We believe that students should learn to work for the love of knowledge, the excitement of discovery and the joy of using their minds effectively. All students and their parents receive a full set of detailed written reports six times a year. Written evaluations are specific and intended to indicate to the student her level of achievement.
The College Counseling office shows the transcript including grades to Juniors during their winter trimester. At the end of each marking period, the academic dean and class deans will evaluate students’ academic standing and determine whether a student should be moved onto Academic Warning or Academic Probation based on grades and effort marks. Before grades are submitted to the academic office, seniors and second-trimester juniors have the opportunity to meet with their teachers to discuss their grades and academic standing.
Academic Grades
Academic grades are recorded as letter grades (A+ – E). Students do not learn their academic grades until the spring of their Junior year.
Engagement Assessment
Learning requires many forms of engagement on the part of the student. Teachers at The Putney School assess students on their engagement in each class using the guidelines below and report their observations through an “Engagement Score.” These engagement scores are feedback for students, advisors, and parents. Engagement scores do not get recorded on transcripts.
- The student’s observable behaviors make it clear to the teacher that the student is actively engaged in learning.
- The student’s observable behaviors show that the student is actively engaged in learning some of the time. The student needs to become more consistent.
- Based on observable behaviors, the student is not meeting the teacher’s expectations for engagement in learning.
Participation
Of the core values of The Putney School, participation is perhaps most essential to the success of our daily endeavors. All of our programs—from classes to assemblies, Evening Arts to Sing, and sports to work—are designed to be most enjoyable and most effective with everyone present. Students are expected to participate fully.
Transcripts
The Putney transcript records course grades for each trimester as well as the final grade for each course. The student’s record of participation in the nonacademic programs of the school is also recorded. During the winter trimester, juniors receive an unofficial copy of their transcript as part of the college planning course. In the fall or early winter of the senior year, students request that an official copy of the transcript be sent to colleges to which they have applied.