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Academics -Grading

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Academics

Grading Scale

A- 93-100 (Excellent Progress)

B- 85-92 (Above Average)

C- 77-84 (Average)

D- 70-76 (Below Average)

F- 69-0 (Failing)

Honor Roll

Students making outstanding grades during the course of a grading period will receive special recognition by being placed on the Honor Roll.  The Honor Roll will have two classifications: students making all A’s, and students making all B’s or better. Those students will also receive a certificate at the end of the grading period in the awards assembly.  

Interim Reports

An interim report will be sent to parents at the halfway point of each grading period.  This is a service we provide in order to assist parents in monitoring a student’s progress.  The interim report is to be signed and returned to the teacher. Dates for interim reports are indicated on the school calendar.  In addition, parents also have access to their students’ grades at any point during the year via Power School for Students and Parents.  Information for logging in to this web-based service must be obtained by the parent in person in the front office.  

Testing

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction requires students to be assessed annually.  Middle grades students will take the North Carolina End-of-Grade tests in Reading, Math, and grade eight Science.  Math I students will take the Math I End-of-Course Test in addition to the Math 8 End-of-Grade test.  Middle grades students will also take NC Final Exams as a requirement for completing all Science and Social Studies classes.  In preparation for these high-stakes tests, benchmark tests will be administered periodically to determine student mastery and plan for remediation.  Students enrolled in Career and Technical Education classes will also be tested twice during their enrollment in each course as mandated by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.  Qualifying EC Students will take theNC Extend I test in place of the NC EOGs.

Exceptional Children

  1. L. Dillard Middle School offers special services as defined by the NC State Guidelines for Exceptional Children.  Parents/staff members may request any special services available.  Parental permission is necessary for all diagnostic testing done for special services and for subsequent placement or removal of a student from special services.  Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are written for each child receiving special services.

Promotion

We want all students to be successful.   Some students may require more time in a grade to master the necessary skills and maturity to succeed at the next level.  Decisions about promotion are based on academic progress, test scores, and the best interest of the student According to state law; the principal is responsible for making the final decision based on local and state requirements.  These requirements are as follows:

  • Sixth Grade:   At the end of sixth grade, a student must demonstrate grade-level proficiency by scoring at Level III or above on state End-Of-Grade Tests in reading and mathematics. Of the four core subjects (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies) students must pass Language Arts, Math, and Science or Social Studies with a yearly average of 70 or above.  Local Promotion Standard requires passing four of six classes. Students must demonstrate adequate progress in writing by scoring at/or above proficiency on grade 6 writing assessment as defined by State or local standards.
  • Seventh Grade: At the end of seventh grade, a student must demonstrate grade-level proficiency by scoring at Level III or above on state End-Of-Grade Tests in reading and mathematics.  Of the four core subjects (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies) students must pass Language Arts, Math, and Science or Social Studies with a yearly average of 70 or above. Local Promotion Standard requires passing four of six classes.  Students must demonstrate adequate progress in writing by scoring at/or above proficiency on grade 7 writing assessment as defined by State or local standards.
  • Eighth Grade: At the end of eighth grade, a student must demonstrate grade level proficiency by scoring at Level III or above on state End-Of-Grade Tests in reading, mathematics, and science.  Local promotion standards require students to pass four of the six subjects (including, Language Arts, Math, and Science) with a yearly average of 70 or above. Students must demonstrate adequate progress in writing by scoring at/or above proficiency level on eighth grade writing assessment as defined by State or local standards.

Placement Criteria

The state of North Carolina requires students to take the NC End-of-Grade Test (EOG) of Mathematics as part of the statewide assessment program in grades 3-8.  These curriculum-based achievement tests are specifically aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study and include a variety of strategies to measure the achievement of NC students.  Schools are also required to use a program known as EVAAS which is a comprehensive reporting package of value-added metrics that provides valuable diagnostic information about past practices and reports on students’ predicted success probabilities at numerous academic milestones.  EOG testing data and EVAAS predictions will be used by the school to appropriately place students in middle school mathematics courses to better ensure student success.

6th Grade

Students who meet 3 of the 4 following criteria will be placed in Math 6 Plus

  • EVAAS Prediction: 70% or > likelihood of achieving a Level IV on the Math I EOC
  • EOG Developmental Scale Score: 5th grade EOG scale score of 457 or greater
  • Quantile Measure: 5th grade quantile of 895 or greater
  • Course Grade: 5th grade math final grade of 85% or greater

All other students will be placed in Math 6.

7th Grade

Students who meet all of the 4 following criteria will be placed in Math I (NCVPS).

  • EVAAS Prediction: 90% or > likelihood of achieving a Level IV on the Math I EOC
  • EOG Developmental Scale Score: 6th Grade EOG scale score of 461 or greater
  • Quantile Measure: 6th grade quantile of 1115 or greater
  • Course Grade: 6th grade math final grade of 93% or greater

Students who meet 3 of the 4 following criteria will be placed in Math 7 Plus

  • EVAAS Prediction: 70% or > likelihood of achieving a Level IV on the Math I EOC
  • EOG Developmental Scale Score: 6th Grade EOG scale score of 457 or greater
  • Quantile Measure: 6th grade quantile of 995 or greater
  • Course Grade: 6th grade math final grade of 85% or greater

All other students will be placed in Math 7.

8th Grade

Students who meet 3 of the 4 following criteria will be placed in Math I.

  • EVAAS Prediction: 90% or > likelihood of achieving a Level IV on the Math I EOC.
  • EOG Developmental Scale Score: 7th grade EOG scale score of 463 or greater
  • Quantile Measure: 7th grade quantile of 1115 or greater.
  • Course Grade: 7th grade math final grade of 93% or higher

Students who meet 3 of the 4 following criteria will be placed in Math 8 Plus.

  • EVAAS Prediction: 70% or > likelihood of achieving a Level IV on the Math I EOC
  • EOG Developmental Scale Score: 7th grade EOG scale score of 458 or greater
  • Quantile Measure: 7th grade quantile of 1020 or greater
  • Course Grade: 7th grade math final grade of 85% or greater

All other students will be placed in Math 8.

Notes:

  • Students placed in advanced courses may be reassigned by the fifth day of the class per parent request.
  • Teachers will fill in recommendations on a data spreadsheet at the end of the school year.  Teacher recommendations will be used in all waiver cases. If a teacher feels strongly that a student should fill out a waiver, a parent should be contacted to initiate the process.
  • In the rare case that a student does not have an EVAAS prediction, the criteria on the waiver form will be used for placement.