Grading Policy
It is our practice that each content area or academic department establishes a uniform grading policy that is fair, concrete, and consistent with the values of our HAFTR community.
It is our practice for teachers to attach their grading policy to their course syllabus, which students will receive during the first week of school. At Parent Orientation be sure to discuss your child’s syllabus and grading policy with your child’s teachers.
Homework & Projects
Homework is assigned at the discretion of the classroom teacher, and is meant to be meaningful for students.
Homework should provide students with opportunities to apply recent classroom learning, prepare for assessment, and to both critically / creatively think within the framework of the given course’s content.
With regard to large homework assignments and/or projects, teachers utilize our shared global calendar in order to be mindful of sporting events, club activities, smachot, exams, etc.
Teachers are expected to post their homework assignments on the board every period, and students are prompted to write their homework in their planners/notebooks. Teachers are also encouraged to post their assignments to Parent Locker so that parents can support their child’s organization and stay in the know. We also encourage parents to conduct planner/notebook checks regularly to ensure they are being used by students to record homework and project assignments.
Marking Periods
Our school year is broken up into three marking periods. At the end of each marking period, each teacher is to numerically evaluate students as per their promulgated grading policy and submit grades on Parent Locker.
These grades will then be released within one week on Parent Locker so that families and students may have access. An email will go out communicating the specific time each respective report card will be released.
CCLS
The Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) provide a framework for our instructional planning.
All of our students take the New York State Common Core exams in ELA and Math, and our 8th grade
students in high Math take the NYS Common Core Algebra Regents.
Standardized Tests
HAFTR Middle School administers the New York State Common Core ELA and Math Assessments, respectively, each spring, as well as the Common Core Algebra exam to 8th grade students in high math. These tests are designed to assess a student’s knowledge in reading, writing, language, and math standards, with the questions designed to assess students’ conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and their problem-solving abilities rather than assessing their knowledge of isolated skills and facts.
These assessments also provide valuable feedback to schools and enable us to plan our curriculum appropriately.
SMARTBoards
SMARTBoard technology provides an interactive whiteboard that connects the classroom computer to a projector.
SMARTBoards act as a tool in supporting the learning process by taking almost any program that a teacher could use on a personal computer, including the internet and specialized SMARTBoard technology, and allowing a whole classroom of students to engage, learn and start meaningful conversations based on these resources.
We have SMARTBoards in every classroom, and they are used in many aspects of curricula. Additionally, HAFTR Middle School teachers have a variety of in-house professional development in how to better utilize their SMARTBoards, and other technologies, throughout the year.
These sessions ensure that our teachers stay current in educational technology best practices so that the instruction supports and challenges our students.
