Greetings,

This is Ian Solomon, Principal of Leesville Road High School with an important midweek message regarding student schedules and our updated grading policies for the upcoming year.

Student Schedules 

Student schedules are now available for view on Powerschool. Questions and requests for corrections can be submitted by email to lrhsscheduling@wcpss.net.  The priority for schedule adjustments will be limited this year to clerical errors made by our staff that can be verified, missing courses, course level changes, and course prerequisite corrections. Our Student Services staff will prioritize making sure 1^st semester schedules are accurate, with the goal of making sure 2^nd semester schedules are completed as soon as possible.

Grading for Equity Initiative

During the 2021-2022 school year, as part of our continuous school improvement efforts, the faculty and staff engaged in a deep review of our grading practices. The onset of the pandemic and the adverse impacts it caused heightened the urgency of this work. Through a process of discussion (spirited at times), collaboration, and consensus, our faculty and staff deemed it would be in the best interests of all our students that an established floor of no grades below “50” be implemented effective this school year. The bullet points below provide the details of how this equitable grading practice will work.

• All assignments will be divided up into 3 categories: First-Time Practice, Minor Assessments, and Major Assessments. 
• First-Time Practice: classwork or homework assignments that occur directly following first-time instruction and allow students to practice a new skill or apply a new concept. 
• Minor Assessments: quizzes, labs, writing prompts, or small projects (typically able to be completed in a single day) that assess a student’s initial mastery of standards.
• Major Assessments: tests, essays, large projects (typically spanning over multiple days) that assess a student’s mastery at the summation of a unit of study or particular academic skill.
• Any first-time practice assignment and minor assignment that is attempted would have a minimum grade of 50.  PLTs will have the flexibility to provide the definition of “attempt”.
• Any assessment that earns a score below 50 would receive a minimum grade of 50.  In alignment with board policy, any major assessment under 70 would continue to be eligible for reassessment.
• Any assignment/assessment not attempted would be marked as NHI (not handed in). NHI is calculated as a grade of “0”.
• At the end of the quarter, if the quarterly average is below 50, the teacher will override the average to a 50.
• The implementation of this change would eliminate the need for Academic Recovery Plans.

Thank you for supporting Leesville Road High School as we take PRIDE in everything we do!