Cobb County School District Administrative Rules

RATIONALE/OBJECTIVE:

(1) The School Improvement Division of the Cobb County School District shall devise a grading system which shall be used to report student progress to parents/guardians and to record this progress on each student's Cumulative Record folder.

(2) The administration is also authorized to establish differentiated quality points based upon the academic demands of specified high school courses.

RULE:

The following grading systems shall be used in the Cobb County School District:

K-12

A. Final Responsibility for Assignment of Grades

While the grading system of the Cobb County School District has been developed cooperatively between the Curriculum and Instruction Division and local school educators, the final evaluation of students and the assignment of grades is the responsibility of local school administrators and teachers. Central office personnel shall not have the responsibility of assigning or changing any student's grade or evaluation as determined by local school personnel.

ELEMENTARY

A. Students in kindergarten shall be evaluated on a scale of Consistent, Sometimes, and Time Needed.

B. GRADES 1-3

1. Students in Grades 1-3 shall be evaluated in Reading, English, Spelling and Mathematics on a scale of Excellent Progress, Good Progress, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory.

2. Reading shall be reported as a grade and Above, On, or Below level.

3. Social Studies, Science, Health, Handwriting, Behavior and Work/Study Habits shall be evaluated on a scale of Outstanding, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement.

4. Art, Music and Physical Education shall be evaluated in participation and conduct on a scale of Outstanding, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement.

C. GRADES 4-5

1. Students in grades 4 and 5 shall be evaluated in Reading, English, Spelling, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and Health by means of an A, B, C, D, or F, according to the following guidelines:

A Shall represent an average of 90-100 and shall indicate superior achievement.

B Shall represent an average of 80-89 and shall indicate above average achievement.

C Shall represent an average of 74-79 and shall indicate average achievement.

D Shall represent an average of 70-73 and shall indicate minimum achievement.

F Shall represent an average of below 70 and shall indicate failure to achieve.

2. In grades 4 and 5 an academic evaluation of D or above shall indicate that the student's academic performance complies with the State Rule 160-4-2.13 Grading Systems, which establishes 70 as a minimum passing score.

3. Reading shall be reported as a grade and Above, On, or Below Level.

4. Handwriting, Behavior and Work/Study Habits shall be graded on a scale of Outstanding, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement.

5. Art, Music and Physical Education shall be evaluated in participation and conduct on a scale of Outstanding, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement.

NOTE (GRADES 1-5):

A circle around the grade indicates modified curriculum (the student is working in a curriculum different from the grade placement).

Students enrolling in Cobb County Schools with fewer than two weeks remaining in the evaluation period shall receive evaluation marks based on the transcript from the sending school. Parents shall be notified of this procedure.

MIDDLE

A. All subjects shall be graded by means of an A, B, C, D, F, I, according to the following guidelines:

A Shall represent an average of 90-100 and shall indicate superior achievement.

B Shall represent an average of 80-89 and shall indicate above average achievement.

C Shall represent an average of 74-79 and shall indicate average achievement.

D Shall represent an average of 70-73 and shall indicate minimum achievement.

F Shall represent an average of below 70 and shall indicate failure to achieve.

I Shall represent incomplete work. A student may have fourteen (14) calendar days after the close of each semester or quarter to complete make-up work that shall be accepted on the same basis for all students. A student is ineligible until the make-up work is completed and the required passing grade(s) is/are recorded.

NOTE: An asterisk (*) indicates that the requirements have been adjusted to meet the student's instructional needs.

B. Math shall be reported as an instructional level and a grade.

C. Conduct shall be evaluated as Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, or Unsatisfactory.

D. Students enrolling in Cobb County schools with less than two weeks remaining in the grading period shall receive grades based on the transcript from the sending school. Parents shall be notified of this procedure.

SECONDARY

A. Grades

1. Student performance shall be recorded on the permanent record using numerical grades. These numerical grades represent the following letter grades.

A Shall represent an average of 90-100 and shall indicate superior achievement.

B Shall represent an average of 80-89 and shall indicate above average achievement.

C Shall represent an average of 74-79 and shall indicate average achievement.

D Shall represent an average of 70-73 and shall indicate minimum acceptable achievement.

F Shall represent an average of below 70 and shall indicate failure to achieve.

I Shall represent incomplete work. In order to maintain eligibility, a student has fourteen (14) calendar days after the close of the semester to complete make-up work. The Principal may extend this time for medical reasons. The final grade will be the average of all grade-bearing activities required throughout the semester.

2. Student conduct shall be evaluated as Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, or Unsatisfactory.

B. Notification of Failure

The high school principal is authorized to establish local school procedures requiring parent notification prior to a student's receiving a failing semester grade.

C. Grades: Withdrawing from a Course

If a student withdraws from a course after the first ten days of the semester, he will receive the grade of 10 in the course, and the course and grade shall be recorded on the cumulative record. The superintendent or designee may make exceptions to this paragraph if a different action is appropriate.

D. Grades: Withdrawing from School

If a student withdraws from school prior to the completion of a semester, the courses taken, grades earned, or attendance shall not be recorded on the cumulative record. This information shall be recorded on the withdrawal form and the decision concerning grades and credits shall be the responsibility of the school to which the student transfers.

E. Transferring Grades and Credits from Accredited and Non-Accredited Schools

1. Course Titles

Transfer course titles will be changed to the appropriate Cobb County course titles for courses in English, mathematics, science, social studies, foreign language, health, and the specific course Becoming Physically Educated. Transfer elective course titles will be changed to broad categorical titles, such as physical education, business education and vocational education.

2. Government/Economics

Credit will be awarded for courses in economics and American government regardless of the year in which the courses were taken if they were taken in a Georgia school system.

3. Credit

a. Accredited Schools

Carnegie unit credit received from the schools accredited by a designated regional or state accrediting agency will be according to Georgia Board of Education Rules and Cobb County Board of Education regulation. Grades of students transferring from schools accredited by a designated regional or state accreditation agency will be recorded as numerical grades.

For students transferring to a Cobb County High School from an accredited school as defined previously, from August 1999 through June 3, 2002, the following procedures will be followed:

(1.)All grades will be recorded numerically exactly as they are received from the issuing school. The only exemption to this will be if a student enters with a numeric grade below 70 that is considered passing by the previous school. In this circumstance, a grade of 70 will be assigned.

It is the responsibility of the parents and/or student to obtain the numeric grade if the official transcript from the issuing school contains a letter grade. The numeric equivalent must be on an official transcript and will not be accepted in any other form.

(2.)In cases where the issuing school uses a letter grade or is unable to provide a numeric grade, the following conversion scale will be implemented:

A+ = 99 C+= 79 F = 69 and below

A = 95 C = 76

A - = 90 C - = 74

B+ = 89 D+= 73

B = 85 D = 72

B- = 80 D- = 70

** Note: High School students transferring to Cobb County after June 3, 2002 will be subject to the preceding conversion scale. In cases where the issuing school uses a grading scale different from Cobb County's, the numerical grade to be recorded will be derived by the following steps:

§ Converting the transferred numerical grade to a letter grade according to the issuing school's grading scale, and then,

§ Assigning a numerical grade based on the preceding conversion scale:

(3.) If grades of pass or fail are received, the following procedure must be applied:

a. Fail will be recorded as "F", and no credit will be included in the calculation of the cumulative average.

Pass will be recorded as "P", and no credit will be included in the calculation of the cumulative average.

(4.) If a situation occurs where the above procedures adversely affects the academic standing of the student, a request for transcript review may be made to the local school administration. A written request for a transcript review may be made for a central review committee through the local school principal only after the local appeal. A review committee consisting of two counselors, two curriculum directors and an executive director will meet on a quarterly basis to review requests.

b. Non-Accredited Schools and/or Home Schools

Students transferring from a non-accredited school or from a home study program will be granted probationary placement based on records of prior school(s) and/or home study programs and satisfactory performance of the student for a grading period. Students who successfully complete the probationary courses will receive credit and the transfer grade (as documented by an official transcript or paperwork) from the non-accredited school or home study program.

Students who do not successfully complete a probationary subject will be required to pass a proficiency exam in the preceding subject for credit. If not passed, the next required level exam will be administered until proficiency is established and credit awarded

If the exam is passed, numerical grades will be recorded on the transcript by following traditional grade reporting. Each exam will be administered one time.

Courses for which there is no counterpart in the Cobb County curriculum will be considered as electives and credit given in that category after academic courses have been validated.

Students entering the ninth grade from a non-accredited school or from a home study program will be registered for on grade level classes unless the parent(s) or guardian(s) signs a waiver form requesting a different placement.

Grade point averages are based on quality points as specified in G. 1. of this policy and policy IDCJA. Courses which receive extra quality points include the following: tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade level one courses; Advanced Placement (AP courses), Algebra II/Honors, Chemistry II, fourth and fifth year foreign languages, Geometry/Honors, Analysis, and specific courses as described in policy IDCJA.

F. Grades: Repeated Courses

1. Once a student has received credit for a course, he may not repeat the course for additional credit or to improve his grade.

2. A student may repeat for credit a course in which he has received an F. Both grades must be recorded on the cumulative record and figured in the grade point average.

G. Grade Point Average/Rank in Class/Honor Graduates

1. A student's grade point average is based on quality points awarded for each grade earned.

Regular Courses

Calculus (non AP)

Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth Grade Level One Courses

Algebra II/Honors

Geometry/Honors

Multi-Variable Calculus

Advanced Physics Principles/Robotics

Advanced Genetics/DNA Research

Advanced Scientific Internship

Chemistry II, 4^th, 5th Year Foreign Language, Analysis, International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and college/

University courses as described in policy IDCJA

A = 4 Quality Points

A = 4.5 Quality Points

A = 5 Quality Points

B = 3 " "

B = 3.5 " "

B = 4 " "

C = 2 " "

C = 2.5 " "

C = 3 " "

D = 1 " "

D = 1.5 " "

D = 2 " "

F = 0 " "
F = 0 " "
F = 0 " "

2. The rank in class shall be assigned according to grade point average in descending order.

3. When two or more students have the same grade point average, they shall be given the same rank in class, but each student shall be counted as though he were occupying a separate station in the ranking. For example:

Students A, B, C have a GPA of 3.729. The immediately preceding average is 3.750 which ranks number 8 in the class.

Students A, B, C are assigned rank number 9.

Student D, with a GPA of 3.695 is assigned rank number 12.

After the final computation of the grade point average, Honor Graduates shall be only the students with a grade point average of 3.500 or better.

H. Valedictorian/Salutatorian

It is the option of the local school to recognize the valedictorian and salutatorian of the graduating class. If two or more persons earn exact equivalent GPA's (Grade Point Averages), each may be recognized with valedictory honors. The valedictorian and salutatorian will be determined by the grade point average at the end of the senior year.

I. Grading of High School Students Who Enter During a Semester

1. Students who enter a Cobb County high school during a semester who have previously been enrolled in a high school program shall be graded on the basis of their transcript from the previous school attended and their performance in class for the remainder of the semester. Students who enroll in a Cobb County high school during the semester who have not previously been enrolled in school during that semester shall declare at the time of enrollment whether or not their participation in class shall be on an audit basis or a credit basis. The school should make every effort to involve parents in this declaration of intention at the time of enrollment.

2. Students enrolling in a Cobb County high school for the first time during a semester on a credit basis shall be responsible for the content and objectives for the total semester's work and all grade-bearing activities for the class. Teachers shall be responsible for informing students of their obligation for grade-bearing activities, but they shall not be responsible for providing information to students on content that was presented prior to the time of the student's enrollment in school. These students will be assigned grades for credit at the end of the semester based upon their declared intention at the time of enrollment.

3. Students enrolling in Cobb County schools with less than two weeks remaining in the grading period shall receive grades based on the transcript from the sending school. Parents shall be notified of this procedure.

J. Student participation in summer educational activities such as the Governor's Honors Program, music camps, etc. may be noted on the student's permanent record as non-credit participation.

Legal Reference: OCGA 20-2-50; 20-2-57; 20-2-59

Reclassified an Administrative Rule: 9/1/04