Meaning & use
grading period
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Meaning
nouncountableAmerican
A fixed length of time, such as a term or quarter, at the end of which students receive grades.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a grading period' or 'three grading periods'; it is usually written with 'the' in school contexts.
Patterns
- during the grading period
- at the end of the grading period
- the first grading period
Report cards go out at the end of each grading period.
She improved her math score in the second grading period.
Teachers must enter all marks before the grading period closes.
Word forms
| plural | grading periods |
|---|
Common combinations
- the end of the grading period
- Grades are due at the end of the grading period.
- during the grading period
- Students may retake one test during the grading period.
- the current grading period
- Check the calendar for the current grading period.
- a six-week grading period
- Our school uses a six-week grading period.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: grading period or marking period?
grading period vs marking period
A very close American synonym; 'grading period' stresses the grades given, while 'marking period' stresses the marking of work.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'grading period' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Grading period' means a school term that ends in grades, so a parents' meeting at its end fits. Option 1 and 4 confuse it with 'gradient' (a slope), and option 3 uses it as a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “grading period”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.