MMS Core Beliefs and Practices for Standards Based Assessment
Our fundamental core belief is that a grade (assessment) should clearly represent what a student knows and is able to do, not the ability of a student to comply with certain expectations. This belief has resulted in certain non-negotiable expectations of all students and staff. These non-negotiable expectations that all students and staff will follow are:
What We Believe
Academic grades should not be used to punish non-compliance behaviors (ex: lower score for late work).
Students should not be assessed on their journey toward learning. Practice should NEVER be scored or assessed.
Homework is practice. Assigning a score or grade to homework distorts grades.
Extra credit should NEVER be given. Extra credit inflates grades and does not accurately reflect what a student has learned.
Reassessment allows students to learn at their own pace.
New evidence of learning should always replace old evidence of learning, even if this means a potential lower score replaces a higher score in the gradebook.
What We Will Do
Lateness and noncompliance are behaviors that will be addressed through discipline procedures and reported in areas separate from a student's grades.
Using extra credit and late penalties will not be used.
Formative assessments, homework, practice, and other learning activities may receive feedback but will not be scored or assessed.
Students are expected to complete all formative assessments, homework, practice, or other learning activities. These activities are critical pieces of a student’s learning experience.
Only summative assessments will be scored based and assigned a performance level descriptor. These descriptors will be reported to ProgressBook and weighted toward a student’s report card mark.
If a student has not Met the Standard on a summative assessment, a retake may occur after additional practice has taken place.
The reassessment score will replace the previous score.