A Roseville Joint Union High School District conversation could lead to revisions in the current grading policy and an establishment of district-wide grading guidelines.

Assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction Jess Borjon led RJUHSD’s Continuous Improvement Leadership Team meeting in November to analyze grading guidelines from Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, Virginia, with educators from around the district. They discussed their findings and how certain guidelines used in Fairfax County could or could not be used in RJUHSD. Borjon is planning to formulate a team of writers, consisting of district educators, to help create a first draft of the policy in the next few months.

Roseville High School assistant principal Anna Marie Clark was a representative for RHS at the CILT meeting.

“I thought it was a productive meeting,” Clark said. “It was interesting to take a look at the various documents. One in particular seemed a little more mandating certain things about grades, another one was a little more guiding in terms of its structure.”

RJUHSD’s current grading policy relies on individual teachers to determine the best way to grade a student’s achievement within a course. However, Fairfax’s grading guidelines encourage teachers to “work with their Collaborative Team (CT) when developing their syllabus to further the use of consistent practices.” Their Collaborative Teams may be subject based, special project based or grade-level based. According to the Fairfax article series Practices at Work, Fairfax County Public Schools Instructional Service Department values teachers working together to ensure the creation of consistent expectations.

CILT hopes to glean something from Fairfax’s grading system.

“We just felt we were at a time where I was searching for critical mass, otherwise described as consensus of the group, that said, ‘Hey, I think it’s time we do more than talk about the grading issues in our district,’” Borjon said.

RJUHSD’s grading policy was revised last year to address issues regarding how schools weigh courses taken at community colleges. According to Borjon, CILT is determining how to “better support student learning” by addressing more complex grading issues throughout the district.

To reach CILT’s goals at RHS, CILT members discussed topics including homework assignment weight, extra credit and late work. They have analyzed works from experts including Ken O’Connor, an independent grading consultant of more than two decades, and Rick Wormeli, who presents on education and grading policies.

Science teacher Erin Granucci says she is open to any proposals made by the district. However, she said that certain grading practices are better suited for certain programs and departments.

“I know with Project Lead the Way coming in, it’s project-based learning,” Granucci said. “It is a different class. It’s got to be assessed differently than the traditional classroom. I’m hoping it’s not just across-the-board.”

According to RHS principal David Byrd, grading is considered a “sensitive topic” among teachers, students and administration.

“How much tests count, how much other things count, aligning your tests to standards, and where that fits in with GPA and all kinds of stuff,” Byrd said. “So it’s connected to a lot of things. Grading is a sensitive topic and a sensitive issue.”

RHS science teacher Mike Purvines also represented RHS at the CILT meeting and said there are currently inconsistencies with the district’s current grading policy in contrast to current trends in grading practices in the district.

“It really is a tough one,” Purvines said. “It’s issues that CILT has dealt with in the past, too. Right now, our district board policy, when you read the grading practices, is out of date. It’s really out of date, and it’s very obvious in the language. And at the bare minimum, that needs [to be] updated to follow current practices.”

According to Clark, it is likely the district’s current grading policy will change after thorough deliberation.

“A CILT team will draft a new policy, the larger group will approve it, and it will eventually be placed before the board for approval,” Clark said. “Once the board passes a revised policy, each site will need to review and implement it as a school.”