Important grading reminders for parents and students

Hi Parents and Students

With grading approaching, here are a few important reminders:

What are gradings?

A grading is the test a student must pass to attain the next belt level. Students are examined on all areas of Taekwon-Do practised in class. To be permitted to grade, a student must:

• attain the required level of skill for the next level
• attend at least the minimum number of classes
• display good attitude and behaviour
• submit a completed report sheet (children only)
• pay the grading fee.

The minimum number of classes is:

• for mini-kids grades from first green to first black, 7  sessions
• for mini-kids grades from yellow stripe to triple yellow stripe, 12 sessions
• for 10th gup to 5th gup, 24 sessions
• for 4th gup to 2nd gup, 32 sessions

Gradings are conducted by a nationally qualified examiner (usually Mr Banicevich). Coloured belt gradings are in the final week of each school term.

How do I know whether I’m grading?

Two weeks before grading (week 8 of each term), class instructors “pregrade” students. Students who pass the pregrading and will meet all other requirements will be invoiced for grading. We also give students verbal feedback, although children often get confused about whether they are grading.

If you receive an invoice after pregrading, you are eligible to grade. (In a few rare cases, the instructor may think the student is borderline, and may later decide not to put the student up to grade. If this happens, excess grading fees will be refunded.)

If the invoice is for $20, the grading is for a children’s syllabus rank. If it is for a greater fee ($60-$90), the grading is for a formal grade. (Coloured belt grading fees are the main source of revenue for the NZ association.)

Note, if you have more than one person in your family grading together, the second and subsequent students get a $25 discount on formal grading fees. This does not apply to Kubz grading fees or mini-grading fees.

All children must submit a completed report sheet at the end of every term. With this sheet, we want to ensure that we are supporting parents and teachers. A student with a “poor” result from his/her parent or teacher will not be permitted to grade.

Note: permission to grade does not guarantee that a student will pass the grading.

For more information about the belt system, refer to the welcome document.