IKA October 28.pdf (160 KB)

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​Boulder Valley School District​​ ​File: IKA​/IKAA/IKAB​​ ​Adopted: September 25, 1980​​ ​Revised: June 14, 2005​, November --, 2025​

​Associated Regulation:​ ​IKA-R/IKAA-R/IKAB-R​¶​ ​¶​ ​ASSESSMENT AND​​GRADING SYSTEMS​ ​AND STUDENT PROGRESS REPORTS TO PARENTS​ ​​ ​Assessment​ ​The School District will administer standardized assessments as required by state and​ ​federal law. The Superintendent or designee will create procedures concerning the use​ ​of pencil and paper on the computerized portion of state assessments; authorizing​ ​parent requests to excuse their children from taking state assessments without negative​ ​consequences; and the School District´s assessment calendar.​ ​Also,​ ​the​ ​School​ ​District​ ​shall​ ​adopt​ ​assessments​ ​that​ ​are​ ​aligned​ ​with​ ​the​ ​School​ ​District’s​ ​standards​ ​and​ ​curricula​ ​to​ ​measure​ ​each​ ​student's​ ​progress​ ​toward​ ​and​ ​attainment of standards not assessed through the state assessment system.​ ​Each​ ​year,​ ​the​ ​School​ ​District​ ​shall​ ​create​ ​and​ ​distribute​ ​an​ ​annual​ ​assessment​ ​calendar of state and district (not including school and classroom) assessments.​ ​As required by Colorado law, a student´s state assessment results will be included on​ ​each student’s final report card for the year (if available when issued) and in each​ ​student´s permanent academic record, but not indicated on high school transcripts.​¶​ ​Grading Systems​ ​Assessing and reporting student progress is the core of communication between school​ ​and home. ​​It is the policy of t​The Board of Education​​prioritizes fairness, transparency,​ ​consistency, and accuracy in assessing and reporting student learning and​ ​performance.​​The School District’s administration and professional staff shall​ ​collaboratively devise a grading and reporting system for evaluating and reporting​ ​student progress that reflects student performance in relation to grade level standards​,​ ​and​​essential learning results​, and individual student needs.​ ​Best practices include utilizing a variety of assessment methods, providing timely​ ​feedback, and ensuring that grading criteria are clearly communicated to students.​ ​Principles​

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​1.​ ​Grading and timely feedback throughout the course of a grading period motivate​ ​and encourage students by telling them how they are doing and how their effort​ ​connects to good grades.​ ​2.​ ​Grading and reporting on student progress shall be based on multiple data points​ ​so that students have the ability to recover from a poor performance on an​ ​assignment.​ ​3.​ ​The grading system and reporting procedure shall take into consideration​ ​demands on​​staff​teacher​​and parent time and must be in a form that is​ ​meaningful to students​, educators,​​and parents.​ ​4.​ ​Accurate records of student achievement based on an appropriate body of​ ​evidence shall be kept by each teacher and used to determine achievement​ ​during each marking period.​ ​5.​ ​Reporting shall be consistent district-wide at comparable grade levels.​ ​6.​ ​No grade assigned by a teacher shall be changed without notification of that​ t​eacher, the student involved, and his parent or legal guardian.​ ​Elementary Schools​ ​At the elementary level, grade reports will communicate whether students are making​ ​sufficient progress to enable them to meet grade-level standards by the end of the year.​ ​In addition, the end-of-year grade report will include whether the student met, did not​ ​meet, or exceeded the grade level standard. The end of year grade report is not an​ ​average of the previous grading periods but reflects the level of the student’s​ ​achievement at that point in time. No summative letter grade will be given at this level.​ ​Elementary grade reports will reflect student progress and academic performance​ ​related to content standards.​ ​Secondary Schools​ ​Each school will develop specific written grading guidelines in accordance with this​ ​policy. These guidelines should encourage consistency among teachers at the same​ ​grade levels, within the same subject areas, or within the same programs Schools will​ ​create and have documentation and communication to students and families​ ​Especially Aat the high school level, HrAt the h​High​​school​s and high school level​ ​programs​​reporting student progress also serves as​​a critical form of communication​ ​with external groups for purposes such as admission to post-secondary institutions,​ ​athletic eligibility, scholarship decisions, and employment, and.​ ​SFor this reason,​ ​s​econdary schools​​shall use the letter grades A, B, C, D, and F​, unless the​ ​Superintendent or designee approves an alternate system​​.​ ​Classroom grading procedures shall be distributed in writing and explained thoroughly​ ​by each teacher to students during the first week of the course. Parents will be informed​ ​though appropriate parent information communication.​

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​Teachers are encouraged to communicate directly with parents concerning student​ ​performance.​ ​Written notice of unsatisfactory work​​(D or below) shall be​​provided​​sent​ ​to​​the student and​​parents in advance of regular end-of-term​​grade reports. A student​ ​may not receive an F or be denied credit unless the teacher has provided appropriate​ ​notification to the student and​​their​his​​parent or​​legal guardian in time that the deficiency​ ​could have been corrected​​unless the student showed​.​ ​The only exception to this would​ ​be in cases in which​​a dramatic change of performance​​occurred​​so late in that grading​ ​period that notification was impractical.​ ​Schools may permit students to take course work on a pass/fail basis, but such classes​ ​will not factor in calculated grade points of class ranking No plus or minus signs shall​ ​be used with the letter grades on permanent records. Plus or minus signs may be used​ ​on report cards at the discretion of the teacher.​ ​Students who are not satisfied with a final grade in a course may retake the​ ​exact​ ​course or another qualifying course as approved by the Superintendent or designee​ ​either​​through BVSD or a School District approved​​provider​​only if a student repeats the​ ​exact course or the same course at a higher level (e.g., Algebra 1 as a repeat for​ ​Algebra 1 Basic)​. The calculation of the higher grade will be included in a student’s GPA​ ​and credit will be given only once​, though both courses and grades​​. The lower grade​ ​and credit will be ignored although the course and grade​​will remain on the transcript.​ ​This​​practice applies​is the regulation​​only for classes taken in Boulder Valley Schools.​ ​Grades and t​T​ranscripts from other schools will not be altered​​by BVSD​.​ ​Honor roll shall be determined by trimester/semester grades of all courses in which the​ ​student is enrolled. In computing the total grade point average and class rank of high​ ​school students, all subjects shall be given equal weight using the grade point scale​ ​outlined above except for those courses which have been approved for weighted grade​ ​status. In those situations, one additional point shall be added to the above grade point​ ​scale.​¶​ ​Reporting and​​Conference​s​ ​Grades will be reported​​repor​Reports will be provided​​on a regularly scheduled basis​ ​but no less than twice a year. Reports will be provided to parents in a language they​ ​can understand whenever possible.​ ​Parents will be notified in writing if a student earning a D or below or is otherwise at risk​ ​of not meeting grade level standards prior to the​​trimester/semester​​grading report​ ​Teachers are encouraged to communicate directly with parents concerning student​ ​performance. Written notice of unsatisfactory work (D or below) shall be sent to parents​ i​n advance of regular end-of-term grade reports. A student may not receive an F or be​ ​denied credit unless the teacher has provided appropriate notification to the student and​ ​their parent or legal guardian in time that the deficiency could have been corrected​,​ ​unless​​. The only exception to this would be in cases in which a dramatic change of​ ​performance occurred so late in that grading period that notification was impractical.​ ​3​

​Student​The cumulative record card (​transcript​s​)​​will show at a minimum the student's​ ​academic record, including​census data​,​​subjects​,​​and grades. ​​Student cumulative​ ​Student​The cumulative​​grade point average​s​​will be computed and recorded after each​ ​official marking period.​ ​Conferences are an integral part of communication between school and home and an​ ​opportunity to conference will be provided at least twice during the year.​ ​Cross Refs.:​ ​IKC, Weighted Grades​ ​IKC-R​ ​End File: IKA/IKAA/IKAB​

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