Loudoun County Public Schools

Elementary Assessment and Grading Information for Parents

The following terms play an important part in understanding the assessment and grading system: 

- Assessment - The methods, strategies, and tools used to measure and determine the extent to which students have learned content, concepts, and skills.

- Formative Assessment – Assessment occurring DURING the learning that is used by teachers to adapt their instruction and used by students to determine their current progress.

- Summative Assessment – Assessment occurring AFTER the learning that documents how much learning has occurred at a point in time. 

- Learning Progression Scale (LPS) – A description of skills, understandings and knowledge listed in the sequence in which they typically develop and, in Loudoun County, assigned numerical symbols of: 

4 - Exceeds standard (E)*

3 - Meets standard (M)*

 2 - Progressing toward standard (P)*

1 - Below standard (B)*

* - letters in parentheses correspond to K-2 progress indicators

General Guidelines

1. Teachers use formative assessments to help guide instruction. The numerical score given on formative assessments, when recorded, is used along with summative scores to report progress toward the topic statements under each content area on the report card and, usually, will not be included as part of the quarterly or final grade.

2. Summative assessments (i.e. tests, quizzes, projects, presentations) are used to report overall student performance. Overall letter grades of A-F (grades 3-5 only) are an average of summative assessments over the quarter not an average of report card topic statements.

What Parents Will See

Most of your child’s daily work will be marked with a numerical score from one to four. This four-point scale is built around a learning target which is identified as Level 3.

a) A child who receives a score of “3” on an assessment has demonstrated the understanding or skill necessary to “Meet the Standard.” The goal is for all children to demonstrate proficiency which is described as the level “3” learning target.

b) A child who receives a score of “2” on an assessment is working with simpler concepts that show the student is “Progressing toward the Standard.”

c) A child who is working with the building blocks that will eventually lead to success at level “2” or higher wouldreceive a “1” or “Below the Standard” on that particular assessment.

d) In order to receive a score of “4” on an assessment, a child must meet the level 3 learning target and alsodemonstrate application of more complex concepts related to level “3.” A child who “Exceeds the Standard” produces work that shows in-depth understanding of the grade level concepts.