9th-12th Grading Guidelines

The purpose of the progress report is to communicate a student’s progress in each course.

If a student’s grade falls below 70 during a grading period, every effort will be made to contact the parent/guardian by phone or in writing.

All high school students will receive a progress report at the three-week and six-week grading periods. Progress reports are sent electronically via the Skyward Parent Portal. Parents may request a paper copy through the campus registrar.

The report card is a communication tool for parents/guardians and students. Report cards provide information regarding academic progress as well as attendance information. Report cards will be managed according to the following guidelines:

• Report cards are issued once at the end of each nine-week grading period. 
• Report cards for grades 9-12 are available electronically to the parent/guardian. We highly recommend parents/guardians view student grades through the Skyward Parent Portal. Paper report cards are available by request from the campus registrar.  

Students are graded at all levels based on mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for the specific courses and/or grade levels.

All AISD 9th - 12th grade students are graded on a 100-point scale. The grade scale is as follows:

Non-Mastery/Minor Grades are recorded to communicate student progress toward learning targets while a unit is in progress. These grades may include a variety of assignments that provide students with opportunities to engage with academic content, demonstrate understanding, and practice skills throughout the learning process. If a student fails a Non-Mastery/Minor grade, the teacher may provide an opportunity for reteach and reassessment for a maximum grade of 70.

Mastery/Major Grades are recorded as summative assessments that reflect the culmination of learning within a unit or topic. These grades demonstrate student understanding and the ability to transfer and apply content knowledge and skills in measurable ways. Each Mastery/Major grade within a grading period shall carry the same weight. If a student fails a Mastery/Major grade, the teacher must provide an opportunity for reteach and reassessment for a maximum grade of 70.

Extra Credit for Non-Academic Tasks
Grades shall reflect student learning and mastery of academic standards rather than compliance or non-academic tasks. 

• Grades shall not be assigned for non-academic tasks, such as returning a signed syllabus/report card, or bringing school supplies.
• Calculated averages reported on progress reports or report cards may not exceed 100%.

Semester exams are intended to assess student mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and course standards taught throughout the semester. Semester exams shall count as 10% of the final semester grade for all high school courses.

Semester grades for high school courses shall be calculated as follows:

Fall Semester Exams

• Semester exams are required for all students during the fall semester.
• No fall semester exam exemptions will be granted.

Spring Semester Exam Exemptions
Students may qualify for spring semester exam exemptions based on academic performance.

To be eligible for an exemption, a student must:

• Maintain a minimum course average of 85% in the class for the semester.

Additional guidelines:

• There is no maximum number of spring semester exam exemptions a student may earn.
• Students who do not meet the exemption criteria are required to take the semester exam.
   

Our goal is for grades to reflect mastery of learning standards. At the same time, meeting deadlines is an important responsibility that prepares students for college, careers, and life beyond high school.

The consequence for late work is not a reduction in academic credit. The consequence is the student's time.

Students may earn full credit for late assignments if the work is submitted by the designated late work deadline for the current three-week grading period. However, late work is not consequence-free. Students who miss deadlines will be required to invest additional time and communicate with their teacher in order to earn credit.

Students may earn full credit for late assignments if the work is submitted by the designated final cutoff deadline for the current three-week grading period.

The final late work deadlines occur prior to the close of each 3-week, 6-week, and 9-week grading period within each quarter. Specific deadline dates will be communicated by the campus and teacher.

The designated deadline serves as the final cutoff for all assignments from that three-week grading period. Once that deadline has passed, the teacher will no longer accept any assignments from that grading period for credit. The “M” in the gradebook will permanently be a zero (unless extenuating circumstances apply).

Late work is not consequence-free. Students who miss an original assignment deadline are required to attend tutorials, communicate with their teacher, or complete additional interventions in order to earn credit.

Missing Work

When an assignment is not submitted by the original due date, a Missing (M) will be immediately entered into the gradebook. The Missing (M) designation calculates a zero and reflects the impact of the missing assignment on the student's current average.

Once all late work requirements are met and the assignment is completed and submitted, the grade will be updated.

No late work will be accepted after the final cutoff date.

Requirements for Submitting Late Work

To receive full credit for work submitted after the due date, students must communicate with the teacher regarding a plan for completion. Without communication, teachers are not obligated to accept late work. 
 

Submission Window

Assignments submitted after the final cutoff date will not be accepted unless extenuating circumstances or absences apply. 
 

Students are expected to make up assignments and assessments missed due to absences.

Students shall be provided the same number of school days to complete makeup work as the number of days absent. For example, a student absent for 2 days will be given 2 school days to complete the missed assignments. 

Students are responsible for obtaining, completing, and submitting makeup work.

Teachers will provide makeup work to ensure students remain on track with course learning. For any class missed, teachers may assign makeup work based on the instructional objectives of the course or subject and the individual student’s needs in mastering the essential knowledge and skills and meeting course requirements. 

A student receiving an incomplete and/or a zero for a 9-week grade has one week to convert the incomplete grade to an earned grade. In unusual cases, where the student has missed a large quantity of work, the time may be extended. The teacher must communicate to the student and the parent/guardian the nature of the outstanding work and the time limit for completing it (as required by UIL).

We believe that deep learning and skill mastery happen best when students practice under the direct guidance of an educator. Therefore, assigned homework should be the exception, not the regular practice. AP and Dual Credit courses may have homework requirements.

If a student fails a Non-Mastery/Minor grade, the teacher may provide an opportunity for reteaching and reassessment, with a maximum grade of 70.

If a student fails a Mastery/Major grade, the teacher must provide an opportunity for reteaching and reassessment to achieve a maximum grade of 70. Reassessment must occur within one week of the date the student received the failing grade.
(See EIA Legal)

If a reassessment is needed for an assessment given at the end of the nine-week grading period and the reassessment extends into the next nine weeks, an Incomplete (I) shall be entered in the gradebook until the student has had the opportunity to complete the reassessment. The reassessment must occur no later than one week after the grading period ends, and the student must notify the teacher of the reassessment request. 

Academic dishonesty is defined in Anna ISD Board Policy EIA (LEGAL/LOCAL). Students found to have engaged in academic dishonesty may be subject to grade penalties on assignments or assessments, loss of credit, and/or disciplinary consequences in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and campus procedures.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsification of information, and unauthorized communication between students during an assessment. Determinations regarding academic dishonesty shall be made by the classroom teacher or supervising employee based on available evidence, including observations, written materials, electronic records, or information provided by students.

Students may not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create or distribute deceptive, misleading, or fraudulent content, including falsified academic work or content intended to misrepresent original student learning. Use of AI in the classroom must comply with the Anna ISD AI Guidelines and teacher expectations. 

The UIL “No Pass No Play” policy is a state-mandated program that requires students participating in school-sanctioned extracurricular activities, governed by the University Interscholastic League (UIL), to have passing grades in all courses to maintain eligibility to participate.

Anna ISD requires a student to be suspended from participation in any extracurricular activities sponsored or sanctioned by the District or the UIL after a grade evaluation period in which the student received a grade lower than the equivalent of 70 on a scale of 100 in any class other than those identified below as Exempt. 

Students who have a grade of “I”, meaning an incomplete grade, at the time of an eligibility check, are considered to be failing and are therefore ineligible to participate under UIL guidelines.

After a grading period, a student who receives a grade lower than the equivalent of 70, but not lower than 60, on a scale of 100 in an exempt course shall be considered eligible for extracurricular activities. A student who receives a grade lower than 60 on a scale of 100 in an exempt course after a grading period shall be suspended from participation in any extracurricular activities.

For the purposes of determining eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities after a grading period, the following courses are considered exempt courses: Advanced Placement, Pre-AP, International Baccalaureate, Honors, and Dual Credit courses. See FM(LOCAL)

Additional specifics related to UIL and “No Pass No Play” guidelines are located in the following link:
TEA/UIL Side-by-Side Academic Requirement

UIl Eligibility Calendar (Coming Soon!) 

Students will be expected to meet all requirements of the dual credit and concurrent enrollment class and will receive letter grades on their Collin College transcript. College faculty will provide numeric grades at the end of the semester to be weighted or factored into the student's high school grade point average as determined by the high school district. Mid-term grades will be provided upon request. Faculty members teaching dual credit courses will alert both the college liaison and the designated high school counselor of any students having academic difficulty.

Faculty are conscious of FERPA guidelines when communicating with students about grades. Grade information is not provided over the phone or via non-college email. Currently, grades of A, B, C, D, F, and I are awarded by faculty to each student on their college transcript. Grades of “I” are only temporary and must be resolved by the end of the next long semester. Numeric grades are also provided to the high school. If a student withdraws from a course, a “W” will appear on the student’s college transcript.

Certain courses have more advanced content and/or greater rigor. Because of the challenging nature of these courses, additional grade points are added to the student's grade average. The following table shows the additional points or weighting of these courses.

Level III
Eligible AP courses, Dual Credit courses, and other courses locally designated as advanced shall be categorized and weighted as Level III courses.

Level II
Eligible Pre-AP courses, Honors, and independent student mentorship (ISM) courses shall be categorized and weighted as Level II courses.

Level I
All other eligible courses shall be categorized and weighted as Level I courses.

The following table is for students beginning with the graduating class of 2022. 

For additional information: See AISD Board Policy EIC(LOCAL)

A student who transfers to a higher-level class after the first nine weeks is not eligible to earn weighted points for the first semester. To receive weighted points at the end of the semester for a weighted course, the student must be enrolled in the advanced course for the entire semester and fulfill all course requirements.

Grade Point Average (GPA) and Class Rank
Grade Point Average(GPA) and Class Rank are determined following AISD Board Policy EIC(Local).

All AISD courses have a calculated course average posted in the gradebook.

Please refer to AISD Board policy EIC(Local) for additional information regarding the selection of valedictorian and salutatorian, and early graduation rank in class.