Grading & Assessment

Image courtesy
The Tango Desktop Project. 
Your Most Important Take-Aways:
  1. Music grading is not subjective. Lack of physical evidence, like worksheets or written tests, does not mean that assessment is reliant upon the personal feeling or tastes of the teacher. A rubric or checklist is used for every single grade that is taken.
  2. Music grades are based on standards. Music assessment at Darnell Elementary School is based on each student's performance of the CCSD Music Standards that are aligned with the Nevada State Standards.
  3. Grades are a measure of progress. A letter grade in the computer is not an evaluation of student skill or ability. A poor grade is not any indication that a student isn’t musical or a good musician. It’s a measure of a specific skill at a specific point in time.
  4. Grades are earned through hard work and not given for participation, behavior, or talent/ability. The work of learning is done by the student and guided by the teacher. Students are given rehearsal with skills before a grade is taken. Students who struggle are given extra practice at their level and students who need a challenge are given the option to take them. Accommodations are made and needs are met, but the work of success rests on the students.​
​​Grading Scale
The grades entered over the course of the school year for each standard should demonstrate improvement. Do not be concerned if the first or second formative grades are an N, especially if the student is new to music education. This is the starting point and growth should come after time and practice of that skill.

Use of the CCSD Grading Scale is a requirement for all Specialists.
  • E = Excellent (Above grade level expectations) 90-100%
  • S = Satisfactory (Meeting grade level expectations) 60-89%
  • N = Unsatisfactory (Below grade level expectations) 0-59%

​The following will be taken into account at the end of the grading period.
  1. ​​Student shows progress while participating in class activities and exercises. 
  2. Student cooperates in the learning environment, allowing peers to learn, and works collectively with classmates in an academic setting.
  3. Student was frequently absent due to a recurring medical illness.

The most accurate reflection of your child’s progress is available in the Infinite Campus Portal. Ask the front office for password assistance if needed. For those who wish a printed account of their child’s progress, please email me and I will send an electronic report.

Click here for copies of the CCSD Grading Reform, Darnell Late Work, Makeup, and Reassessment Policies.

2024 Assessments:

Infinite Campus "Math"

Infinite Campus heavily weights categories and standards. This means that the student percentage is not as straightforward as we expect. Please take note that the system first averages the assignments in each standard, then averages the standards in each category, and then weighs the category according to the percentages in the chart below. The end score is not what was originally inserted into the system. 

Rubrics & Assessment Tools

I use a rubric or checklist for almost every grade entered.

ETHICAL GRADING PRACTICES AND THE MINIMUM F
Please note, that as of the 2014-15 School Year I have begun honoring the CCSD Grading Best Practice of the Minimum F. I will not be entering assignment grades less than 50%. I also do not include low grades when evidence is missing or as a punishment for poor behavior. I use the letter X in place of a grade when a student is absent or refuses to participate and the letter I when an assignment is incomplete. I do not use practices that distort the actual achievement of each standard being evaluated.

I recommend that parents check their children's grades in Infinite Campus at Progress Report time so they see a more accurate portrait of how their child is performing in Music. Unless it has changed, you will be able to see grades by standard and grades by assignment in addition to the overall grade and the percentage.

Reassessment at Darnell

It is important for students and adults in parental roles understand that while Darnell Elementary allows reassessment there are procedures and guidelines to consider.

Places to Go, Things to See...

Student Grades
https://campus.ccsd.net/campus/portal/clark.jsp
 
CCSD Grading Policy (#5121)
http://www.ccsd.net/district/policies-regulations/pdf/5121_R.pdf

​CCSD Grade Reform & Darnell Late Work, Makeup, and Reassessment Policies
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13PIQluouC_tfJX0lMiyi4-_58cGVk6gy?usp=sharing​
Ms. Van Eaton can be reached at Darnell Elementary during normal business hours.
Consider email          (702) 799-6630 Ext. 3023