AP English

 

This page is designed for parents and students to better understand grading for the course!

 

Grading students in AP English Literature is complicated.  The course and its expectations are rigorous, and many students who typically excel at English classes struggle initially to learn the standards for a solid College Board-style literary analysis.  And, since learning is the goal, adjustments to a standard grading scale are necessary.

1. Most all assignments are scored on the 9-point AP rubric.  This allows students to learn the College Board standards through its own scoring standards.  However, these numbers are not represented as percentages.
• A "5" on the 9 point scale is succesful, a passing score on the May exam.
• All papers scored under a "6" I ask to be rewritten until they comfortably reach that level of success.
2. PinnacleWeb requires that I assign these scores a percentage for the purpose of calculating grades.  I have done so, but be aware that these are approximations.  The most important quality for students to demonstrate is an upward learning curve.  We want papers to reach the "6" or higher fairly routinely on the first try by May.
3. For that reason, marking periods and semesters will be scored according to teacher-student conferences which look primarily at upward-trend, not raw scores alone. 
4. Nevertheless, zeroes on assignments and papers left at low scores will impact scores negatively as they show a student's unwillingness to attempt that upward trend.