Welcome to eigth grade science! This year, we will be covering topics in the areas of physical science, earth science, and life science. We will learn about these topics in a variety of ways that includes technology, such as student netbooks, and hands-on experiences such as lab experiments.
This year, Washington Middle School has begun using "Standards-Based Grading" practices. This means that the traditional system of receiving grades for every assignment and having it count toward the final grade is no longer in effect. Instead, your student will be expected to learn each of the Indiana Science Standards for grade 7. For each of these standards, they will be graded on an assessment. Only these assessment scores will be used in determining their letter grade at the end of the grading period. For more information on assessments and grading, see the section "Assessments" below.
Assessments
The Following scale will be used when grading each standard:
When looking at your child's scores on RDS, 3 or higher is a good thing. Anything below a 3 is an area where your child still has some work to do. If these scores are not to your liking, your child has the opportunity to re-learn material and re-take an assessment to change the score. From the time your child's assessment has been handed back, a re-learn and re-assessment opportunity will be given within one week.