The final second-semester grade for students in high school level courses can be no lower than the grade earned in the third marking period under a plan adopted by the Board of Education at its May 6, 2020, meeting.
By a 5-4 vote, the Board approved a revision to Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ grading regulation that moves fourth marking period grades to a satisfactory/no-grade format for students in credit-bearing courses. A student’s final second semester grade in a course would be equivalent to or one grade higher than the third marking period letter grade. A student who engages in eLearning and earns a “satisfactory” designation in the fourth marking period would receive a final second semester grade one letter grade higher than their third marking period grade. A student who earns a “no grade” in the fourth marking period would receive the third marking period grade as the final grade for the second semester. Further, the student would have additional time to turn in work to achieve a “satisfactory” mark. Letter grades would be calculated into a student’s GPA as they would in any other semester.
Prior to adopting the revision, the Board rescinded an action approved at its April 15, 2020, meeting which would have given students in high school level classes the choice of earning a letter grade or satisfactory/unsatisfactory designation.
In addition to the Board’s May 6 action, Superintendent George Arlotto has made the following changes to the regulation to apply to middle school students and elementary school students as follows:
- Middle school students in yearlong credit courses who engage in eLearning and earn a “satisfactory” designation in the fourth marking period would receive a final grade one letter grade higher than the average of their first three marking periods. A student who earns a “no grade” in the fourth marking period would receive the average of the first three marking periods as their final grade but would have additional time to turn in work to achieve a “satisfactory” mark.
- Middle school students in yearlong non-credit courses who engage in eLearning and earn a “satisfactory” designation in the fourth marking period would receive a final grade one letter grade higher than the average of their first three marking periods. A student who earns a “no grade” in the fourth marking period would receive the average of the first three marking periods as their final grade but would have additional time to turn in work to achieve a “satisfactory” mark.
- Middle school students in one-semester non-credit courses who engage in eLearning and earn a “satisfactory” designation in the fourth marking period would receive a final semester grade one letter grade higher than their third marking period grade. A student who earns a “no grade” in the fourth marking period would receive the third marking period grade as the semester grade but would have additional time to turn in work to achieve a “satisfactory” mark.
- Students in grades 2 through 5 will receive satisfactory/no-grade designations for the fourth marking period. Elementary students do not have their marking period grades combined into a final grade.
- Students in first grade would continue to be assessed using the current “Consistently Demonstrates,” “Progressing,” “Emerging,” and “Needs Development” designations.
- Students in prekindergarten and kindergarten would continue to be assessed using the current “Consistently Demonstrates,” “Progressing,” and “Needs Development” designations.
The changes only impact grades in the current school year.