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Testing, Assessments & Grading

Westonka Middle School consistently demonstrates academic excellence across all grade levels. Year after year, our students outperform their national and state peers on standardized assessments.
Students hold middle school graduation certificates

Main Contact

Mark Femrite
Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning
femritem@westonka.k12.mn.us
(952) 491-8002

Fast Facts

District & State Assessments

Standards Based Grading

Grades that are valid, reliable and transparent provide an accurate reflection of the knowledge and skills students have mastered.

Report Card FAQ

Grades that are valid, reliable and transparent provide an accurate reflection of the knowledge and skills students have mastered.

What does each grade mean?

Letter grades are merely a symbol to communicate student learning. While we have considered many variations, we decided to use the same letter grades as the past. We feel parents understand these letters and our intent is to help communicate and not to confuse.

D

The student has not met the grade level expectation. In the past, a “D” was considered a passing grade, and an “F” was a failing grade. Now, a “D” indicates the student has not passed because skill scores are less than 70%. Students who perform at the D level for the semester in core classes will be encouraged to attend summer school. Those who perform at the D level for the entire year will be required to attend summer school.

C 

The student is approaching grade level expectations. They may meet some standards but not others. Skill scores range from 70%-80%

B 

The student has met grade level expectations with occasional errors. Skill scores range from 80%-90%

A  

The student has met grade level expectations and can apply skills and content beyond grade level standard. The student makes very few errors on grade level content. Skill scores range from 90%-100%.

‘*’

That particular skill was not assessed that term.
How is the report card organized?

Depending on the class, grades may be organized a bit differently. Some classes list skills chronologically as they are completed through the year (typically math, science, social studies) while other classes revisit and improve upon the same skills throughout the year (typically language arts, music, phy ed, technology, art). 

What about formative and summative assessments?

All scores in our gradebook are still weighted  either as a formative assessment (20%) or a summative assessment (80%). These percentages are used just as they were in the past to help determine the letter grade.