Update from Superintendent Greene
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Yakima School District Community,
I hope this letter finds you and your family well and healthy. I am writing to share that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has issued new guidelines for grading Washington State students in grades K-12.
The rules, which were drafted based on feedback from parents, students, and educators from across the state, focus on the following framework for determining grades and credit:
1. Students in grades K–8 must demonstrate effort and success in learning standards established by their teachers. Students will move on to the next grade unless there is a mutual agreement between parents/guardians and teachers to repeat a grade or a portion of learning missed. Districts will make decisions on middle school grading practices for students not taking high school credit-bearing courses.
2. Grades 9–12 and middle school students earning high school credits will be graded using the following principles:
- a. Do no harm.
- b. Every student will get an opportunity to improve their grade with their March 17 status as a baseline.
- c. No student will receive a “pass,” “fail,” or “no credit” grade for any course.
- d. Teachers will assign grades or assign an “incomplete” for students who cannot engage in an equitable way.
- e. Every class taken during the closure period will be given a statewide designator on the high school transcript to denote the unique environment in which the course was taken.
- f. Students assigned an “incomplete” for a course will be given opportunities to reengage and meet learning standards, in consultation with the school/student/parents/guardians, including through summer school, courses in the following term or year, independent study, competency-based courses, online courses, or backfilling the incomplete grade with the letter grade obtained in the next course taken in that subject area.
- g. All students will be given an opportunity to engage in continuous learning to maintain or improve their mastery of essential standards.
The framework issued by OSPI Superintendent Reykdal is meant to provide statewide consistency and local flexibility for districts when assessing student learning during the remainder of the school year.
I will continue to share information as decisions are made. I appreciate your understanding as we work to support students in their educational journey during these difficult times.
Sincerely,
Trevor Greene
Superintendent
Yakima School District
Email: yakimaschools.wa@k12-lets-talk.com
Website: https://www.yakimaschools.org/letstalk
Location: 104 North 4th Avenue, Yakima, WA, USA
Phone: 509-581-5250
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yakimasd
Twitter: @yakimaschools