April 15, 2020
Savannah High School Families,
The Savannah High School leadership team has met and discussed high school grading procedures in light of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are doing everything in our power to limit the impact on our students while providing a meaningful learning experience during the school closure. The Savannah R3 Board of Education approved the following guidelines for our high school students in regard to academics:
● Academic Statement
SR3 teachers are diligently trying to best serve students during the COVID-19 school closure. The assignments/activities/lessons/quizzes they prepare and send out are completely optional, however, it is our suggestion that students complete the work in order to stay current with their learning objectives. It is our sincere hope as educators that our students complete the work being suggested by teachers.
SR3 teachers are evaluating student work during this time but not recording grades. We have instructed teachers to provide written comments but to award no points for the work assigned since March 23rd. Canvas, USA TestPrep, Khan Academy or other resources might “grade” a quiz or activity to give students immediate feedback, but those scores are NOT being synced with our official gradebook in Tyler. The only exception to this "no grading" is if a student reaches out to a teacher requesting assignments be assigned now in order to replace low grades from 3rd quarter when we were in session (Jan 6- March 12). A teacher could grade those assignments and award points to the assignment now but it will replace a grade from 3rd quarter only.
For further clarification, if an SHS student was passing the courses he/she was enrolled in during 2nd semester prior to March 23, he/she will be awarded a "P" and transcripts will show the student as "passing" the course. However, if an SHS student was failing a course prior to March 23, he/she will need to work with the teacher to complete the list of essentials (3rd quarter missing/failed assignments) needed in order to earn the "P" to "pass" the course.
● Senior Academic Recognitions
2020 Senior Grades will be frozen at the end of the 7th Semester (December 2019) to
calculate a final class rank for seniors, Top 10 placement, and Honors.
● Intervention
Classroom Teachers and Counselors will be in contact with all students who are failing a course or need to raise a grade to receive credit for this semester.
● Seated Courses
With the exception of dual credit and Launch coursework, all courses will be transcripted as PASS/FAIL for the spring semester based on 3rd quarter grades. This means that no letter grade will be transcribed or figured into the student’s GPA for this semester. Credit will be given on a PASS/FAIL basis. This will be noted on all transcripts as necessary due to the COVID-19 school closure. Dual Credit and Launch/Edgenuity virtual coursework will be transcribed as a letter grade but will not figure into the student’s GPA.
● Edgenuity
Students who began virtual coursework via Edgenuity to recover credit will continue with the same grading structure, as this is already PASS/FAIL with completion of the course.
● Dual Credit
Instructors have reached out to students enrolled in Dual Credit courses to share the revised design and expectations of the academic work. Students should contact their Savannah instructor if they have any questions about their grades and implications for the remainder of the term.
● AP Courses
Students enrolled in AP courses have the option of taking an online, open-book/
open-note exam. Unfortunately, it has been discussed that some colleges and universities are not going to accept AP test scores from the 2019-2020 school year due to the testing format. Students will need to reach out to the post-secondary educational institutions of interest to see what that specific school has decided.
There are three options that AP students can choose from:
1. The student can decide to take the exam following the guidelines in the student’s College Board account online.
2. The student can decide to not take the exam and receive a full refund from the
office. This option would result in the student not enrolling in the same AP course next year.
3. The student can decide to not take the exam, with the intent of enrolling in the course again next year (or being tutored by the AP teachers without enrolling in the course) and then take the exam in May of 2021. This option would result in a credit being applied to the student’s account and no refund being issued this year.
Students, please contact your AP Instructors with questions and for guidance.
In closing, these guidelines have been developed in an effort to limit the impact of the school
closure on our students, to ensure a continued meaningful learning experience, and to support the best possible outcomes for our students who have been impacted by this unexpected closure.
Keep in mind, the full extent of the COVID-19 pandemic is still unknown at this point. Please
continue to monitor communication from your student’s school and teachers during this time.
We hope you and your family are doing well and staying safe. This information is specific to high school students only. If you need instructional support, please reach out to SHS
teachers or me via e-mail or call me at 816-324-3128.
Thank you,
Sarah Portenier
Principal, Savannah High School