Talbot County Public Schools Announces New Grading Policy for 2026-2027

Talbot County, MD - Talbot County Public Schools has finished a year long review of its grading practices. The review included input from teachers, administrators, and families, and it will lead to new grading rules starting in the 2026-2027 school year.

For grades PreK through 5, every student will now be graded using a competency based scale. In the past, grades 3 through 5 received traditional letter grades, but now all elementary grades will use the same system.

The new scale rates students in five levels. Those levels are Surpassing Proficiency, Demonstrating Proficiency, Approaching Proficiency, Emerging, and Not Measured.

Each level shows how close a student is to meeting grade level expectations in a specific skill. TCPS says this gives a clearer picture of what a student can actually do, instead of boiling everything down to one letter.

Parents and guardians will also get more updates throughout each marking period. They will be able to see progress on individual assignments and observations in real time, rather than waiting until report cards come out.

Elementary grading will also look at more than test scores. Teachers will use work samples, performance based tasks, observations, and classroom assessments to evaluate both academic and developmental progress.

For grades 6 through 12, the way grades are weighted is changing. Formative work will now count for 40 percent of a student's grade, up from 30 percent, while summative work will count for 60 percent, down from 70 percent.

Grades 6 through 12 will keep traditional letter grades, A+ through F, along with an I or M for incomplete or missing work. Those letter grades will now be paired with a 4 point quality scale, and the district is removing the 50 percent floor that previously applied to individual assignment scores.

TCPS is also changing how and when teachers enter grades. Every unit must now include formative assessments before the related summative, giving students time to practice and get feedback first.

Teachers will be required to enter grades within 5 school days of submission. Longer assignments, like major projects, labs, or essays, can take up to 8 school days if that timeline is shared with students in advance.

Grades cannot be added in a way that significantly changes a student's overall grade near the end of a marking period unless it has already been documented and shared with the family. TCPS says this is meant to prevent last minute surprises.

Students will be able to turn in missing or incomplete formative work for full credit, as long as it is done before the related summative. Students who are present on a summative's due date must complete it that day or within 5 school days, unless a teacher approves an exception, though tests must still be completed on the day they are given if the student is present.

Reteaching and reassessment will only apply to formative work. It is required for any grade of D+ or below, and available upon request for a C- or above, but it must happen before the related summative and within the same marking period.

Summative assessments and final exams will not be eligible for retakes, except in verified extenuating circumstances or with principal approval. TCPS says the goal is to give students a path toward mastery while they are still learning a skill, without changing the meaning of a final grade.