Secondary Grading Policy

At ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY we define grades as a communication of learning, not as a system of rewards and punishment, or compensation of effort. That is, grades report evidence of what was learned, not what was earned. Students’ work is assessed using the course rubrics, and the rubric score or grade is an indication of the student’s level of mastery in relation to the learning objectives within the current unit of inquiry. Each unit of inquiry will further develop students’ knowledge and skills in an effort to meet the overall course criterion (end of year learning goals).

ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY uses a grading system commonly used in colleges and universities across the country.

• Students are assessed using a traditional 49-100% scale. Rather than using a “0” as the lowest number, which can greatly skew a student’s average and make it profoundly difficult to recover from one low grade, a score of “50” is the lowest score a student can receive on a project that has been submitted. A score of “49” is used to indicate that a student’s assignment is missing and has not received credit. This also aligns with the scale that an “F” is a score between 49-59.
• Overall letter grades (at each marking period) are determined by averaging the student scores within and across each category set up by the teacher at the beginning of the school year, as articulated in the course overview.
• Formative, drafts, and other non-summative assessments are used to give feedback on longer-term, or ongoing projects and assignments.