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Grading Policy and Classroom Expectations

O’Connor High School believes that authentic grading accurately measures and reflects a student’s performance based upon mastery of the standards.

O’Connor High School implements a research-based, unified grading and reporting policy that is focused on a standards-based mindset in which all grades are proficiency-based that effectively communicate what students know and can do, so students can focus on growth and learning. Grades will have consistent meaning throughout the system and be based upon grade level standards.

In order to increase grading consistency, accuracy, equity, and focus on learning, O’Connor High School strives to employ the following tenets:

• A student’s grade should reflect academic learning and should never be used as a punitive tool.
• Grades are for reporting the status of academic learning, not behavioral conduct.
• The primary purpose of assessment and grading is to provide detailed feedback to inform student learning.
• Learning is a process that takes place over time and at different speeds for different students.
• A coordinated assessment and grading system clarifies the expectations for all students and maximizes academic opportunities.

Social Behavior Agreement

We at OHS believe that all students have the right to learn, all teachers have the right to teach and that all students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their learning. We believe that we do not leave this decision of learning up to choice. Thus the reason for the Social Behavior Agreement.

Social emotional learning (SEL) is an important process through which students are supported in social skill development to engage in positive relationships with their peers, teachers, and other adults while learning to access their emotional intelligence to foster awareness of self and others. 

Integrated through a whole-school approach in the teaching and learning communities, school climate and culture, and supporting structures, SEL can promote good decision-making, positive relationships, and self-care. By implementing SEL in a school-wide approach, educators can help students become more successful in high school and beyond.

There are five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies. These along with our Standards Based Mindset Academic Behavior Framework and Flowchart. Assist our teachers in helping our students make good educational choices, along with assisting students with self-advocating, responsible and self-awareness of their academic choices.

Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.

Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals.

Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.

Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.

O’Connor High School will be using Traditional Grading as defined by the ½ð¶à±¦ÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ Grading Practices 2023-2024 Document:

SDOHS will be utilizing the categories and weights associated with ½ð¶à±¦ÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ Grading Practices z changes, specifically the use of Assessment, Coursework, and Practice categories for all entries in the gradebook. A breakdown of these changes are listed below:

ASSESSMENT: This category includes all items used to measure a student’s proficiency toward the learning standards once the student has had sufficient practice and at a specified point in time. This category can include summative tests, performance assessments, reports, unit or module assessments, quizzes, long-term projects, short-term projects, presentations, capstone projects, research papers, and lab reports.

COURSEWORK: This category includes formative work that provides students with the opportunity to learn content and skills and to receive feedback on their learning.  Coursework is assigned to provide meaningful, independent practice, reinforce learning targets, and extend learning. This category can include in-class assignments, quizzes, exit tickets, checks-for-understanding, and daily activities.

PRACTICE:  This category includes formative student work that a student completes while in the process of learning specific skills.  Student work that is done inside and outside of the classroom, such as classwork and homework, falls into this category.

Weights

All teacher gradebooks will utilize the following weights for each category in the gradebook.

            ASSESSMENT CATEGORY                  80%

            COURSEWORK CATEGORY                20%

            PRACTICE CATEGORY                          0%

In addition to the percentage score for entries in the gradebook, Assessment category entries will have standards tagged for informational purposes only. This will give the student, parent, and teacher the ability to quickly assess what skill or content section needs improvement.

PowerSchool Access

The PowerSchool site allows parents/guardians and students to access the student’s grades, attendance, and other information.  If you need your access information, please stop by the front desk during business hours.  You will need a photo I.D.  The web address is: ps.dvusd.org/public

Make-Up Work

When a student is absent from school, the student will be provided the opportunity to make up work in order to close learning gaps from time away from school. The teacher will provide access to the student’s assignment(s) and any hand-out or materials necessary for accomplishment of such assignment, allowing a minimum make-up period of one (1) day for each day absent.

Students are responsible for communicating with the teacher the first day back from an absence to develop a plan to make-up lost learning/assignments.  Students are encouraged to communicate electronically with the teacher during the absence.

Students who miss school work because of unexcused absences or suspensions will be given the opportunity to make-up missed work for credit. The teacher may assign such make-up work as necessary to ensure academic progress, not as a punitive measure.

Late Work Procedure

In order to accurately reflect a student’s academic performance level, teachers will accept late work and missing work for full credit if the work is submitted within the timeframe of the current unit of study. A zero will be entered in the gradebook until the work is submitted. Students will be responsible for turning in late work in addition to their current work, which results in the natural consequence of a heavier workload. The primary consequence for not completing the work is to complete the work. Students may be assigned to our academic intervention time, assigned behavioral consequences such as lunch and/or after school detention for not completing work. It is the expectation that during these assigned intervention and/or detentions, the student utilizes the time to complete the missing work.

In order for Late Work to be accepted, students must meet the following parameters:

• Assignment is not due within the class period
• Assignment is not a timed activity (such as a Quick-Write Essay)
• Assignment is not a Long-Term assignment (over multiple weeks)
• Assignment is turned in within the following time frame
  • 9-12 Grades: By the end of the unit

If a student meets the above criteria, he/she will be issued full credit for the work submitted (no added penalties or caps on the grade that can be earned).  The teacher will mark the student’s assignment with the “Late” special code. If the assignment is an assessment, the proficiency level of the standards attached will be entered.

Long-Term Project Procedure

There is an important distinction between daily/formative assignments and long-term/summative projects. Make-up policies regarding long-term/summative projects are based on the timeframe of the student’s absence and the requirements of the long-term project. It is the expectation that students submit long-term projects on the day they are due. Students should self-advocate for assistance if they need extensions.

Re-Take/Reassessment Procedure

Retake: The student completes another assessment of the same learning targets. The assessment to be retaken may be in the same format or a different format. The higher of the two scores will be entered in the gradebook.*

Reperformance: The student will be reassessed on the same learning target later in the marking period as part of the instruction cycle, thus providing an additional measurement of the learning. All reperformance scores related to the learning target will be entered in the gradebook.

Retakes or reperformance of essential skills is important to support learning of critical skills and filling gaps in learning. Retakes are allowed for assessments in which scores are entered into the gradebook, for full credit, if reperformance opportunities will not be available during the marking period or in addition to reperformance opportunities during the marking period. 

In order to earn a retake opportunity, a student must complete all of the following:

• Complete all formative coursework related to the content/skill assessed
• Consult with the teacher
• Submit a reassessment plan or application, if required by the teacher

A reassessment plan must be scheduled within the following time frames:

• 9-12th Grades: With 5 school days of receiving the assessment score, the student must communicate with the teacher to create a reassessment plan

If a student would like to retake a previous assessment that he or she scored 3 or below, they are allowed to do so based on the following condition:

• The student will have to take an oral quiz on the assessment topic. If the teacher finds the performance on the oral quiz to be satisfactory then the student is eligible to reassess.

Classroom Behavior Expectations and Consequences

• Respect:
  • Respect yourself, your peers, the teacher, and the learning process.
  • Listen actively when someone is speaking, and avoid interrupting others during discussions or lectures.
  • Be open to different ideas and perspectives, even if they differ from your own.
• Preparedness:
  • Review the previous class material and complete any pre-reading or assignments as assigned.
• Participation:
  • Actively engage in class discussions, activities, and programming exercises.
  • Ask questions when you need clarification or further understanding of programming concepts.
  • Contribute constructively to the learning environment by sharing your ideas and insights.
• Academic Integrity:
  • Honesty and integrity are paramount. Never engage in plagiarism or cheating in any form.
  • Always give proper credit to the original sources of code, ideas, or information used in your projects.
  • Use your programming skills responsibly and ethically.
• Persistence and Problem-Solving:
  • Embrace challenges and view them as opportunities for growth in your programming skills.
  • Don't be discouraged by coding errors; they are natural and part of the learning process.
  • Cultivate problem-solving skills and approach programming challenges with a positive mindset.
• Technology Usage:
  • Use the assigned desktop during class time. No personal laptops or ipads are allowed to be used without permission from the teacher.
  • Refrain from accessing non-academic websites or applications without permission.
  • Respect technology guidelines set by the teacher and the school.
• Collaboration:
  • Collaborate respectfully with your peers on programming projects and activities.
  • Value the contributions of all team members and ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate in group work.

• Punctuality:
  • Arrive on time to class and be ready to start coding and learning at the designated start time.
  • If you have a valid reason for being late or absent, communicate it to the teacher in advance.
• Classroom Environment:
  • Keep the classroom tidy and organized, respecting school property and resources.
  • Eating, drinking (except water in a spill-proof container), and using your phone for non-academic purposes during class are not allowed.
• Growth Mindset:
  • Embrace the idea that your programming skills can be developed through practice, dedication, and learning.
  • Emphasize learning over grades, and focus on continuous improvement.

All SDOHS Student Handbook Rules will be enforced.  No Exceptions.

Electronic Device Use

Technology (cell phones, iPads, hand-held devices, etc.) use in the classroom is intended to enhance the learning environment for all students; however, any use of technology that degrades the learning environment, promotes dishonest or illegal activities, is prohibited. If the instructor determines that the use of technology is a distraction to the learning process, either of the student using the technology or to those around him/her, the student may, at the discretion of the teacher, be asked to discontinue the use of technology in the classroom.

School Chromebooks to Facilitate Learning:

Sandra Day O’Connor High School utilizes Chromebook as a learning tool in the classroom. The classroom teacher will inform students as to when they may use their device and for which purposes. Students must adhere to their teacher’s guidelines for use and appropriate times for use. Any student who violates the teacher’s guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action.

Please note- students may not access their personal devices, whether for entertainment or learning, if the teacher has stated that the classroom activities at that time do not warrant use. For example, during testing or assessments.

AP Exam Testing (For all AP Classes)

All students will take a complete AP Practice Exam. This practice exam will be scheduled in advance and participation is mandatory as this may be used as your final assessment for the course.

Students who participate in the official Advanced Placement College Board AP Exam for college credit will have the option of choosing from the following two choices: 1. Their semester grade as their final assessment grade (e.g. a student has a “A” for their semester course grade may choose to take the “A” as their final exam score as well); OR 2. Student may choose to use their score on the AP Practice Exam as their final exam score (e.g. a student receives a “A” on the Practice Exam may choose to take the “A” as their final exam score as well).

Students who choose NOT to participate in the official Advanced Placement College Board AP Exam for college credit will take a full-length AP released exam as their final assessment grade. Students NOT taking the official AP College Board Exam will NOT have the choice of using their semester grade or AP Practice Exam score as their final assessment grade.

All students, whether testing for Advanced Placement College Board credit or not, will sit for their exam on May 15,2024. Students testing for college credit will test with the appropriate facilitator. Students testing as their final exam will test with Sini Thomas. Participation in this exam date is not optional.

Academic Integrity Statement in the Course Syllabus:

Adherence to the O’Connor Academic Integrity Code

All students enrolled in AP Computer Science and Principles will adhere to the framework and guidelines set forth in the O’Connor High School Academic Integrity Code. Cheating and Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The purpose of this code is to promote a positive learning environment for all involved. Any student who violates this code will be referred to the Students Rights and Responsibilities handbook and assignment of appropriate consequences.

Plagiarism and Cheating

Cheating: In cheating, a student is taking the work of another, on any assignment, and claiming it as his/her own.  At SDOHS cheating includes but is not limited to:

• Copying and/or offering homework verbally, in written form, or by electronic means from/to another student.
• Copying and/or offering questions and/or answers on tests or quizzes verbally, in written form, or by electronic means from/to another student.
• Pressuring other students to copy and/or offer homework, answers and/or questions on tests or quizzes verbally, in written form or by electronic means.
• Bringing in and using unauthorized information during class time, including information stored in any electronic device.
• Offering or receiving information under circumstances in which information is not to be shared.
• Having anyone, including parents or tutors, complete assignments and submitting the work as one’s own.
• Presenting collaborative work as independent work and independent work as collaborative.  (In group work, one person should not and will not bear the burden for the entire group assignment.)
• Copying answers from answer guides in texts.
• Fabricating data, information, or sources.  Presenting made up material as authentic.

Plagiarism: The act of plagiarism may include direct copying, but it may also be more complex than verbatim repetition.  A student, in preparing a project for a class, will have plagiarized if he/she has taken information from sources without citing the sources that have been used.  Plagiarized material may appear in a student’s paper as word-for-word copying, a summation, or a paraphrase of another’s ideas. A student has plagiarized whether the material from another source has been taken in whole or in part.  In effect, by not naming the source, the student is claiming the work of another as his/hers.  At SDOHS plagiarism includes but is not limited to:

• Submitting images and/or documents in whole or in part from the Internet without citation of the source(s).
• Copying another’s work.
• Using another’s ideas without proper citations.
• Incorporating portions of another’s writing within the context of your own work.
• Failing to acknowledge a source of information.
• Using “unique” phrases without citations.
• Using graphics, charts, diagrams, or illustrations without citations.
• Using a translator (either in-person or on-line) without proper citations

Plagiarism and/or Cheating will result in disciplinary actions and an F.