a team of teachers who teach the same course for the year.  Example:  biology, English 10; US VA history

core VDOE standards we teach and benchmarks we assess throughout the year that are deemed most important by FCPS and Edison High School

an opportunity for students to demonstrate learning of a standard, or a portion of a standard, and receive feedback; based on the results, teachers will design instruction to clarify any misunderstandings or to advance learning; with standards-based grading, formative assessments are documented for visibility of all stakeholders but do not calculate in to the student’s grade

a belief  that all students are capable of learning and need practice to do so; the amount of practice needed is individualized and not intended to punish a student

an instructional and assessment policy which supports students whose work falls below a minimum threshold of learning by requiring remediation followed by a retake/redo of the standard

a system of instruction, assessment, grading, and academic reporting based on student demonstration of acquisition of the knowledge of the standards of learning they are expected to progress in through their education

statements which encapsulate the learning goal for the day, the unit, and the year which are derived from the standards

Practice and preparation (homework), is an opportunity for students to receive individualized feedback on their learning.  Work assigned in this manner is formative and calculated at 5% of the grade. This work can be completed in and/or out of the classroom. Practice and preparation may look like studying, revising, reading, brainstorming, and/or practicing skills. When assigning preparation and practice work, Edison’s teachers consider the purpose and the quantity, ensuring that the type and amount is appropriate for students.  Without completing practice and preparation, students may be unprepared for graded assessments.

a cumulative documentation of learning; unlike quarterly gradebooks, a rolling gradebook documents learning on an ongoing basis throughout the year. This grading and reporting practice allows for increased opportunities for students to show their highest level of learning on individual standards.

a grading tool for evaluating student work which specifies the qualities or traits to be evaluated in a given assignment

educational objectives of what students should learn in a given course; in FCPS, we use the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) standards as our minimum requirements for each subject/content area; additionally, at Edison High School, we use IB course objectives in conjunction with the VDOE standards

a grading and reporting practice to communicate student progress of the course standards; grades directly assessing a standard/skill determine the majority of the overall grade.  Students are given practice on the standard prior to assessment; the highest level of learning is recorded. This practice informs all stakeholders of the essential standards students learn in each subject area at a particular grade level.  It is designed to give students, teachers, administrators, and parents/guardians a better understanding of strengths and areas of growth for that student.

formal graded work which allows students to demonstrate evidence of learning of the standards; students may have opportunities to demonstrate their learning through different modes of assessment.

brief specifications of the quality or traits of student work on a particular assignment at a specific performance level on a rubric.

The grade earned indicates the level of knowledge in accordance with the FCPS Program of Studies or International Baccalaureate Program. Grades will be posted within seven school days after the due date with the understanding that major projects/papers may require additional time to ensure quality feedback.

Teachers may enter a zero for assignments that are not turned in (NHI) or assignments in which a reasonable attempt was not made such as writing inappropriate answers. For assignments in which a reasonable attempt was made, the lowest score of a 50 will be entered. In both cases, students may reassess and retake by taking the corrective action steps determined by the CT. 

In the gradebook, assessments will be in the form of “I can” statements, which are based on standards/skills for the course. For example, “I can use a variety of sentence structures.” In addition, there are practice grades to provide feedback to parents and students on how students are performing to prepare for assessment of standards.

Teachers will enter due dates for each entry in SIS. Additional assignment information can be found on Schoology. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please email the teacher.

The following comments will be used in SIS to communicate to parents and students the status of assessments recorded in the gradebook. 

• Absent = AB
• Excused from the assignment (no point value) =EXC
• Retake Grade= RT
• Not Handed In= NHI
• Insufficient Evidence = IE

Per FCPS grading policy, students cannot be awarded extra points/credit in lieu of or to replace assignments or assessments.

A student’s demonstration of learning on a standard is entered in SIS on the 100 point grading scale as a numerical value ranging from 0-100.

Teachers are encouraged to create a culminating learning activity to reflect on the students' learning throughout the year. The final exam grade will be calculated in the overall assessment category in the rolling grade book.  Course syllabi will explain the expectations of the final exam.  Additionally, any exemptions will be detailed in the course syllabi. The grade for the final exam will be calculated into the overall grade in the rolling gradebook, not as a separate grade. Three options determined by the CT teams:

1. Reflective activity on what I learned 
   1. An assignment - low points - minimal impact 
2. Assessment on specific standards that I did not do well on
   1. Replace the grade from that standard 
3. Traditional cumulative exam 
   1. Traditional separate percentage

For students who pass an IB/HNs course, an additional 1.0/.5 quality point will be added to the quality point value assigned to the final mark for purposes of calculating GPA. Students enrolled in IB courses are strongly encouraged to take the culminating external examination associated with the course. These standardized examinations are designed to measure content and skill mastery and a successful score may earn college credit. 

Students remain responsible for turning in work within deadlines in order to receive timely feedback. An assignment may close, but the standard will remain open in order to continue to demonstrate understanding.

IB courses may have firm deadlines set by IBO to which students must adhere in order to earn an IB exam score. If a student knows their work will be turned in late due to special circumstances, the student should communicate with teachers in advance to create an action plan.  All teachers adhere to the CT agreed upon late policy, which could deduct up to 10% of the overall grade. 

Students who do not show a level of understanding on standards assessed may be given subsequent opportunities to demonstrate their learning of the standards after completing remediation designed by the CT. For these assessments, at least one new opportunity to demonstrate advanced knowledge shall be provided to any student who scores below a 90% on the 100 point scale (less than an A-) and completes corrective action determined by the subject team. Assessments not eligible for a retake will be articulated in a teacher’s course syllabi. The highest score a student can receive is a 90%.

There are two types of grades (scores) entered in SIS.  One is in the form of  feedback, which appears as “practice” and may be calculated as no more than 5% of the overall grade.  A score is associated with practice to understand how students are doing in preparation for an assessment. The second form is an “I can” statement, which is calculated at 95%.

Overall, our goal is for grades to be accurate, consistent, meaningful, and supportive of learning. In standards-based grading teachers are to give better, specific feedback to students. Better feedback accelerates learning. Instead of teachers traditionally stating a student did poorly on unit 1 or earned a 75%, teachers must be intentional to provide feedback about the task performed, skill used, or the knowledge demonstrated based on the standard.  For example, stating to a student that they did not demonstrate an understanding of chemical and biochemical processes, specifically protein synthesis is more helpful to a student. This helps students understand their current level areas of improvement and helps them reach the next level. 

Assessments are not only tests. Assessments come in a variety of formats: essays, short answers, exit tickets, projects, presentations, labs, quizzes, oral responses, etc.  After a student has had the opportunity to practice and has received feedback, an assessment of their knowledge can occur.  The goal of ungraded practice is to provide the opportunity for students to practice without being penalized.  Specifically, teachers are to use a variety of assessments, beyond tests, to determine what students know and are able to do. 

Yes, students still need to practice and prepare in order to learn and then demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired or show the level of skill development. 

Per FCPS grading policy, homework cannot be more than 10% of the grade.  For years many  teachers no longer calculated homework into the grade due to the limited impact. Also, teachers cannot verify that homework is the student’s work. Ungraded does not mean no feedback.  Teachers are providing feedback on homework in order for students to prepare for assessments.

There are various ways teachers are motivating students to practice. Some have questions from the practice on assessments, open note assessments, completion of the practice to receive timely feedback for the assessment, and completion of  practice to earn a retake. Students are learning that they must prepare and practice in order to perform well.  

Feedback is provided in a variety of ways. Many teachers are providing comments or written feedback, verbal conferences, and/or whole-class reteaching. Teachers may enter practice grades in SIS calculated at 5% of the overall grade; however, teachers must still  provide feedback to the parents and students on how students are performing in class.

Feedback on practice should happen during the class in which the practice is performed or no later than the next class period. For summative assignments, teachers are expected to grade each assignment and post grade to the electronic gradebook within seven school days after the due date with the understanding that major projects/papers may require additional time to ensure quality feedback.  If more time is required to provide feedback, teachers will notify students in advance of the project due date.

We send a school profile to every college that a student applies to, which includes information specific to Edison, such as information about the Academy, Global STEM, and our IB Program. This year it will include information on standards-based grading. Since the 4.0 scale was already an option for teachers, it has been included in the grading scale information on the profile for the last several years.

Non-academic factors, such as attitude, effort, participation have always been and will continue to be important to a student’s success.  We will continue to stress these skills.  However, per FCPS grading guidelines, student effort and behavior are not to be calculated into a student’s grade. In FCPS, not just Edison HS, work habits must be separated from the academic achievement grade. 

Practice and assessment grades will be communicated via SIS.

Allow 48 business hours (not including weekends) for a response from a staff member. Most of our teachers have at least 150 students and always want to respond thoughtfully to your questions or concerns. Staff email addresses are not listed on the website to prevent bots and spam, which have in the past flooded staff accounts. Your child’s syllabus or your Schoology parent account will have contact information, or you can use the forms on the website.

We encourage parents and students to stay apprised of their children’s progress in each course by accessing SIS Parent Accounts and SIS Student Accounts as well as course pages in Schoology. More information on creating a parent SIS / Schoology Account can be found on Edison's website. 

If a student/parent has questions about the course or is struggling in a course, students and/or parents are highly encouraged to set up a time to discuss concerns and develop a plan with the following school personnel in the order provided.  

1. Classroom Teacher 
2. Student’s School Counselor
3. Department Administrator
4. Principal