St. Rose School Handbook-Student Evaluation

Saint Rose School
Parent / Student Handbook 2007-2008

STUDENT EVALUATION

TESTING

The Iowa Test of Basic Skills is administered to grades 3 - 8 in the fall of each year, in accord with the Diocesan policy. This series covers reading, mathematics, language arts, social studies, science and study skills. Educational ability tests are given to grades 3 - 8 each year. These tests profile the student’s ability to see spatial relationships and his/her understanding of verbal concepts. The test is a prescriptive tool rather than an evaluative summary. The results of Iowa Test of Basic Skills will be shared with the parents/guardians.

HOMEWORK

Homework is an integral part of the learning process and is assigned at all grade levels to foster and promote good study habits of independent study. It reinforces concepts taught in the classroom and provides the parents/guardians an opportunity of seeing what their child is learning and doing in school. Parents/guardians are encouraged to insist that homework be taken seriously and done carefully. Parents/guardians should periodically check the finished work and, when asked to sign a paper, do so after thoroughly reviewing the work.

Suggested daily homework time allotments are:
TK & Kindergarten	5 - 10 minutes	Grades 3 & 4	30 - 45 minutes
Grade l	20 minutes	Grades 5 & 6	45 - 60 minutes
Grade 2	30 minutes	Grades 7 & 8	60 - 90 minutes

Times may vary from teacher to teacher and subject matter. If there is a habitual problem with the assigned homework being completed, parents are asked to make an appointment to consult with the teacher.

If a student is absent due to illness, homework may be picked up after school in the school office, providing notification has been received from the parent prior to the end of that school day. Assignments will need to be completed according to the teacher’s missed assignment policy. If the need should arise that an absence is due to a non-school vacation, the student will be expected to make-up their missed assignments when they return. Assignments will not be available prior to leaving on non-scheduled vacations.

S.A.M. PROGRAM

S.A.M. is an acronym for Student's Assignment Missing. The S.A.M. Program is an effective tool to manage missing homework assignments. S.A.M.s are issued to grades 4-8 students who have not completed a homework assignment. I a student does not complete a required homework assignment, the following takes place:

The student will be given a S.A.M. pass to use the school office telephone to call or leave a message at home informing their parents of the pending S.A.M.
The student will receive zero (0) credit for the assignment
Students will be ezpected to complete the assignment during recess or at home
Teachers will collect missing assignments from students
School office personnel will record the S.A.M.s each day
The School Principal will track students who have difficulty completing assignments and additional steps may be taken to correct the problem

REPORT CARDS

Report cards are issued in order to provide parents with tangible evidence of their child’s scholastic performance. TK and Kindergarten students are given progress evaluations at the end of each trimester. Students in grades 1-8 receive report cards at the end of each trimester. Report cards may not be issued to students who have been absent ten or more days during the trimester, unless the required work has been satisfactorily completed.

A uniform grading report is used throughout the diocesan school system. Academic marks are based on scholastic achievement.

Codes are listed in the report cards are as follows:
S = Satisfactory	U = Unsatisfactory
A = Outstanding Achievement	B = Very Good Achievement	C = Good Achievement
D = Minimum Achievement	F = Below Achievement

Percentile Code: [For Grades Four through Eight]
A	95% -100%	A-	94% – 93%	B+	92% – 89%	B	88% – 85%	B-	84% – 82%
C+	81% – 78%	C	77% – 74%	C-	73% – 70%	D+	69% – 67%	D	66% – 63%
D-	62% - 60%	F	Below 60%	M	Modified Program

Percentile Code: [For Grades One through Three]
S+	98 – 100	S	97 – 80	S-	79 – 68	U	67 - below

Effort: Student demonstrates a conscious and energetic attempt to achieve.

Personal Habits: Student is prepared for class, listens attentively, follows directions, uses class time effectively, works well alone or in groups, observes safety rules and completes assignments on time.

Christian Citizenship/Conduct: Student observes classroom guidelines, shows courtesy, respects the right and property of others and demonstrates a positive Christian attitude.

PROGRESS REPORTS

Progress reports are sent home prior to report cards, mid-trimester with each student grades 1 - 8. Mid-trimester progress reports are not sent home with TK and Kindergarten students. Students in the First Grade will not receive a progress report for the first mid trimester.

HONOR ROLL

At the end of each of the three trimesters during the school year, students from grades 4 - 8 will be eligible for the Saint Rose School Honor Roll.

To be eligible for honor roll, students may not earn a grade lower than a C and must achieve at least an S in Conduct. Students who receive three detentions in one trimester may not receive a satisfactory grade S in Conduct.

The honor roll is divided into the following categories:

Principal’s List = a student who maintains a grade point average of 4.0, with no D’s or F’s in any subject, and who has a satisfactory conduct report.
High Honors = a student who maintains a grade point average of 3.9 - 3.5, with no D’s or F’s in any subject, and who has a satisfactory conduct report.
Honors = a student who maintains a grade point average of 3.4 - 3.0, with no D’s or F’s in any subject, and who has a satisfactory conduct report.

Points are awarded for the following: Religion, Literature or Reading, English, Mathematics, Science, Vocabulary/Spelling, Social Studies/History, and Physical Education.

The following is a breakdown of the point system for the Honor Roll:

A = 4 pts.

B = 3 pts.

C = 2 pts.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES

Parent -Teacher conferences will be held for Transitional Kindergarten – Eighth grade at the end of the first trimester. There may be other times throughout the year that the parents or teacher deem a conference necessary. Your child may be requested to be present at this conference. Parents are encouraged to take the initiative to keep themselves informed of their children’s progress.

Appointments for conferences must be made in advance and may be made by e-mailing or calling the teacher directly via their personal voice mail numbers. Sufficient notice must be given to the teacher in order to promote a beneficial exchange between parent and teacher. Please do not attempt to contact teachers at home.