and skills specified in the FCPS POS necessary to solve problems.  As a final mark, it is not necessarily sufficient to meet the prerequisite requirements.
D	64-66
F	50-63	Designates the status of a student who has not demonstrated the basic knowledge of content and/or skills specified in the FCPS POS and requires additional practice and instructional experiences in order to succeed.

At the end of the school year, South Lakes teachers will evaluate final grades for students in danger of failing using quality points (for 100 point grade books only) if students have completed the necessary components of the course (final and SOL exams, if applicable). The student will receive the higher grade of either the calculated average or the quality points. Teachers are encouraged to use quality points for all students if it benefits them.