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Grades Policy

Standards for Promotion

The Kauffman School’s academic year is divided into four (4) quarters. All courses are one academic-year or one semester long. Students are expected to earn minimum year averages of 65 percent in the core academic courses counted towards a student’s GPA as stated in the grading policy.  Failure to meet the minimum expectation in one or more courses may put a student’s promotion in jeopardy. In addition to the minimum course expectation, if students fail to meet any of the following criteria (listed in alphabetical order), promotion also may be in jeopardy at the discretion of the Principal, regardless of the length of time the student has attended the Kauffman School:

  • Attendance – Students should have fewer than 10 absences for the school
  • GPA – Students should maintain a GPA of 5 or greater for the school year.
  • Interim Assessments – On interim assessments, students should achieve a score predictive of proficiency on the annual benchmark assessments.
  • ISS/OSS – Students should have no more than 2 instances of ISS/OSS.
  • Lifework – Students should maintain a completion rate of 96% or greater for each semester.
  • PREP Average – Students should score a minimum PREP average of 85 points by the end of the
  • Reading Growth–Students starting the academic year below their current grade equivalent reading level should achieve a minimum of 5 years of reading grade level growth as measured by the STEP assessment or end the year on grade level.
  • Reading Level – Students should maintain a reading level of no more than 2 years behind the grade level they are being promoted to.

Should a student be retained in the 8th or 12th grades, the student will not be permitted to walk during the Promotion/Graduation Ceremonies at the end of that school year.

Grades Philosophy

The mission of the Ewing Marion Kauffman School is to “Create College Graduates.” In order to achieve that, our grading policy reflects the rigors of a college preparatory curriculum and strives to communicate readiness to students, families, and teachers. EMKS commits to a grading policy that meets the following purpose:

Purpose of grades: Grades communicate a student’s mastery and mindsets that will lead to college graduation.

  • Grades show academic readiness for secondary and post-secondary success
    • Grades show mastery of appropriate college-ready standards
    • Grades are an accurate representation of learning
  • Grades reflect student mindset and habits that are crucial for secondary and post-secondary success
    • Grades are feedback to students to reinforce growth mindset
    • Grades are a tool to build academic pride
  • Grades represent to colleges how prepared students are to succeed

The specifications below demonstrate how EMKS seeks to meet this vision through grading policies and practices. These policies reflect the differing demands of different age-ranges, based on the consideration that students in 5th and 12th grade (as well as different grades in between) may have differing needs in grading – as they do as learners.