Cape board sets new grading policy

Minimum and actual grades will be recorded alternatively for full-year and semester courses at Cape schools following a unanimous school board vote Aug. 24.

The revised grading policy, first presented July 27, states that for full-year courses, any grade lower than a 50 at the end of marking periods 1 and 3 will be reported as a 50 on the student’s report card. At the end of marking periods 2 and 4, the actual grade earned below a 50 will be reported.

For semester-long courses, any grade lower than a 50 will be reported as a 50 on the report card for the first marking period, and the actual grade earned below a 50 will be reported for the second marking period.

At the end of these courses, a cumulative average of the marking periods will be calculated; a final grade of 60 or above is considered passing.

The actual grade earned by the student would be reported for courses that are only one marking period long; the minimum grade of 50 would not apply.