Last year, principals and senior administration reviewed the language used in report cards to describe student achievement. The discussion came as a result of some misunderstanding of the word "Acceptable". Parents might interpret "Acceptable" to mean that everything is okay and there are no concerns. However, by the definition used, it can mean that things are NOT necessarily okay and there are some concerns. This double meaning has led to some challenges in communication about student needs.
Principals and teachers use Administrative Procedure 60-10 Student Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting as their guide to grades and report cards. Any changes to the grade scale must be in this document as it applies to the entire division. The original version of this AP was created several years ago by a team of PHPS educators and has been adjusted several times over the years.
In their discussion about the term "Acceptable", principals identified other parts of the grade scale that have proven to be confusing. For instance, aligning words like "Acceptable" or "Proficient" with percentages doesn't necessarily work in every grade level or subject. What might make sense in Grade 8 Social Studies can't be used as easily in Physical Education.
This also brought up the meanings people attach to letter grades such as A, B, C, etc. There has been little agreement about what percentage range each letter grade represents. It differs from grade to grade and subject to subject.
