In 2009 Zebulon GT Magnet Middle School adopted a grading policy called ABCI Grading that inspired students to achieve at higher levels. ABCI Grading requires that students attain a 77% or above on each graded assignment. We did it in our school (and you can too!). Come find out how!

2. DAVID FRENCK
ZEBULON GT MAGNET
MIDDLE SCHOOL
dfrenck@wcpss.net
(919) 404-3809

3. ZGTMMS’ MOST RECENT
EOG SCORES
GRADE 6 6 7 7 8 8 8
Year Read Math Read Math Read Math Sci
2010 64.4 74 62.5 81.3 69.6 90.6 75
2009 67.6 73.9 65.8 77.4 54.2 75.1 52
2008 58.95 65.5 40 55.49 45.17 69.16 N/A

4. AYP
Year Target Goals AYP Status
Achieved
2010 27 out of 27 School Made Annual Yearly Progress
2009 31 out of 31 Met
2008 21 out of 29 Not Met
WCPSS had 32 Middle Schools. 6 of them made AYP last
year. ZGTMMS was one of them.
ZGTMMS was the only magnet secondary school
(Middle or High School) to make AYP.
Of those 6 middle schools that made AYP, ZGTMMS was the
ONLY school with a Free-Reduced Lunch Rate over 30%.
(OUR’S WAS 55%)

5. OSS FREQUENCY DATA
Total OSS Incidents Per Month
MONTH 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11
AUG 1 1 0 1
60
SEP 24 22 7 4
50
OCT 44 16 10 10 07-08
NOV 45 15 9 5 40 08-09
09-10
DEC 28 17 20 7 30
10-11
JAN 35 11 5 14
20
FEB 26 26 11
MAR 30 29 9 10
APR 30 12 15 0
NOV
MAY
SEP
JUN
JAN
DEC
OCT
FEB
MAR
APR
AUG
MAY 48 21 7
JUN 15 10 5

6. OSS FREQUENCY DATA
Average OSS Incidents Per Day Per Month
MONTH 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11
AUG 0.2 0.2 0 0.2 3
SEP 1.3 1.04 0.35 0.19
2.5
OCT 2 0.72 0.47 0.52
NOV 2.5 1.07 0.53 0.27 2
07-08
DEC 1.8 1.1 1.4 0.46 1.5
08-09
09-10
JAN 1.75 0.6 0.27 0.77
1 10-11
FEB 1.3 1.5 0.58
MAR 1.5 1.3 0.47 0.5
APR 1.7 0.75 0.78 0
JUN
MAY
JAN
FEB
APR
NOV
OCT
SEP
AUG
DEC
MAR
MAY 2.4 1.05 0.35
JUN 2.1 1.25 0.71

7. Driving Principle
Public School Educators are not in the
business of deciding/judging who
“makes it” and who does not.
Teachers are in the business of
making certain that each
child “makes it”.

8. WHAT IS ABCI GRADING?
Question # 1:
What does the letter grade represent?
Answer:
Academic Achievement/Progress
toward NC Standard Course of Study

9. ABCI GRADING SCALE
93 - 100% = A
85 - 92% = B
77 - 84% = C
0 - 76% = INC
(Incomplete)

10. WHAT IS ABCI GRADING?
Step # 1 – Teachers separate all
assignments into one of two categories.
Category 1 – Formative Assessments
Category 2 – Summative Assessments

11. Examples of
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
• Homework
• Class Worksheets
• Class Notes
• Warm-ups
• Short Writing Assignments
• Tickets Out of the Room
• Blue Diamond Assessments
• Anything for Practice
Any work that helps the teacher know
whether or not the child has learned the
objective

12. Examples of
SUMMATIVE ASSESSSMENTS
• Tests
• Quizzes
• Projects
• Labs
• Presentations
• Research Paper
Any assignment that is calculated toward
the student’s academic grade.

13. WHAT IS ABCI GRADING?
Step # 2 – Find a way to maintain
communication regarding academic
behaviors (attendance, participation,
classwork, homework, discipline)
SEPARATE from the academic
achievement.

14. WHAT IS ABCI GRADING?
Question # 2
When the student does not show that they
have learned what is expected of them
who is responsible?
Answer: The School

15. RETAKES
Step # 3
ALL SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS HAVE A
RETAKE OPTION FOR ALL WHO DO NOT
SHOW MASTERY DURING THE 1st (2nd, 3rd
or 4th) ATTEMPT.
THOSE THAT PASSESED & WANT TO
IMPROVE THEIR GRADE MAY ALSO HAVE
RETAKES.

16. RETAKES
Full Credit (regardless)
If a child took a quiz and received a 70%
on the first attempt, and then retook the
test and received a 97%, the grade in the
grade book would be 97%.

17. RETAKES
Full Credit (regardless)
Students may retake any graded assignment if
they want to improve on the original grade.
Example : If a child took a test and received a
grade of 85% (a low B) and wants to improve
that grade, the child may retake or resubmit
for full credit and a higher grade. If they try
again, and happen to get a lower grade, the
higher grade will count in the grade book.

18. RETAKES
Full Credit (regardless)…..WHY?!?!?
We are expected to make certain that each
child learns the curriculum. If they did not
“get it” the first time, the expectation
remains.

19. Rick Marzano
In Transforming Classroom
Grading (2000) Marzano states
“In an ideal grading system,
effort, behavior and attendance
would not be included with
academic achievement in an overall
grade.”

20. Rick Wormeli told us…
“The more information you try
to cram into one tiny symbol,
the less meaningful that
symbol becomes.”

22. Behavior & Effort Report
Step # 4
• Each teacher completes a Behavior &
Effort Report on the back of mid-term
interims and in the comment section of
our report cards for every student.
• We still communicate & give feedback on
behavior and effort.
• We no longer relay this information with the
same symbol with which we communicate
academic mastery.
• The results of summative grades and
formative experiences will be
communicated separately.

23. Rick Wormeli also told us..
“A grade reports
what you know in
the end; NOT how
you got there.”

24. MAGNET ENRICHMENT CLUBS
• 40 Minutes
• Every other Wednesday
• Between 1st and 2nd period
• Students with INC’s go to remediate with
core area teachers
• Students with no INC’s go to their club
meeting
• In the past, after school clubs were only
attended by small percentage of student body.
Now every child belongs to a club they chose.

25. ABCI Maximum Learning Lab
• A Teacher Assistant supervises students
in classroom (central location near
cafeteria).
• Coordinates Make-up work between
students and teachers.
• Pulls students in during: Lunch,
Electives, After School.
• Helps students understand expectations
and see them through.

26. “But if I don’t give them a Zero /
D / F, then how will they learn
RESPONSIBILITY?”
The learning experience that we put
children through when they try to pass
a test, fail. We then shrug our shoulders
and say something like, “Sorry. You
should have studied more.” This is not
conducive to maximum learning….

27. …but having a child realize that just
because they cheated or turned in the
assignment late, or didn’t pass it the first
time does not get them off the hook. The
job still isn’t done…yet.
They experience responsibility by going
through the actions of retaking their
summative assessments.
This is a different learning
opportunity.

28. “Is it fair that a student who
passed it the first time gets the
same grade as the student who
took 4 times to pass?”
Learning is NOT a contest, game or
competition. If we continue to organize it
that way we will always have students who
could succeed…but give-up.

29. SUGGESTION:
Let’s stop designating “Winners” and
“Losers” by treating academics like a
competition.
We know all of our students can learn.
ABCI Grading is a system that demands
that all students achieve at expectation.

30. READ THIS BOOK!
“Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assesing & Grading in the
Differentiated Classroom” by Rick Wormeli, NMSA (2006).

31. READ THIS BOOK!
“A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades”
by Ken O’Connor – ETS 2007.

32. ABCI GRADING…
…may NOT motivate EVERY child to be
achieve straight A’s.
However; it DOES reduce the pressure,
stress and other symptoms that steal
motivation away from students!
(and therefore helps retain HOPE and
BUILD EFFICACY)

33. The Bottom Line
ABCI GRADING FORCES STUDENTS TO
WORK HARDER AND SUCCEED.
ABCI GRADING FORCES TEACHERS
TO WORK HARDER AND DIFFERENTIATE.
…BOTH WITH TANGIBLE & LASTING
RESULTS!

34. DAVID FRENCK
ZEBULON GT MAGNET
MIDDLE SCHOOL
dfrenck@wcpss.net
(919) 404-3809