Grades & Report Cards

Promotion

Student placement and promotion decisions are based on student achievement and a careful review of student records. Decisions are made through a collaborative process involving school staff and parents.

Parents may request conferences with teachers at any time to discuss concerns regarding placement and progress related to their child's instructional program.

In the elementary grades, students are promoted from one grade to the next as they progress through the essential curriculum toward the attainment of essential goals in all subject areas.

In grades 6-8, FCPS promotes a student who passes all subjects or fails only one of the four core (major) subjects for the year. FCPS offers summer school on a limited basis to middle school students who need to repeat a core subject course. Summer offerings vary year to year depending on enrollment, teacher availability, overall program needs and resources. A student who fails all four major subjects for the year will not be promoted. Promotion recommendations for students who receive passing grades only in the major subjects will be based on careful review of student records.

High school students must show progress toward meeting state and local graduation requirements. Student promotion to the next grade level is based on the number of credits earned as of the start of the school year. The minimum number of credits that must be earned for promotion is as follows:

  • Promotion to grade 10: 6 credits
  • Promotion to grade 11: 12 credits
  • Promotion to grade 12: 18 credits
  • Students who do not have the required number of credits by the end of the school year may earn additional credit in summer school.

In some cases, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, which includes parents, may be responsible for promotion decisions regarding special education students.

See Regulation 500-10.

Honor Roll

A sign of excellence, the Honor Roll recognizes students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievements. In order to be included on the local school's academic honor roll, the student must meet certain criteria:

  • The student must not have earned an I (incomplete) or below a C.
  • The student must have earned no more than one C.
  • Any C must be balanced by an A, course for course.
  • All students, except seniors, must be enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits.

All courses are weighted equally. The principal sets up a procedure and assigns staff to establish the honor roll. The honor roll is validated and published by the principal.

The honor roll has two categories:

  • First Honors--grade point average of 4.0.
  • Second Honors--grade point average of 3.0-3.9.

See Regulation 400-14.

Grades Online

FCPS uses the Schoology learning management system for access to elementary, middle and high school grades from any internet-connected device. After grading and entering assignments and assessments, both students and parents can view grades in the Grade Report screen.  Schoology organizes data for convenient online viewing. Parents/students can sign up for timely notifications via email or text message about student progress. ★

Assignment grades will be visible for PK-12 while course averages will be available for Grades 6-12.

To learn more about Schoology and parent accounts, please visit: www.fcps.org/schoology.

Report Cards

Report cards are issued four times during the year to ­communicate students’ term grades and other classroom achievement information. Report card formats vary with the student's grade level. There are different report cards for pre-k through 5th grade. Middle schools use one format for all students in grades 6-8. High schools use one format for grades 9-12.

Report Card Examples

1st Grade
Understanding the Report Cards
(1 page guides to the new Report Cards)

Interim Reports

Interim reports may be issued between report cards and at any time throughout the year to notify ­students and parents about a significant decline or improvement in performance or to indicate a unique ­problem that may require attention. Parents or guardians must sign and return interim reports of unsatisfactory or declining performance within five days.

Important 2022-23 Dates

Dates may change due to school closings:

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4
Mid-Term

September 16

Mid-Term November 30 Mid-Term February 15 Mid-Term April 28
Interims Issued September 26 Interims Issued December 8 Interims Issued February 24 Interims Issued May 8
Term Ends October 19 Term Ends January 10 Term Ends March 21 Term Ends June 1 - June 8**
Report Cards Issued

November 1

Report Cards Issued January 24 Report Cards Issued

April 4

Report Cards Issued

June 1*

* Elementary report cards are issued the last day of school.
** Depending on days closed due to inclement weather.
All dates may change due to school closings.

Transcripts are official records of high school credit courses taken, final grades and credits earned. Each student's cumulative weighted and unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA), class ranking and attendance are included on the transcript. A high school student's marking term GPA is included on each report card. The cumulative GPA is included on the end-of-year report card. Contact your school counselor for more information about transcripts or to request an official copy of a transcript.

Also see Understanding GPAs.