2019-2020 Fourth Quarter Grading Protocols

April 17th, 2020

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On April 16, 2020, the Howard County Board of Education unanimously approved recommendations for Quarter 4 grading for the 2019-2020 school year. Fourth quarter will begin on April 27.

The Quarter 4 grading protocols would include the following provisions for students at all grade levels:

• Students will earn a grade of “Pass” or “Incomplete” for each graded subject or course.
• A “Pass” is earned for completing at least 50% of Quarter 4 assignments and will count as an “A” (4.0 points) for the purposes of final grade, GPA calculations, and high school athletic eligibility.
• An “Incomplete” is earned for completing less than 50% of quarter 4 assignments. Students will have until the 15th day of the following marking period, September 15, 2020, to complete missing assignments, at which time:
  • If students complete sufficient assignments to fulfill the 50% completion requirement, the “Incomplete” will be converted to a “Pass.” For middle and high school students, the GPA and final grade will be computed with the “Pass” counting as an “A”.
  • If students do not complete missing assignments, then the “Incomplete” will be converted to a grade code of “N/A”. For students in middle and high school, the final grade and GPA will be based on the grade earned during the first three marking periods, including the midterm exam for high school students.

Athletic eligibility will be determined based on Quarter 4 grades, with one exception: for students with “incomplete” grade codes for quarter 4, eligibility will be determined using the quarter 3 grades.

Teachers at each grade level will receive further direction and guidance regarding the implementation of these emergency guidelines.