Parent Orientation (Summer School)
7. The Holistic Tier — Engagement and Faith-in-Action
Calvary Preparatory Academy — Parent Orientation — Page 7 of 10
The Holistic Tier — Engagement and Faith-in-Action
The holistic tier is what makes CPA’s grading model unique. These three categories measure your student as a whole person — not just their academic performance in any one subject.
How the holistic tier works
The three holistic tier categories — Meeting Attendance, Regular Engagement, and Faith-in-Action — are scored once and applied equally to every course your student is enrolled in. A student taking five courses does not have five separate engagement scores. Their character, consistency, and faith engagement follow them across all their classes as one unified measure.
How holistic scores apply across multiple courses
If your student is enrolled in three courses and earns 90% on Meeting Attendance, that 90% contributes to the meeting attendance component of all three course grades simultaneously. The holistic tier rewards whole-person investment that transcends any individual subject.
Regular Engagement — 5% of overall grade
This category measures how consistently your student engages with their schoolwork throughout each week. The goal is not just whether work gets done — it is whether your student is showing up regularly and distributing effort across multiple days rather than cramming.
For full-time students, engagement is assessed through both Daily Discussion Forum participation and digital textbook login activity. DDF is required daily. Missing posts may reduce the engagement score at teacher discretion even if textbook activity is strong.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 5/5 | Strong consistent engagement throughout the week. DDF and textbook both active across multiple days. |
| 3–4/5 | Moderate engagement. Present most days but not fully consistent. |
| 1–2/5 | Minimal engagement. Work concentrated in one or two sessions. |
| 0/5 | No engagement recorded for the week. |
Faith-Based Community Values in Action (Faith-in-Action) — 5% of overall grade
Each section, as part of the pre-meeting reflection, your student identifies one of ten ESLR faith-in-action standards and describes a specific way they put it into practice that week — at school, at home, or in the community. This is the applied expression of Faith-Based Community Values in Action.
This category is designed to be accessible to all students regardless of faith background. Non-Christian students can earn full credit by demonstrating genuine character, ethical behavior, and community values in practice. The scoring is simple:
| Level | What it looks like | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Full credit | Specific genuine description of faith or values in action + one concrete growth step for next section. | 100% |
| Partial credit | Submitted but vague or missing the growth step. Something genuine was attempted. | 50% |
| No credit | Not submitted or clearly hollow. | 0% |
How you can support these categories at home
[Morning]
Build the DDF habit
A quick morning check-in — "Have you posted in the forum yet?" — takes 30 seconds and builds a habit that protects 5% of your student's grade.
[Talk]
Ask about faith in action
Ask your student which standard they picked this section and what they did. This conversation deepens their reflection and helps them write a more genuine entry.
[Serve]
Create serving opportunities
Service activities, encouragement of classmates, and community involvement are all qualifying Faith-in-Action venues. A family that serves together is literally helping your student's grade.