Dear Cohoes City School District Families,
The COVID-19 pandemic and the school closure has certainly brought about unique challenges this year. As education moved to a virtual environment in mid-March, grading practices also had to be updated to reflect the current situation and to also maintain academic standards. The Cohoes City School District worked collaboratively with teachers, administrators and colleagues throughout the region to design practices that balanced student effort and well-being, with prioritized learning. The revisions to the grading practices are in effect for this year only and are included below. Final grading reports will be mailed on June 23. Please reach out to your child’s principal if you have any questions.
We thank you for your support of your child’s learning during these extraordinary circumstances. Educating our students is a team effort and we could not have done remote learning without you. I am happy to award each parent/guardian an “A”!
With Tiger Pride!
Jennifer Spring, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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Elementary
For elementary students (grades K-5) the closure occurred two weeks into the third trimester. As a result, students will not be receiving their traditional report cards. Students will receive third trimester reports which include the priority standards that were addressed during virtual instruction, as well as a brief narrative.
Cohoes Middle School
How will Fourth Quarter Grades be determined?
As announced previously, all coursework assigned during the period of virtual instruction is being graded Evidence of Learning (EOL) or Not Yet Learned (NYL).
- Evidence of Learning : The student demonstrated learning based on what was taught and assigned.
- Not Yet Learned : The student did not complete assignments, or work completed does not yet demonstrate learning of what was taught and assigned. Students were given the opportunity to redo and resubmit work to demonstrate learning.
How will Final grades be determined?
Due to the blended nature of instruction provided to students this school year (onsite classes followed by remote-only instruction) final course grades will be determined by student work completed in two phases:
Phase 1 (September 5, 2019 – March 13, 2020)
Work that had been completed while schools were open through March 13 will be graded numerically. Students will be given the opportunity to make up missed work from this time period.
Phase 2 (March 16 – June 12, 2020)
Evidence of Learning(EOL)/ Not Yet Learned (NYL) Adjustment- Student work submitted and graded between April 6, 2020 – June 12, 2020 on the EOL/NYL scale will be used to appropriately adjust a student’s numeric average.
How is the Phase 1 Coursework Average calculated?
Averages are calculated as follows: Quarter 1- 40%, Quarter 2- 40%, Quarter 3- 20%*
*Q3 calculation includes grades from January 27, 2020 through March 13, 2020, including missing assignments that students made up from that time period.
How is the EOL/NYL adjustment determined for Phase 2 (March 16 – June 12, 2020)?
EOL/NYL Adjustment – Student work submitted and assessed between March 16, 2020 through June 12, 2020 will be evaluated with EOL/NYL. This work will be used to increase or maintain a student’s numeric grade as calculated in Phase 1 and to compute a final grade.
All adjustments made in Phase II will follow these guidelines:
- Increase: Student consistently submits high quality work
- No change: Student consistently submits work /demonstrates effort
Cohoes High School
How will Fourth Quarter Grades be determined?
As announced previously, all coursework assigned during the period of virtual instruction is being graded Evidence of Learning (EOL) or Not Yet Learned (NYL).
- Evidence of Learning : The student demonstrated learning based on what was taught and assigned.
- Not Yet Learned : The student did not complete assignments, or work completed does not yet demonstrate learning of what was taught and assigned. Students were given the opportunity to redo and resubmit work to demonstrate learning.
How will Final grades be determined for full year courses?
Due to the blended nature of instruction provided to students this school year (onsite classes followed by remote-only instruction), students will receive either course credit or Incomplete. Please note that the latest amendment to the Commissioner’s regulations allows for a unit of credit to be earned by a student who has not completed a unit of study due to the COVID-19 crisis but has otherwise achieved the standards assessed in the provided coursework.
Final course grades will be determined by student work completed in two phases:
Phase 1 (September 5, 2019 – March 13, 2020)
Work that had been completed while schools were open through March 13 will be graded numerically. Students were given the opportunity to make up missed work from this time period.
Phase 2 (March 16 – June 12, 2020)
Evidence of Learning(EOL)/ Not Yet Learned (NYL) Adjustment- Student work submitted and graded between April 6, 2020 – June 12, 2020 on the EOL/NYL scale will be used to appropriately adjust a student’s numeric average.
How is the Phase 1 Coursework Average calculated?
Averages are calculated as follows: Quarter 1- 40%, Quarter 2- 40%, Quarter 3- 20%*
*Q3 calculation includes grades from January 27, 2020 through March 13, 2020, including missing assignments that students made up from that time period.
How is the EOL/NYL adjustment determined for Phase 2 (March 16 – June 12, 2020)?
EOL/NYL Adjustment – Student work submitted and assessed between March 16, 2020 through June 12, 2020 will be evaluated with EOL/NYL. This work will be used to increase or maintain a student’s numeric grade as calculated in Phase 1 and to compute a final grade.
All adjustments made in Phase II will follow these guidelines:
- Increase: Student consistently submits high quality work
- No change: Student consistently submits work /demonstrates effort
No student will receive a failing grade in any course scheduled to end in June 2020. Any grade below 65 will be recorded as an I (Incomplete). If a student receives an Incomplete, he/she will be provided opportunities to earn credit, with district support, in a virtual environment during the summer. If a student does not finish the course over the summer, he/she will need to complete a separate online recovery course, AIS, or a combination of the two during the 2020-2021 school year. If a student fails to complete the work assigned, he/she will need to repeat the course, or receive a failing grade.
How will Final course grades be calculated?
To ensure grading that takes place during this difficult time is done in the best interests of all students, the end-of-the-year grading procedure will give students two choices:
- Final Course Grade with a Numeric Grade: Phase 1 numeric grade combined with the Phase 2 adjustment resulting in a final numeric grade on a 100-point scale. The numeric grade will be recorded on a student’s transcript and factored into a student’s grade point average (GPA) unless the grade is below a 65 (see course credit explanation below).
- Final Course Grade with Pass/Incomplete: Phase 1 numeric grade combined with the Phase 2 adjustment resulting in a final numeric grade that is converted to a grade of P (Pass) or I (Incomplete). P (Pass) equals a grade of 65 or higher. A grade of P or I will be recorded on a student’s transcript but will not impact a student’s grade point average (GPA).
Students have until December 30, 2020 to inform their counselor if they wish to change their numeric grade to a Pass (P).
How will Final grades be determined for half semester courses that began in January?
Students who are taking half semester courses that started in January will receive Pass or Incomplete as they will not be given a numeric grade in the fourth quarter.