Purpose of Grading At West Fork Middle School, we believe that grades and grading policies should:

• Be based on student achievement or what the student knows and is able to do as measured against the Arkansas standards for the course.
• Be a reflection of content mastery rather than behavior, attendance, effort, or attitude.
• Encourage a growth mindset where students have the opportunity for improvement despite past outcomes.
• Provide communication between students, staff, and parents about learning progress.

Teachers will use HAC to communicate grades:

• M means the assignment is missing \- this will be counted as a zero until the assignment is turned in and graded
• X means the assignment is exempted \- it will not be counted against the student’s grade
• Z means the student received a zero and the grade will be calculated accordingly
• A blank means the assignment has been turned in but needs to be graded \- this will not be counted against the student’s average.

If a pattern of late or missing work is noted, teachers will communicate (phone call and/or email) with parents/guardians.