Kilmer strictly adheres to FCPS Grading and Reporting Policies. Students and parents are encouraged to monitor student grades using the SIS StudentVUE and SIS ParentVUE accounts. These accounts are accessible via web browser or mobile app.

For more information, please visit the Student Information Systems page. 

Grading Philosophy

Kilmer Middle School’s grading philosophy is based on best practice and research. In middle school, students are at varying stages of development and readiness, and they are continuously learning. The purpose of grades is to provide information about a student’s academic progress and learning trends during the school year. Additionally, we support that academic grades must be separate from work habit grades. At Kilmer Middle School, we demonstrate this separation by providing students and parents with both academic grades and work habit grades.

Grading Principles

At Kilmer Middle School, teachers and administrators are dedicated to assessing student knowledge using clear and objective measures and communicating those measures to students and parents.

To this end, grades must:

• Ensure that grades are based on student achievement, knowledge, and skill proficiency demonstrated in the classroom and are separated from work habits.
• Promote consistency in grading across teams, departments, and schools.
• Promote ongoing formative feedback to students.
• Promote practices that encourage continuous engagement in learning.
• Provide parents and students ongoing, credible, and useful feedback that conveys the expectations and achievement of identified standards of knowledge included in the curriculum.
• Ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Parents and students will have access to student grades via online ParentVUE and StudentVUE.

Grading Policy

Grades fall into two categories, as specified by FCPS policy. The first cateogry is for summative assessments, which are assignments that measure mastery of standards. This category may include assignments like tests, projects, presentations, labs, and major writing assignments and counts for 70% of the overall grade. The second category is for formative assessments, which are assignments that provide students with feedback on their learning or allow students to practice content. Assignments in this category allow students to understand areas for improvement while learning is in progress prior to a summative assessments. This category may include assignments like classwork, review guides, reflections, discussion, low-stakes group work, and exit tickets and counts for 30% of the overall grade. Up to 10% of the quarter grade may be counted toward homework within this category.

Teachers may give zeroes for assignments that are not turned in. For assignments where students make a reasonable attempt to complete the assignment, a minimum grade of 50% will be entered. In order to minimize the disproportionate impact of a zero on the final mark, the minimum quarter grade for teachers using a traditional (non-rolling) gradebook will be a 50%. Teachers on a rolling gradebook must use reassessment and grade replacement practices that allow students to update learning from past quarters

Retake Policy

It is important that students are prepared for assessments like tests and quizzes and show the most complete evidence of their learning on assessments like projects or essays. For summative assessments, students will have at least one opportunity to reassess their learning up to 100%.  Teacher teams will determine all guidelines for reassessment and communicate them through the course syllabus. This may take the form of a retake, completion of test corrections, revision of work, or other similar type opportunity.

Work Completion/Late Work Policy

We expect students at Kilmer Middle School to complete 100% of their work 100% of the time. Teachers expect students to complete and turn in assignments even if they are late. Kilmer Middle School is committed to student success.

• Kilmer offers a variety of interventions and remedial support to assist students during and after the school day if needed.
• Missing assignments will be recorded in the teacher’s grade book as M (missing), and students will be given a minimum of 2 weeks to turn them in.
• Assignments not turned in after the late work period will be calculated as a zero and will be labeled as Not Turned In in the gradebook
• Assignments not turned in on the due date may have points deducted according to the grade-level department syllabus ( a maximum of 10%)
• The monitoring of student work is the responsibility of the student, parent, and teacher. Tools to monitor student progress include ParentVUE, StudentVUE, Blackboard, student agendas, regular grade reports, emails, and phone calls.
• Parents and students are advised to review student progress and ensure any assignments receiving (M) are completed as soon as possible.

Sufficient turn-around time is needed to grade assignments, including assignments turned in after the original deadline.

Homework Policy

Homework is an important part of the learning process and takes different forms and purposes per content area. Homework done accurately and in a timely manner can increase the understanding of concepts, strengthen skills, and improve achievement. Kilmer Middle School has a consistent, school-wide policy that states homework shall count for no more than 10% of a student’s grade. Missing homework will be recorded as a zero. Homework is only assigned when it is critical for student understanding and allows students to practice skills that build throughout the year. Each night, homework for middle school students should not exceed a total of 90 minutes. An additional 30 minutes can be expected per high-school level course. Teachers make a conscious effort to limit homework over long weekends and holiday breaks.  

Extra Credit

Kilmer Middle School strives to clearly communicate to students and parents that mastery is based on what a student knows or is able to demonstrate. As a result, Kilmer Middle School does not award extra points/extra credit for any assignments or assessments not based on their knowledge and application of skills.

Students will not be given extra credit or grades for activities such as:

• Bringing in classroom materials.
• Providing parent/guardian signatures.
• Participating in fundraising/charitable events.
• Participating in non-curricular activities.

Kilmer Honor Code

Cheating and plagiarizing are inappropriate behaviors and shall result in disciplinary action as outlined in Regulation 2601, Student Rights and Responsibilities Booklet.

Teachers have the responsibility to:

• Teach or review the correct use of sources and citations when assigning work.
• Structure conditions during testing to alleviate the possibility of cheating.
• Specify the types of collaboration that are discouraged and those that are encouraged.

Students have the responsibility to:

• Avoid situations that might contribute to cheating or plagiarizing.
• Avoid unauthorized assistance.
• Use sources in the prescribed manner.
• Document borrowed materials by citing sources.
• Avoid plagiarism by:
  • using quotation marks for statements taken from others.
  • acknowledging information and ideas borrowed from any source.
  • consulting faculty members about a questionable situation.
• Avoid “cutting” and “pasting” from computer text without proper attribution.

Students who violate “the spirit or the letter of the law” as regards cheating and plagiarizing must accept responsibility for their actions and the accompanying consequences. Consequences may include:

• A parent/guardian-student-administrator conference.
• Retaking a test.
• A lowering of the grade or receiving an F for the assignment.
• An alternative assignment or recompletion of the original assignment.

More details about the Kilmer /FCPS Honor Codes are provided in the student agenda and the Student Rights and Responsibilities Guide.