Canyons District recognizes the “new now” prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a period of adjustment for families. To ease the minds of students and parents in this time of distance learning, CSD will put into place a modified grading structure for the final term.
The temporary grading schedule was designed so that no student would receive a failing grade for a current class while also providing some feedback about a student’s progress. This will hopefully reduce anxiety about academic standing and progress toward graduation, address equity issues, and support students as they are becoming used to a new way of learning.
Under the plan that will be used for the final grading period of the 2020 school year:
- CSD elementary schools will not issue grades, such as the usual 3, 2, 1 system, but parents will receive information about the progress of students.
- CSD middle school students will receive A, B, Passing or No Grade grades.
- CSD high school students will receive A, B, Passing or Incomplete grades.
At both the middle and high school levels, students who earn 85 to 100 percent in a class would receive an A. Students who earn 70 to 84 percent would qualify to receive a B. Forty-five to 69 percent would result in a Passing grade.
Passing grades will give students credits that count toward graduation. The Passing grades will not count against a GPA, and Incomplete or No Grade grades will not automatically convert to a failing grade.
Students or parents at the high school level who are concerned about scholarships, NCAA eligibility, concurrent enrollment classes, or college admission requirements are encouraged to consult a school counselor or administrator.
However, students enrolled in concurrent enrollment classes will have their grades based on the college guidelines, and students with questions are urged to contact a campus adviser. Also, International Baccalaureate program grading and testing will be done in accordance with the IB governing body.
The grading structure was proposed as the result of a decision by state government and education officials to extend the “soft closure” of Utah schools until the end of the school year. It’s also the latest in a series of steps taken by CSD to support students, teachers and parents as schools pivoted to online learning.
In the first two weeks of the dismissal, a “soft freeze” was placed on grades until the end of third quarter on Friday, March 27. For that short period of time, CSD students were not penalized if they did not engage in the learning opportunities — but they could complete missing assignments to boost their scores in a class. At the same time, school administrators and district officials were working hard to ensure that teachers had the time and training to move materials online and loaned some 10,000 Chromebooks to the children who do not have access to a device at home.
On Monday, March 30, Canyons held a Digital Citizenship Day. Students engaged in lessons about digital literacy, etiquette, and online safety and security. The next day, Tuesday, March 31, the start of a new quarter, new material was introduced to students via Canvas, the common-learning management system used by CSD educators, and video conferencing systems.
High-quality instruction is being provided to Canyons students every school day, says Canyons Instructional Supports Director Dr. Amber Roderick-Landward. The District is confident in the skills and dedication of our teachers to keep students growing and achieving.
As always, when schools open in the fall, Canyons educators will assess students for any gaps in their learning and provide the supports necessary to increase students learning towards grade level benchmarks.
Reports indicate that 95 percent of CSD students have logged into Canvas at least one time since March 31. This signifies that most Canyons students know how to access the online learning opportunities that are being provided.
