ELA Department Policies

  • Grades

    Grading Policies

    Learners will be graded for mastery of standards. Teachers will use a common grading policy to better triangulate our data to show growth of student knowledge on standards.

    Mastery = 9.5

    Meeting = 8.5

    Approaching = 7.5

    Developing = 6.5

    Emerging = 5.5

    Present but no participation = 1

    Absent = Missing*

    Honorable Exemplar = 10

    Missing will default to 50% as a school wide directive.

    *Missing assignments can be made up within the same quarter.

    Assessments may be retaken to improve their grades.

    Essential Skills will include i-Ready and skills learned in class. This is worth 40% of their grade.

    Assessments will include quizzes & book projects. This is worth 40% of their grade.

    Quarter Finals will be over any skill taught in a quarter. This is worth 20% of their grade.

  • i-ready

    ELA teachers will devote 1 class period a week in class to supporting i-ready practices to fill learning gaps.

    Learners will be expected to complete the remainder of their minutes as out of class time. Time will be given on Thursdays in Intervention. Otherwise, this is expected to be completed at home.

    Grading will be based on completing 2 lessons & quizzes per week with a 70% or better. If lessons are missed, they can be made up prior to the end of the quarter.

  • Common Assessments

    Assessments are only one part of a learner's life. However, how a learner does on an assessment indicates how the classroom teacher responds. As a department, we will evaluate whether we need to reteach, remediate or extend learning opportunities for each learner. 

    Common unit finals and/or common quarterly finals will be administered within a similar time frame at the grade level's discretion.

    All exams are created within the common grade level. 

  • Reading Practices

    stack of books 

    • Each teacher in the building will encourage students to read each Thursday in Advisory
    • Learners are encouraged to have a book every day for every class.
    • ELA teachers will have a 3-week rotation through the library for students' chosen books.
    • Learners will be expected to complete a 1-page written reflection or book project on one book every quarter.

  • Writing focus

    • Writing prompts will reflect units in their new HMH curriculum.
    • Common grading rubrics will continue to be used as a department.
    • Writing focus will mirror the district expectations by grade level and HMH unit:

    6th Grade

    HMH Unit 1:
    Discovering Your Voice

    HMH Unit 2:
    Never Give Up

    HMH Unit 3:
    Finding Courage

    Argument  

    Non-fiction narrative

    Informative

    HMH Unit 4:
    Through an Animal’s Eyes      

    HMH Unit 5:
    Surviving the Unthinkable      

    HMH Unit 6:
    Hidden Truths      

    Argument    

    Explanatory  

    Short story  

    7th Grade

    HMH Unit 1:
    Reality Check

    HMH Unit 2:
    Take Control

    HMH Unit 3:
    The Terror & Wonder of Space

    Informative

    Informative  

    Argument  

    HMH Unit 4: Inspired by Nature  

    HMH Unit 5:
    Game On!      

    HMH Unit 6:
    Change Agents      

    Argument  

    Short story  

    Research report  

    8th Grade

    HMH Unit 1:
    Gadgets & Glitches

    HMH Unit 2:
    The Thrill of Horror

    HMH Unit 3:
    Places We Call Home

    Argument

    Literary analysis

    Short story

    HMH Unit 4:
    The Fight for Freedom      

    HMH Unit 5:
    Finding your Path      

    HMH Unit 6:
    The Legacy of Anne Frank      

    Research report  

    Argument  

    Personal narrative