Frequently Asked Questions

How does a parent, guardian, or student know what is going on each day in class?

I keep an up to date agenda slideshow on my website. It outlines the daily activities, assignments, due dates, and any other pertinent information. The calendar on Schoology will have assignments & test dates posted as well. The Daily Planner Page is a resource to provide a very brief description of what happened in each class. To see further details pertaining to science class (e.g. daily agenda, learning targets, assignments, future activities), please reference the Daily Slides.

Do you offer any additional help? How would they schedule this?

I offer before school help and during homeroom on Tuesdays and Fridays for students. There are sign-up sheets in class or on my website where students can schedule/sign up electronically. I do coach sports and have practice right after school, which will make me unavailable during those times of the year. Communication is key so both the student and myself can be prepared in utilizing our time efficiently and effectively.

Are there quiz/test make-ups or retakes? ... Extra credit? ...Anything else to regain lost points?

Students will not be able to regain points on formative assessments (20% of their grade). Formative assessments include class learning activities such as worksheets, labs, book questions, and check-ins. Points lost in the formative category are mainly due to incomplete/non participation in the learning activity.

Students will NOT be allowed to retake/redo summative projects. Detailed rubrics will be provided for each project to outline point values. As for summative assessments (Quizzes/tests), students are strongly encouraged to retake tests with a score below 70%. They have the choice to retake quizzes/tests once. Their retake score will be their new score, whether it’s better, same, or worse...But there's some things that they will need to do first before doing so.

How do I retake an assessment?

Students are able to retake only tests. Project retakes are not allowed.

To retake an assessment...first, students will need to schedule a date and time that they plan on taking it. They will pick up a "retake ticket" (located in class & online) & follow the directions.

Directions:

1. Create a new review sheet (ex. flash cards, outline, graphic organizer, etc.)

- The Notes/Objective packets do not count, but can use it as an information resource to create their review sheet.

2. Study at least 2 separate times

- Total studying time = minimum 1 hour

3. Get parent/guardian signature

4. Show up for retake date with ticket filled out & review sheet

- Need to turn in both to receive retake

What is the best way to prepare for the quizzes/tests?

Students should use multiple resources and medias in their review of the content. Preparation should be multiple days throughout the unit, not just the night before. It is vital for students in their preparation of quizzes/tests to be proactive in asking questions & seeking answers to the understandings of concepts that are still confusing to them.

It seems my child does much better on homework, labs, etc. than he or she does on the exam. Why is this happening?

There are numerous reasons for this. Many can blame test anxiety or just poor test taking. I tend to shy away from these explanations, not because they don't have any merit, but because some people use it as an excuse to not try to make improvements. The reality is, in every other type of assessment, besides the quiz/test, students have access to external information, people, or help they can use to get to a correct answer without needing to have the knowledge themselves. The test/quiz is the only assessment that the information has to solely come from the student's knowledge and understanding of the content. Students that use the homework, worksheets, labs and in class activities as a time to gain the knowledge/understandings and not just to "get it done" tend to do much better on tests/quizzes. All the practice opportunities in a unit are targeted to help students learn. But, they need to see it that way also. Otherwise, it becomes a scramble and a cram session before each quiz/test, which yields mixed results early on and poor results later as we draw on previous knowledge in future units.