Webster Central School District announces new grading plan for Spring 2020

Plan adapts to the extended school closure due to COVID-19

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Gov. Cuomo has extended the school closure deadline from April to a tentative date of May 18. In response, school districts in New York State have been adjusting their grading systems to take into account that students are doing their best to adjust to the still-new learning-from-home dynamic.

Webster Central School District recently shared its new Spring 2020 grading system for secondary students during the COVID-19 quarantine.

Regents Exams have been canceled for the year and it is now each district's responsibility to devise a plan to award credit for courses.

For Spring semester courses, Webster Central School District says students will earn a “Pass” or an “Incomplete” in the fourth quarter that will serve as their grade for the course. Students will NOT receive a separate grade for the third quarter alone. No score will be calculated into their cumulative GPA.

If a student earns an “Incomplete,” the he or she can still earn credit through one of the following methods:

• An individualized contract will be created requiring completion of the learning for this course (based on level of engagement and effort in distance learning).

• Attend summer school to earn credit for the course.

• Repeat the course. (HS level courses)

If a student earns a “Pass,” he or she will get credit for the course. No score will count towards the student’s GPA.

“Should school resume by May 18, numerical grading would resume and grades collected after that date would be combined with the first 6 weeks of [the] 3rd quarter to develop a third marking period score to be averaged with Q1 and Q2. The final average would then be an average of Q1, Q2 and Q3/4,” says the school district.

The district has a plan for full year courses as well. For these courses, students will earn a “Pass” or an “Incomplete” in the fourth quarter that will serve as their grade for the third and fourth quarters. Students will NOT receive a separate grade for the third quarter alone.

A student earns a “Pass” for the third and fourth quarters combined:

• If a student earns a “Pass” and has an average of 65 or greater for the first and second quarter, the student will earn credit for the course and have a final average for the course equal to their average for Q1 and Q2. This WILL average into their cumulative GPA.

• If a student earns a “Pass” but has an average less than 65 for Q1 and Q2, the student will earn credit for the course and will have a final average of 65 for the course. This too WILL average into their cumulative GPA.

A student has the opportunity to earn credit if he or she has earned an “Incomplete” via one of the following methods:

• An individualized contract will be created requiring completion of the learning for this course (based on level of engagement and effort in distance learning). Students then receive credit for the course and a final average according to the scenarios outlined above.

• Attend summer school to earn credit for the course.

• Repeat the course. (HS level courses)

“We strongly encourage students to make a schedule in order to accomplish their assignments,” WCSD Superintendent Carmen Gumina states in a letter shared on the district’s website.

The school district continues to keep the community informed of any updates during COVID-19 via a dedicated page on its website.

Parents who have questions regarding the new grading system should contact their child(ren)’s principal or assistant principal (email addresses are available on Parent Portal).

***Please consider donating to Webster Online’s GoFundMe to keep this independently-run news site operating and Webster residents informed during these challenging times.***