The Cognitive Skills Rubric specifies grade-level expectations for each skill. Most cognitive skills are assessed multiple times during the year in different subjects so that students, teachers, and families can track growth. The Cognitive Skills score for each course is calculated by taking the average of the highest score for each Cognitive Skill assessed in the course. To translate the average Cognitive Skills score into a course grade, the rubric levels are indexed to percentages for each grade level (see the table).
Throughout the year, students demonstrate their competency in the Cognitive Skills according to their levels of development, with the goal of becoming high-school ready by the end of 8th grade and college- and career-ready by the end of 12th grade.
Most Cognitive Skills have a score between 0 and 8 on the rubric. A 6 represents “college- and career-ready” and a 4 represents “high-school ready.” This results in a translation of scores into grades as shown in the table.
One skill, “Communicating Accurately and Precisely,” assesses the accuracy and application of content or conventions for a particular task, and this skill is graded on a 5-point proficiency rubric. In the Platform, teachers and students will see a percent score (i.e.: 100%, 85%, 70%, etc.) for the different levels so that it’s clear what percent score the levels of the proficiency rubric correspond to.
- Just like all other Cognitive Skills, the highest score for this skill is averaged with the other high scores per skill to calculate the overall Cognitive Skills score.
In the Summit Learning Program, students demonstrate mastery with a grade of A, B, or C. Anything below as C is considered “off track” (there are no Ds). If an 8th grader, for example, has a Cognitive Skills Score average below a 3, then their grade would show up as an “off track,” (which translates to an F) until they is able to bring her Cognitive Skills Score average over 3.