Mr. Kertes Fall 2026-27 (Semester 1)
English First Peoples 10 – New Media and Literary Studies
Philosophy 12
Proficiency Scale for Grade 9 Courses
Grading Scale for Grades 10, 11, and 12
Sample Comments
C- (50) You are meeting the requirements of the course and are demonstrating an understanding of the key concepts and application of the key skills at the level required to pass. You completed 8 quizzes and 8 journal activities. You completed the mid-term exam and the final exam, including 2 learning stories. You completed 6 reading packets. You completed the self-assessment exercise and student-led conference. Your strengths are _________. To improve, ________.
C (65) Your performance demonstrates a satisfactory level of understanding of the key concepts and application of the key skills for the course. Your overall quality is satisfactory and you have demonstrated that you can read and write to learn key ideas and to remember what you are learning throughout the course. You applied the Five Fs and Levels of Analysis to your work. You completed 8 quizzes and 8 journal activities, which demonstrated pre-reading, note taking, comprehension, and other high school level reading strategies. You completed 6 reading packets. Your work demonstrated that you can remember key ideas and that you include details to describe and summarize. You completed the mid-term exam and demonstrated that you can recall the key concepts, apply the key skills, and use reading and writing to help organize your thoughts. You demonstrated that you are making progress in your systems thinking and application of rigorous research methods. You completed the mid-term exam and the final exam, including 2 learning stories. You completed 6 reading packets. You participated in, and helped lead, seminars and discussions. You completed the self-assessment exercise and student-led conference. Your strengths are _________. To improve, ________.
B (75) Your performance demonstrates a very good level of understanding of the key concepts and an independent application of the key skills. Your overall quality is very good. You have demonstrated that you can independently and consistently read and write to learn key ideas and to remember what you are learning throughout the course. You are also applying reading and writing to develop your own theories that explain how or why, using the Levels of Analysis and by applying synthesis when reading a complex text. You demonstrate systems thinking and rigour in your research. You applied the Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, Seven Cs, and approached reading as a process for producing knowledge by applying critical thinking skills and synthesis to your reading and research. You applied pre-reading strategies, came to class prepared to discuss your own theories of the text and to ask questions aimed at deepening your learning and understanding. Your reading, writing, and researching skills focused on making sense of, connecting to, and reflecting on the value of the texts. You applied synthesis and systems thinking to all aspects of your own learning. You completed 8 quizzes and 8 journal activities, which demonstrated pre-reading, note taking, comprehension, and other high school and pre-university level reading strategies. You completed the presentation, synthesis essay, and expository essay. You participated in, and helped lead, seminars and discussions. You provided strong thematic and contextual connections in your responses on the mid-term and final exam. You also provided clear analysis on the significance and value of arguments and theories covered in the exams. You came prepared to add to the conversation, which included knowing how to apply your knowledge of the topic of discussion. Your essays and presentations were at the very good level of quality, applying the Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, and Seven Cs. You also demonstrated use of revision and other aspects of the writing process in the development of your thesis. You completed the self-assessment exercise and student-led conference. Your strengths are _________. To improve, ________.
B (85) Your performance demonstrates a very good level of understanding of the key concepts and an independent application of the key skills. Your overall quality is very good. You have demonstrated that you can independently and consistently read and write to learn key ideas and to remember what you are learning throughout the course. You are also applying reading and writing to develop your own theories that explain how or why, using the Levels of Analysis and by applying synthesis when reading a complex text. You demonstrate systems thinking and rigour in your research. You applied the Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, Seven Cs, and approached reading as a process for producing knowledge by applying critical thinking skills and synthesis to your reading and research. You applied pre-reading strategies, came to class prepared to discuss your own theories of the text and to ask questions aimed at deepening your learning and understanding. Your reading, writing, and researching skills focused on making sense of, connecting to, and reflecting on the value of the texts. You applied synthesis and systems thinking to all aspects of your own learning. You completed 8 quizzes and 8 journal activities, which demonstrated pre-reading, note taking, comprehension, and other high school and pre-university level reading strategies. You completed the presentation, synthesis essay, and expository essay. You participated in, and helped lead, seminars and discussions. You provided strong thematic and contextual connections in your responses on the mid-term and final exam. You also provided clear analysis on the significance and value of arguments and theories covered in the exams.You came prepared to add to the conversation, which included knowing how to apply your knowledge of the topic of discussion. Your essays and presentations were at the very good level of quality, applying the Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, and Seven Cs. The theories that you developed in these and other course exercises and assignments reflects understanding of how the question you ask relates to practical applications that take multiple points of view into account, meaning that you pay special attention to counter arguments and significance in your writing and presentations. You completed the self-assessment exercise and student-led conference. Your strengths are _________. To improve, ________.
A (88) Your performance demonstrates an excellent level of understanding of the key concepts and an independent application of the key skills. Your overall quality is very good. You have demonstrated that you can independently and consistently read and write to learn key ideas and to remember what you are learning throughout the course. You are also applying reading and writing to develop your own theories that explain how or why, using the Levels of Analysis and by applying synthesis when reading a complex text. You demonstrate systems thinking and rigour in your research. You applied the Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, Seven Cs, and approached reading as a process for producing knowledge by applying critical thinking skills and synthesis to your reading and research. You applied pre-reading strategies, came to class prepared to discuss your own theories of the text and to ask questions aimed at deepening your learning and understanding. Your reading, writing, and researching skills focused on making sense of, connecting to, and reflecting on the value of the texts. You applied synthesis and systems thinking to all aspects of your own learning, at the level of mastery (meaning that you demonstrated skills and undemanding access contexts, at the level that you could teach it to others). You completed 8 quizzes and 8 journal activities, which demonstrated pre-reading, note taking, comprehension, and other high school and pre-university level reading strategies. You completed the presentation, synthesis essay, and expository essay. You participated in, and helped lead, seminars and discussions. You provided a synthesis of the main theories and related knowledge in your responses on the mid-term and final exam. You also provided clear metacognitive analysis that explained your own thinking in your responses to the exams.You came prepared to add to the conversation, which included knowing how to apply your knowledge of the topic of discussion. Your essays and presentations were at the very good level of quality, applying the Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, and Seven Cs. The theories that you developed in these and other course exercises and assignments reflects understanding of how the question you ask relates to practical applications that take multiple points of view into account, meaning that you pay special attention to counter arguments and significance in your writing and presentations. In addition, you pay special attention to writing a concise, coherent, and cohesive paper without excluding anything that is significant; at this level your style and other elements of writing not only convey meaning but also elegance, meaning that the paper “comes to life” in a way that is uniquely yours while also especially focused on the key skills and concepts that you were asked to focus on in the prompts. You completed the self-assessment exercise and student-led conference. Your strengths are _________. To improve, ________.
A (97) Your performance demonstrates an outstanding level of understanding of the key concepts and an independent application of the key skills. Your overall quality is very good. You have demonstrated that you can independently and consistently read and write to learn key ideas and to remember what you are learning throughout the course. You are also applying reading and writing to develop your own theories that explain how or why, using the Levels of Analysis and by applying synthesis when reading a complex text. You demonstrate systems thinking and rigour in your research. You applied the Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, Seven Cs, and approached reading as a process for producing knowledge by applying critical thinking skills and synthesis to your reading and research. You applied pre-reading strategies, came to class prepared to discuss your own theories of the text and to ask questions aimed at deepening your learning and understanding. Your reading, writing, and researching skills focused on making sense of, connecting to, and reflecting on the value of the texts. You applied synthesis and systems thinking to all aspects of your own learning, at the level of mastery (meaning that you demonstrated skills and undemanding access contexts, at the level that you could teach it to others). You completed 8 quizzes and 8 journal activities, which demonstrated pre-reading, note taking, comprehension, and other high school and pre-university level reading strategies. You completed the presentation, synthesis essay, and expository essay. You participated in, and helped lead, seminars and discussions. You provided a synthesis of the main theories and related knowledge in your responses on the mid-term and final exam. You also provided clear metacognitive analysis that explained your own thinking in your responses to the exams.You came prepared to add to the conversation, which included knowing how to apply your knowledge of the topic of discussion. Your essays and presentations were at the very good level of quality, applying the Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, and Seven Cs. The theories that you developed in these and other course exercises and assignments reflects understanding of how the question you ask relates to practical applications that take multiple points of view into account, meaning that you pay special attention to counter arguments and significance in your writing and presentations. You pay special attention to writing a concise, coherent, and cohesive paper without excluding anything that is significant; at this level your style and other elements of writing not only convey meaning but also elegance, meaning that the paper “comes to life” in a way that is uniquely yours while also especially focused on the key skills and concepts that you were asked to focus on in the prompts. Your presentation and papers were unique and original contributions to high-school level scholarship, making the paper not only elegant and persuasive, but also memorable and leaving the reader satisfied but wanting more. Your analysis, evidence, logic, and organization helped you clearly synthesize the key theories and skills, which you demonstrated throughout the term. Outstanding quality work! You completed the self-assessment exercise and student-led conference. Your strengths are _________. To improve, ________.
Five Fs
