Assessment Literacy
Maine Township High School District 207 recognizes that not all students come to a full understanding of coursework at the same time. Therefore, we offer the opportunity for students to retake and/or redo assessments through departmental policies that reflect the guiding principles outlined below. Specific departmental retake/redo policies can be found in your child’s course syllabus.
Seven Guiding Principles
Principle #1
All students at all levels should have the opportunity to retake or redo summative assessments. The course team will decide if that should be the entire assessment or only on standards on which the students were not successful. Formative retakes and redos are at the discretion of the teacher.
Principle #2:
Minimum requirements must be set by each course team before a student would be granted the opportunity to retake an assessment. These minimum requirements should indicate to the teacher that the student is ready to take the assessment a second time. They may include but are not limited to: additional formative activities, completion of previously incomplete assessments, in class interventions, out of class interventions or other requirements deemed appropriate by the course team.
Principle #3:
A reasonable time limit should be set by the course team on when the opportunity to complete a retake/redo will be revoked. This should be adjusted when appropriate for students with IEP’s, 504’s or other individualized learning plans.
Principle #4:
The assessment to be retaken/redone can be different than the original. The skills and knowledge being re-assessed should be of the same rigor as the original assessment; best practice would be for the re-assessment to be different than the original and ideally would only assess the skills and knowledge which were deemed deficient on the first exam.
Principle #5:
If a student retakes an assessment and earns a lower grade than on the first attempt, the retake grade will stand.
Principle #6:
If multiple opportunities are already built into the process of producing the assessment that provide for revision, rough drafts, etc. and significant teacher feedback is provided to the student regarding his/her progression as it relates to the assessment, the course team, with approval from the department chair and building administration, can determine that this meets the minimum requirements of the policy. This should be communicated to the students on the syllabus and underscored when the assessment is introduced in class.
Principle #7:
This policy should be part of the course team syllabus which is posted in the SIS and on any website course landing pages
It is the expectation of Maine Township High School District 207 that a student’s grade is reflective of what a student knows and can do and that feedback to a student on their individual progress is timely and meaningful. Many teachers communicate student progress to students not only through tests, projects, and quizzes but through daily feedback by varying means to help students chart their own progress understanding content and building skills. Below is the district grading scale; however, be sure to speak with your child and his/her teachers for an accurate assessment of your child’s abilities in a given course.
Explanation of Grades
Scholarship grades, representing the quality and quantity of work completed and the degrees of mastery of the subject, are expressed in letters. The following list includes an explanation of the letter grades used in District 207.
A – A grade indicating that the student has done work of exceptional quality.
B – A grade indicating that the student has done work of average quality.
C – A grade indicating that the student has done work of satisfactory quality.
D – A grade indicating that the student has done work of below average quality.
F – A grade indicating that the student has not met the minimum requirements of the course – earning no credit. A grade of F is noted on the transcript as an NG.
E – A grade indicating that the student has been excused by the Assistant Principal for Student Services.
X – A grade that carries no credit indicating that a student has an opportunity to secure a passing grade by doing satisfactory work during the subsequent ten-week period. Used sparingly, it is intended for students who enter too late to complete enough work to receive a grade. Conditional grades may be given at the end of the first, second or third quarter of two-semester classes or at the end of the first quarter of one-semester classes. It is a conditional grade given at the end of the first semester must be cleared by the end of the third quarter. Conditional grades given at the first and third quarters need to be cleared since the semester grade also becomes the quarter grade.
I – A grade that carries no credit indicating that the student has not completed work because of an extended illness. An “I” at the end of a quarter must be made up within the first six weeks of the following quarter, or a failure is automatically recorded. In exceptional cases where there are extenuating circumstances, the principal or designee may extend this deadline.
NG – A grade that carries no credit indicating that the student has been withdrawn from the class. The Building Executive Committee will respond to all requests to withdraw from classes. A course that is dropped during any quarter will either not appear on the student’s permanent record or will be recorded as a failure “NG” based upon the following guidelines:
- Any course which is dropped because of a scheduling error, or to balance class size, will not appear on the student’s permanent record.
- Any course which is dropped with the approval of the Executive Committee will not appear on the student’s permanent record.
- Any course which is dropped while the student is failing will be recorded as an “NG”.
- Any request to drop a course after the ninth week of school will be denied unless extenuating circumstances can be demonstrated.
P – A grade indicating that a student is passing a course that is being taken on a pass/no grade basis.
Pass/No Grade
Requesting a Pass/No Grade class will be provided as an option to students subject to the procedures developed by the Superintendent or his designee. In developing pass/no grade criteria, the District’s primary objective is to give students opportunities for learning which minimize the pressure of grades.
Pass grades carry the amount of credit designated for the course taken. Passing grades received under the pass/no grade system are designated as satisfactory (P) failing grades will be designated as (NG). A passing (P) grade will not affect a student’s grade point average; a failing grade will earn the letter grade (NG) and the student will not receive credit for the course. The presently established procedures for withdrawal from courses will apply to a withdrawal from a course intended for pass/no grade.
Accelerated credit courses and all specific courses required for graduation will be closed to student enrollment on a pass/no grade basis. Students may petition to take a course on a pass/no grade basis only if they are registered for more than four full-credit courses. If a student who is taking a fifth course for pass/no grade credit decides to drop a course for letter grade credit, the pass/no grade course must be taken for a letter grade. Students must meet all prerequisites for admission to any class even if they only wish to take a pass/no grade grade. Any student meeting the prerequisites for admission may, with the permission of his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) and the counselor, petition for a course on a pass/no grade basis. A student may have the option of receiving either a letter grade or a pass/no grade grade, and this option may be exercised either semester.
In exercising this option for a pass/no grade grade a student must request to participate in the class on a pass/no grade basis in writing during the registration process. The petition request must be signed by the student as well as his/her parent(s), or legal guardian(s) and counselor. Any request beyond the registration period may be considered for approval by the Assistant Principal of Student Services in consultation with the Principal. The same procedures apply to courses taken during summer school.
Grading Scale
The following district grading scale will be used by teachers to enter grades into the SIS:
| Letter Code | Value | Cutoff | Range | Letter Value |
| A+ | 100.00 | 97.00 | 100 – 97 | 100.00 |
| A | 95.00 | 93.00 | 96.99 – 93 | 95.00 |
| A- | 91.50 | 90.00 | 92.99 – 90 | 91.50 |
| B+ | 88.50 | 87.00 | 89.99 – 87 | 88.50 |
| B | 85.00 | 83.00 | 86.99 – 83 | 85.00 |
| B- | 81.50 | 80.00 | 82.99 – 80 | 81.50 |
| C+ | 78.50 | 77.00 | 79.99 – 77 | 78.50 |
| C | 75.00 | 73.00 | 76.99 – 73 | 75.00 |
| C- | 71.50 | 70.00 | 72.99 – 70 | 71.50 |
| D+ | 68.50 | 67.00 | 69.99 – 67 | 68.50 |
| D | 65.00 | 63.00 | 66.99 – 63 | 65.00 |
| D- | 61.50 | 60.00 | 62.99 – 60 | 61.50 |
| F | 53.00 | 40.03 | 59.99 – 40.03 | 55.00 |
| NY | 40.02 | 40.02 | 40.02 | 40.02 |
| NO | 40.01 | 40.01 | 40.01 | 40.01 |
| Z | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40 | 40.00 |
On the transcript, only the letter (without its plus and minus) will be visible. The pluses and minuses are informational only and will not impact the mathematics used in formulating the grade point average. The pluses and minuses will be available as information for parents and students viewable only through the SIS portal and on report cards.
In the gradebook, unless a % (or point value) is entered, the numeric equivalent to a letter that is entered is reflected in the table above in the “Letter Value” column.
The lowest possible percentage score entered into a gradebook will be a 40% or the equivalent point value. Eligible grades for record keeping purposes are NY (“Not Yet”), NO (“No Opportunity for Credit”) and Z (Indicates lowest possible F = 40%). Teachers are encouraged to include text comments when using these grades. The NY, NO, and Z will convert to F on report cards and on transcripts.
Standards-Based Grading
Standards-based grading is grade reporting on clearly articulated discipline-specific standards. The standards for all classes reflect the Illinois Learning Standards which are aligned to the Common Core State Standards and are developed to ensure career and college readiness. Learn more.
Repeating a Course
When a student repeats any course the transcript will reflect the course and the highest grade earned by the student. Credit will be awarded based only on the highest grade earned and the calculation of the grade point average will include only the highest grade for the repeated course.