The Purpose of Our Grading System

The Purpose of Our Grading System

North Gwinnett HS has always sought to be a global leader in learning. Since 2016, teachers and administrators have been reflecting, researching, and working on improving grading practices. This time has provided us an opportunity to think differently about grading practices that will work in the best interests of our students. 

Our grading philosophy emphasizes the expertise of our teachers and their ability to understand and evaluate student learning.  We also prioritize that learning occurs at different times for each student, so we highlight mastery over time to support a variety of learning styles.  We focus on ensuring that grades are focused on providing feedback on student mastery and not student behaviors.

We want to identify the essential learning of the course and report student mastery based on Big Ideas (essential learning standards).  By providing feedback to students regarding how they are progressing towards mastery of Big Ideas, we are able to develop intentional academic support and/or enrichment for student success.  We want our conversations around grades to move from “What task can I do to get an A?” to “How can I prove my mastery of this Big Idea?”  The grading system moves away from collecting points through tasks to a more authentic evaluation of student mastery through most often and most recent performance of student achievement.