Teachers ask students to do work in class and at home to explore their world and practice what they are learning. Because these assignments help teachers and students understand what students still need to learn, and do not show all students have learned by the end of a course, homework scores should not affect a student’s grade.

At a certain point, teachers will ask students to show what they have learned using tests, presentations, and projects. Because this happens at one moment in time, it may not reflect everything a student has learned. Students should be able to try again if they feel they have more learning to show. Teachers may ask students to do some practice, relearning or reflection before they show what they have learned again.

The way a student behaves in school does not necessarily show what a student has learned. Because grades are designed to show what students have learned, behavior and grades should be reported separately.

Minnesota has required learning standards for all students. Teachers are responsible to help students reach those standards, and collect evidence of each student’s learning. Student grades should reflect how well students have reached these learning standards.