Brier Creek Elementary 2023-2024 

In the Wake County Public School System, we are committed to maintaining rigorous performance and achievement standards for all students and to providing a fair and consistent process for evaluating and reporting student progress that is understandable to students and their parents and relevant for instructional purposes.

The information below shares specific information about grading at Brier Creek Elementary.

The following are school-wide expectations for homework:

• At Brier Creek, we believe in embracing the whole child, and we want our students to play and explore their curiosities outside of the classroom. 

• Therefore, homework should be assigned 2-3 times per week to practice unmastered objectives taught during the instructional week. 

• Homework should take students no longer than 20-30 minutes to complete.

• Homework assignments should strengthen skills, provide practice in subjects that have already been taught in class, and/or improve a student's ability to work independently.

• Homework should never be given over track out unless requested by the parent. 

• Homework is considered practice and must not be factored into a student’s grade or included in behavior grades.

Additional ways parents can support students outside of homework time to help strengthen their skills:

• Math | Dreambox, Addition/Subtraction Fluency, Multiplication/Division Fluency

• Reading |  20 minutes reading aloud to the parent to practice fluency, reading TV with closed captions, asking comprehension questions during nightly reading (main idea, character traits, beginning/middle/end, character motivation, story elements)

The following are school-wide expectations for classwork and assessments:

• All students are continually assessed to determine their progress and mastery of concepts taught. A wide variety of assessments will be used as documentation. 

• Progress Reports will be issued at the midpoint of each grading period for every student.

• Brier Creek Elementary follows the WCPSS standards-based grading system. This model will assess children in all academic areas using the following scale: 

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• Benchmark assessments (MClass (K-3), STAR Math (3-5), NC Check-In (3-5), NKT (K-2), BOG (3)) will be aligned with state/district standards and administered during the designated testing windows.  

• Classroom assessments will be given periodically and based on the district's pacing guidelines. 

The following are grade/subject-specific expectations for the completion and grading of classwork and assessments:

• All students are continually assessed to determine their progress and mastery of concepts taught. A wide variety of assessments will be used as documentation.  Students will have three opportunities to master an objective with formal and informal assessments and classwork.  

• If students are not demonstrating mastery, they will be provided additional opportunities to demonstrate learning. Teachers have the discretion to provide a re-assessment to any student in order to gather the most accurate measure of the student’s learning.

• Report Cards are to be sent home at the end of each quarter according to the school system’s published schedule.

• At least two (2) conferences are scheduled with each child’s parents/guardians during the school year (fall and spring).

• Student data will be maintained and shared with parents during the conferences and/or by parent request.

• MClass (K-3), STAR Math (3-5), and student summary reports will be sent home three times per year.

The following are school-wide expectations for missed work during face-to-face instruction:

• If the absence is approved in advance and/or if the work is assigned by the teacher in advance, all make-up work, including tests assigned for the day of return, is due upon the student's return to school. Teachers should use discretion and may make exceptions in the case of students whose excused absences were not planned in advance, were beyond the student's control, and the nature of which would not support make-up work on the day of return.

• If the make-up work has not been assigned in advance, for absences of one (1) to three (3) days, the student will have one day for each day absent. For absences exceeding three (3) days, the student may have two (2) days for each day absent to make up work.  Special consideration will be given in the case of extended absences due to injury or chronic illness.

• Teachers and parents should collaborate in the event of absence(s) and communicate about expectations of missing work.

The following are grade/subject-specific expectations for the completion and grading of missed work:

• All grade-level expectations follow school-wide expectations.

For students at risk of academic failure, our school seeks to provide a Multi-Tiered System of Support to promote successful completion and mastery of literacy and math standards.

Procedures to determine students at risk and steps of supplemental and intensive interventions are as follows:

• Monthly, our grade level PLCs meet with administration and the instructional facilitator to review data to determine if all students are successful with core instruction. Students who are identified as below the benchmark through the triangulation of data points, grade level PLCs (involving classroom teachers and essential support staff) will determine appropriate research-based interventions to best meet the needs of students or student groups.

• Once universal screening assessments have been completed (BOY, MOY, EOY), teachers analyze data to determine students who may be at risk, as determined by WCPSS grade level guidelines and benchmarks.

• For students not meeting benchmarks, additional deep digging assessments will be administered, as outlined by the WCPSS Universal Screening & Diagnostic Assessment Flowchart. 

The following are grade/subject-specific expectations for prevention and intervention:

• Each grade level is assigned a case manager that serves on the intervention team to ensure the steps of the intervention matrix are being followed.  In addition to the monthly data review, the case managers meet with the grade-level PLCs once a month to review prevention and intervention.  

                     Extra credit is not offered, but multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of standards will be provided.