4th Quarter Grades

By now all students and parents should have received the email from the district about how Worthington will be handling grades during this time of remote learning.  This is a big deal and I want to make sure that all of my students are aware and fully understand how this will work. 

As you know, you had been at school for all of 3rd quarter and earned a grade for that quarter before everything in society got shut down and we were all told to stay at home.  But then the district had to figure out how they could help support students learning in this time of crisis and how the grading would work.  Ultimately, the decision was made to transition to a pass/ incomplete system for this quarter. 

There were a LOT of factors and a great deal of thought that went into this decision.  I am confident that it will be a fair system that will be good for all kids.  Let me tell you a little bit more about all of this and how it will work.  Obviously, right now you are still in school and you are (hopefully) doing your school work every day.  It is important that you receive meaningful feedback on your learning and to support your understanding, but the school district firmly believes grades should not be a reward or a punishment.  At a time when there is so much beyond your control, it is important to value the learning vs stressing about the particular grade that you earn in a class.  It is possible that for some of you, the biggest challenge you are experiencing is being bored right now.  But other students - your friends, classmates and peers at WKHS - will be facing other circumstances that are more difficult.  They may deal with being sick, having a family member that is sick, have responsibilities helping with younger siblings, have difficulty accessing reliable technology to access the online material, etc.  Truly, the list is endless when one starts looking at all of the dynamics some of our students are trying to juggle while also trying to learn.  That is why the grading system is set up to be a Pass/ Incomplete... because we don't want to unfairly punish a student who might have some of those circumstances preventing them from keeping up with their work.

So what happens if you get an incomplete?  You, your parents and your teacher will develop a specific intervention and learning plan that you will have the summer and, if needed, into the first quarter of next year, to be able to make up the missing work so that you can change your incomplete to a pass.  This allows flexibility for students who might have been sick to work during the summer when they are no longer ill.  If technology was the roadblock, then working in the summer once libraries reopen or even next fall when we are back at school will allow the freedom and flexibility to make that possible.  The bottom line - you need to do the work!  You will either do it now or you will do it later, but we are committed to helping you to be successful in furthering your learning even while we are not together in the building.

Normally, your 2nd semester grade would be made up of your 3rd quarter grade, your 4th quarter grade, and your semester exam.  The district has cancelled all semester exams so your semester grade will now be an average between your 3rd and 4th quarter grades and that letter grade will be on your final transcript.  For averaging purposes, a "P" will equal 4 points (like an A) for regular classes and it will equal 5 points (like an A) for AP/ IB classes.  An Incomplete "I" during the 4th quarter would equal an "I" on your transcript until you get that grade up to passing and then you will earn your average letter grade.

One other significant issue that I need to make sure you are aware of with regards to Incompletes. While Worthington schools is dedicated to giving you the time needed to make sure you are able to earn the credit and pass your classes, the Ohio High School Athletic Association would NOT count Incompletes towards credit earned to be eligible for sports in the fall!  This means, you must earn "P" grades in at least 5 half-credit classes during the 4th quarter to be eligible to participate in sports or marching band next fall!  This is all the more reason that, if you are currently healthy and in a position where you can access your school work and get it done, that you take advantage of this time and complete as much of your work to the best of your ability now so that if you end up getting sick in a few weeks or family responsibilities start to weigh heavily on you down the road, that you will not end up finding yourself in a position where you missed out on being able to earn the "P" grade this quarter to be eligible for the fall.

Please note, CC+ classes are under the rules of the college and so your grade that will be reflected on your high school transcript is whatever grade you earn in your CC+ class.  Please be checking with your individual college about their rules, guidelines and expectations because some partner colleges are also allowing students to change some classes to Pass/ Fail and others are not.  The CC+ classes are college classes so you must follow the colleges guidelines and timing expectations and we just reflect whatever you earned with the college on your transcript.

This truly is the best, most well-thought through system that was possible for looking out for the good of all students while also being reasonable about the fact that remote learning is hard!  So, be patient with yourself, but be consistent!  Keep working hard every day on your school work and you will get there!  As always, if you have questions, about how grades will work, please let me know!