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April 28, 2020 (MOST RECENT REGARDING GRADING POLICY)

I want to take this opportunity to share information with you regarding the recent grading guidance from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Last week, OSPI released their guidance for school districts to follow during the Governor’s extended school closure. As we developed our grading framework, we took great care to adhere to the OSPI guidance, especially the ideas of ‘Do No Harm’ and grades 8-12 students can improve grades post March 13, 2020 (our last in-building day).

Fife Public Schools leadership has reviewed OSPI’s guidance and the following grading framework will be applied during the school closure:

• Kindergarten – Grade 7: Students will not receive number or letter grades during the extended school closure. Students are encouraged to complete the activities assigned by their teacher(s). Teachers will provide students with ongoing performance-based feedback. Students will move on to the next grade, with an emphasis from our teachers on reviewing learning from the end of the previous year.
• Grades 8 – 12: Students will have opportunities to improve their grades at the time of the school closure (March 13, 2020) by completing weekly activities assigned by their teachers. No student’s grade will ‘go down’ after that date (Do No Harm). Every high school course taken during the school closure period will be given a statewide designator on the high school transcript to denote the unique environment in which the course was taken. Teachers will assign letter grades of A, B, C, D.

Additionally, in accordance with rules established by OSPI, high school students will not receive a “pass”, “fail”, or “no credit” for any course. Again, each student is encouraged to do his/her best and complete weekly activities assigned by her/his teachers. Weekly attendance will be taken for all students, kindergarten – Grade 12. Students will be marked present each week for actively participating in their learning (e.g., turning in an assignment, attending a virtual class meeting, responding to an email or phone call from their teacher, etc.).

As shared in previous messages, our district is committed to the success of all students during this extended school closure. We want our students to have the best outcomes, with regards to grades, as possible. We want to thank all of our students for their demonstration of determination and resilience during this unprecedented school year. We also want to say thank you again to parents, guardians, and Fife Public Schools’ employees for the partnership in service to kids during these unprecedented times.

Your child's classroom teacher or their school administrators are always available to answer any specific questions you may have or to help you with a specific circumstance you may be facing as a family with regards to our continuous learning model.

Be healthy and well,

Kevin

Kevin Alfano
Superintendent
Fife Public Schools

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