Herndon High School is continually striving to create an environment and culture where all student experience success, NO EXCEPTIONS!  Shared below is a list of our beliefs and policies, as well as information on GPA computation and grade distribution.

Our Beliefs

• We expect and encourage every student to realize his or her highest potential.
• Grading practices and policies should be fair and equitable for all students.
• Grades should be related to mastery and students’ continuing development and understanding.
• Opportunities for students to demonstrate growth over time help foster a risk-free learning environment that promotes student learning.
• We value making connections with students and families. In doing so, we consider each student’s diverse background, strengths and potential.
• Our faculty understands the significance of forging positive relationships with students and having all stakeholders serve as positive role models.
• Herndon High School is a Professional Learning Community. Our Collaborative Teams (CTs) focus on student achievement. Teachers share with one another and apply research-based instructional practices to create a learning environment that supports academic achievement and lifelong learning for all students.

Homework

Homework for practice or preparation for instruction may account for no more than 10 percent of a quarter grade. Homework should be viewed as formative, allowing for practice of new skills and knowledge without penalty.

Reassessments

Reassessments will be available to all students on most major summative assessments. Finals, midterms, and PALS exams will be excluded from reassessments. Teacher teams will outline on their syllabi any additional excluded assessment. The following guidelines will be in place for reassessments:

• Reassessments, or what the artifact looks like, will be determined by CTs.
• Students will be required to complete some type of remediation or learning exercise as determined by curriculum teams (e.g., test corrections, remediation during Stinger, after-school support, reflection).
• Students will have four blocks (approximately two weeks) to complete remediation work and the reassessment.
• The grade entered into the gradebook will be the highest grade the student earned.

Quarter and End-of-Year Grades

FCPS and HHS Grading Policy

According to the FCPS grading policy, students will receive a minimum of nine grades per quarter. Assignments will be graded, grades will be posted within seven school days after the due date; major projects/papers may require additional time to ensure quality feedback.

Final Exams/Culminating Activities

A final examination or appropriate culminating activity will be given in all high school courses and must be based on the standards listed in the Program of Studies or other designated curriculum. The grade for the final examination or activity may count a maximum of one fifth (20%) of the final course grade if the exam addresses the entire course syllabus. Semester final exams may count a maximum of one-fifth of the course grade.

Seniors accepted into the Herndon Internship Program will be exempt from their exam or culminating activity administered during finals week, with the exception of students who are dually enrolled. Students enrolled in AP courses are expected to take any early final exams designed to review course material in preparation for the AP exam.

Makeup Work Due to Excused Absences

Attendance is critical to student achievement. Students are fully responsible for completing any missed assignments. Each day of excused absence affords one school day of makeup work opportunity. Students have a maximum of ten days to make up work missed during an excused period of absence. However, the period of time allowed to make up work may be extended at the discretion of the teacher. Makeup work for excused absences is graded and recorded in the grade book by teachers without penalty to students. For an approved pre-arranged absence, a student may request assignments in advance of the absence. Teachers will provide regular or alternative assignments in advance of the absence, when feasible. Following any absence, including a prearranged absence, students should make arrangements with individual teachers for makeup work.

Late Work

FCPS policy, late work will be accepted by all teachers. Due to the differences in demands in various curricular areas, teachers have outlined in their syllabi their team’s specific late work policies. Students will have opportunities (as defined in length of time) to turn in late work in accordance with the late work deadline determined by the CT. Work that is not turned in will be coded as “NTI” in SIS and weighted as a zero in the gradebook. If the missing work is turned in by the late work deadline, the student will receive credit for the assignment, taking into account the CT’s late work penalty. Late work may be penalized by no more than 30%. However, if the missing work is not turned in by the late work deadline, it will be permanently recorded as a zero. This policy allows the student and parent to see in real-time the impact of failing to complete an assignment.

Grading Categories

Collaborative teams will determine the weighting of grading categories in the course syllabus. Gradebooks will reflect the agreed-upon system. No single assignment in a given quarter may be worth more than 30 percent of a quarter grade.

Extra Credit

If a CT plans to provide extra credit opportunities, it must be linked to curriculum standards/competencies; teams must specify these opportunities in the syllabus.

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, or participating in non-curricular activities.

GPA Computation and Grade Distribution

Herndon High School does not rank students. Advanced Placement courses are weighted with an additional 1.0 quality points if the student takes the AP exam. Honors and pre-AP courses are weighted with an additional .5 quality points.

FCPS Grading Scale

Letter Grade	Numerical Grade	Quality Points
A	93-100	4.0
A-	90-92	3.7
B+	87-89	3.3
B	83-86	3.0
B-	80-82	2.7
C+	77-79	2.3
C	73-76	2.0
C-	70-72	1.7
D+	67-69	1.3
D	64-66	1.0
F	64 and below	0.0