The Katy ISD Board of Trustees Tuesday night adopted a new grading policy that allows Katy ISD schools to have a redo/retest procedure.
The board adopted the policy as a part of the board meeting’s consent agenda.
According to the district, it adopted the policy in response to Senate Bill 2033. That legislation stated Texas school districts must require a teacher to assign the actual grade earned by a student on assignments or tests, but also may allow a student “reasonable opportunity” to redo or make-up work.
The law was passed during the 2009 session of the Texas Legislature.
In recommending the policy change to the board, Superintendent Alton Frailey said litigation had been filed by several other school districts to clarify whether the law applied to all grades, including “cumulative” grades that appear on report cards. In late June, the court ruled the law applied to all grades, including those on report cards.
That ruling, Frailey noted, spurred the need to change local policy.
“In Katy ISD, the grading procedure at both elementary and secondary levels has required teachers to assign the actual grade earned for assignments and tests. In addition, the grade recorded on a progress report has been the actual numeric average,” Frailey said. “However, on the report card, a minimum grade of 50 on report cards was established in an effort to help students maintain motivation in subsequent grading periods, with the possibility that they would be able to earn a passing average for the semester.”
Frailey said the district continued the “no grade lower than 50 on report cards” practice during the 2009-2010 school year while the legal questions were being resolved.
According to Dr. Linda Menius, Katy ISD Assistant Superintendent, Area 1, the district’s newly-adopted grading policy provides “an opportunity to think about learning, assessment and grading in a new way.”
“We know that all students can learn, but in different ways and at different rates,” Menius said. “We want to provide more opportunities for students to relearn and retest; allowing more than one attempt to show mastery of a subject.”
Under the new policy, all Katy ISD campuses must include a set of minimum procedures, but have flexibility in deciding on the specific components of that procedure. The minimum required procedures include:
- The procedure must be the same for every grade level and department on that particular campus.
- The procedure must include all courses that receive a numerical average and must apply to major failing grades only.
Under the new provisions, campuses have the flexibility to determine how retest/redo grades will be reflected in the student’s average. Consideration is given to the best ways to incorporate retake grades that are both consistent and fair to all learners. For that reason, campuses will choose the qualification and time period allowed for retakes.
The district said Katy ISD principals are currently in the process of finalizing their individual campus procedures.
Parents can expect to hear more detailed information about their student’s school procedure in mid-September.
