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District pilots unified grading guidelines for secondary schools after staff and parent surveys
Summary
A task force of teachers and administrators will pilot consistent grading guidelines in 2025–26 for middle and high school courses, including a two-week window for late work before a 50% floor applies and a policy limiting summative retake recovery to a maximum of 70. District staff will monitor the pilot with PLC checks and quarterly reports.
Winchester Public Schools will pilot a set of unified grading guidelines in the 2025–26 school year after a task-force review of staff and family survey results, district presenters told the Chesterfield School Board.
The task force — which district staff said included nearly 80 staff respondents and representation from across grade levels and subjects — identified widespread inconsistency in grading practices across buildings. Staff and family surveys showed differing practices on late work, extra credit, collaboration among teachers and how formative work is weighted.
The pilot guidelines presented to the board include these core elements: an emphasis on category-based (weighted) grades rather than a total-points approach; clear expectations for late work with a two-week window for completion before a 50% floor would apply to a missing assignment; a retake policy limited to summative assessments only, with students who fail a summative allowed to retake and earn up to 70 percent; and procedures for PLC review and building‑level monitoring. Staff said the two-week timeline is intended to balance accountability with opportunity for students to recover and to give teachers structured time to coordinate across PLCs.
District leaders told the board the pilot is intended to be monitored closely. Data collection will include teacher, student and family surveys and quarterly reviews; the task force will meet at least four times next year and staff will return to the board with updates in January and June. Presenters said they are not seeking immediate board action at the June 9 work session; rather, the board was being informed of the pilot plan and the monitoring schedule.
