Here's How to Know What's Going On With Your Child's Grade
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Scott Freeby - Director of Middle School Bands |
The First 9 Weeks grading period has passed and the majority of students with great grades! That's the good news... The bad news is... that there were some parents who were confused about the grading system when they went online to check out their son's/daughter's grade. Some parents noticed that their child's grade showed an "A" for many weeks and at the last minute, namely the 9th week of school, that their grade shrank to an A-, or B, or even lower. Parents reported that they were shocked by the sudden downturn and that they wished they had more "updated" information about the grade so that they could have helped their son/daughter get a better grade.
The facts regarding the grading system are these: Students receive daily points for having their instrument present, in good working order, and for their appropriate participation in and being "on-time" to rehearsals. Those "daily points" are the ones that show up on the Parent Portal... Most students will generally have an "A" because they show up on time, perform to the best of their ability and participate appropriately.
The points that are very critical to the students grade - and the ones that can bring the grade down quickly are the ones that the parents have the most control over - and the ones that do not show up on the "on-line" grade, namely, the 10 AT-HOME practices and the "Outside-of-Class Concert" attendance.
"AT-HOME PRACTICING" is the single largest grading point total (10 points) that is figured into the student's grade at the end of the 9 weeks grading period. Attendance at an Outside Concert (to be a good community contributor and a 2 point assignment) can also bring their grade down if they haven't done it, but it is not "due" until the 8th week of the 9 weeks (this allows families to decide which available concerts they'd like to attend as a family.
Also, students are allowed to "CORRECT THEIR MISTAKES" on the WEEKLY WORKSHEET PACKETS. They therefore receive an "m" (for missing) on the assignment list if they have not completed or did not present their work in class on the given day of when the papers were due. The final grade on the worksheets are not determined until the 9th week of the grading period thus allowing the students to "correct their mistakes." Students should be able to tell a parent/guardian if they have any mistakes on any papers (and thus a corresponding "minus one" for each paper not completly corrected.
The questions each student should be able to ask themselves and thus know what their grade is each day of the class are:
1. How many tardies, days without my instrument, class disruptions or gum chewing incidents have I had so far this 9 weeks? (minus one for each incident)
2. How many papers have I not yet corrected? (minus one for each)
3. How many of my 10 At-Home practices have I not yet completed? (minus one for each - these are non-recoverable = no extra credit will make-up for points lost here)
4. Have I been to an "Outside of Class Concert" yet? (if no, then minus 2)
5. Did I attend a required class concert? (if no, then minus 4)
6. What extra credit do I have? (PLUS 2 for each after-school band practice attended - Tues/Thurs 3-4 p.m. for EMS; Wed/Fri 3-4 p.m. for AMS)
Now, compare the amount of minus points you have to the following grading scale:
+1 or above = A+
-0 to -2 = A
-3 = A-
-4,-5,-6 = B+, B, B-
-7,-8,-9 = C+, C, C-
-10,-11,-12 = D+, D, D-
-13 or below = F
For a complete list of all of our concerts throughout the 2008-2009 school year, click here for Anthony and here for Eisenhower.
Other highlights include: Our school concerts, The Veteran's Day Parade, Caroling at the Mall, The North Central District Honor Band, The T-Shirt Design Contest, and the TOUR BAND! As Eisenhower attended contest last year (and received a Division 1 Superior Rating), it will be ANTHONY'S turn to attend the Wamego Band Festival. We want everyone to be enrolled in band for all four quarters if possible. We learn so much during the year and the skill level of the music increases each time we prepare a new concert. Check your schedule to make sure you're enrolled in band for all four quarters!
This year will also see a new (and different) set of Music Theory Worksheets. We'll have discussions about the worksheet packets on every first day of the week. Students will then be allowed to work on the worksheets in class during the week. We'll look for ways to apply the Music Theory (the basic building blocks of how music is put together) to the sheet music that we're working on for our performances.
Students in band will be graded in many different ways. That way, if you're not as strong in one area, your other strengths will help to pull your grade up. For a complete listing of Mr. Freeby's Expectations For Band, click here.
More to come later! Keep practicing!
