2019-20 Final Grading Guidance- Elementary School

To accommodate the flexibility granted by the United States Department of Education, final grade calculations have been revised for South Carolina public schools. 

Primary Grading
There will be no change in grading protocols for child development through second grade during fourth quarter.  

Elementary Grading
All assignments in grades 3-5 during fourth quarter will have equal weighting and will be averaged for a final fourth-quarter grade.

2019-20 Final Grading Guidance- Middle School

To accommodate the flexibility granted by the United States Department of Education, final grade calculations have been revised for South Carolina public schools.

Middle School Grading

Year-long Courses

The final grade will reflect work completed and mastery demonstrated during the first, second, third, and fourth quarters combined (with each quarter accounting for 25% of the final grade).

Semester Courses

The second-semester grade for exploratories will reflect work completed and mastery demonstrated during the third and fourth quarters combined (with each quarter accounting for 50% of the second-semester final grade). The second-semester final grade will be composed of all third-quarter and fourth-quarter grades.  Final middle school report cards will show only one grade for second-semester courses.  

All credit-bearing courses should follow the requirement of the Uniform Grading Policy (UGP) with numerical grades recorded.

2019-20 Final Grading Guidance- High School

High School Credit-Bearing Courses (For Seniors and Underclassmen)

To accommodate the flexibility granted by the United States Department of Education, final grade calculations have been revised for South Carolina public schools. To give districts the ability to report grades sufficiently, the South Carolina Department of Education has offered guidance that reframes the structure of high school credit-bearing course work, both semester and year-long courses.

Semester Courses

The second-semester grade will reflect work completed and mastery demonstrated during the third and fourth quarters combined (with each quarter accounting for 50% of the second-semester final grade) and will not include a final examination. The second-semester final grade will be composed of all third-quarter and fourth-quarter grades. Final high school report cards will show only one grade for second-semester courses.

Year-long Courses*

The final grade will reflect work completed and mastery demonstrated during the first, second, third, and fourth quarters combined (with each quarter accounting for 25% of the final grade) and will not include a final examination.

All credit-bearing courses should follow the requirement of the Uniform Grading Policy (UGP) with numerical grades recorded.

Guidance Relating to Students With Disabilities

According to the South Carolina Department of Education’s guidance, for a student, whose eligibility under special education terminates due to graduation with a regular diploma, or due to exceeding the age of eligibility, the district must provide the student with a summary of the student’s academic achievement and functional performance (SOP), which includes recommendations on how to assist the student in meeting his/her postsecondary goals (§Sec. 300.305(e)(3)). If a student is failing (prior to the school closure), he/she would be given the same opportunity provided to all similarly-situated students (guidance will be coming out soon in this area). If the student will be able to graduate, an SOP must be provided. If the student will not meet graduation requirements even with the additional options provided in the forthcoming guidance, the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team would conduct the annual review, when appropriate, and continue providing services as per the IEP. The IEP team does not need to meet to provide the SOP to the student, but a conference should be scheduled with the teacher and student to go over the SOP and to answer any questions.