Evaluations at GEMS focus on a mastery of content and meeting learning targets and content standards set forth by teachers at the beginning of each term. Our grading scale, as used by The Graham School for 10 years, will not evaluate students with traditional report cards. Instead, The Graham School uses narratives, gateways, and other methods designed to evaluate whether a student has mastered the core concepts of our curriculum. Students are not compared against each other. Instead, over time, a student’s work is measured against his/her previous work in order to evaluate individual progress within essential skill areas and across disciplines.
Our evaluative structure measures expectations based on the following scale:
EE (Exceeds Expectations): The student produces/demonstrates outstanding work, participation, and mastery of subject matter, going above and beyond what is required. This evaluation indicates that a student has exceeded the expectations that were established for this student by the classroom teacher.
ME (Meets Expectations): The student produces/demonstrates consistent work and participation, meeting all class requirements, demonstrating full understanding of subject matter. This evaluation indicates that a student has met the expectations that were established for this student by the classroom teacher.
AE (Approaches Expectations): The student produces/demonstrates inconsistent work and participation. Student is failing to demonstrate adequate understanding of the material in all areas. This evaluation indicates that a student has made strides toward meeting the expectations that were established for this student by the classroom teacher. The student is on the way toward meeting expectations but is not there yet.
JB (Just Beginning): The student is so inconsistent with producing/ demonstrating work or participation that adequate understanding is not established.