ACADEMIC RESOURCES

Resources and class materials, assignments, calendars and other instructional materials will be provided in class and the Google Classroom (GC). Everything you require will be online for you to access in the google classroom. I will provide you with all the necessary instruction to utilize the online content, but the course will also be performed with hands-on and paper-pencil activities.

BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS

• • Students will treat the teacher and their fellow students with respect and dignity. It is expected you act responsibly and professionally in both the classroom and in the laboratory. 

  • Students are to follow the Heritage High School Attendance & Tardy Policy. If a student is tardy to class unexcused, they must sign the tardy list and then clean the lab station assigned, and then they may join the class.

  • Cell phones of students will be placed into the bag at the front of the classroom once they enter the room. Failure to place the actual working phone into the bag is a violation (DO NOT place a case or burner phone into the bag while keeping your real phone) and will result in administration referral. Once students complete work to the satisfaction of the instructor, students may gather their phone from their bag in the final moments of the class period. Students are responsible for the security of their phones in the bag and must understand they are considered to be in their own possession when in the bag.

  • Cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices must be used in a responsible, productive, and educative manner. Do not have any electronic device out during directed instruction, students must have their complete attention on the instructor and the information at this time. Students are required to regulate their own behavior when being allowed to access their electronic devices. Parents and administration will be contacted over problematic behavior.

  • Food and drink are NEVER allowed in the lab area. Water is acceptable in the classroom area. 

  • Students must act in accordance with the safety policies and signed agreement for participating in the laboratory setting. There is a zero tolerance for dangerous and disruptive behavior in the laboratory while working with heat, electricity, and corrosive and toxic chemicals. 

GRADING POLICIES

Students are expected to complete in class assignments as well as online homework assignments. 

GRADING SCALE

A = 100%-90% 

B = 89%-80%     

C = 79%-70% 

D = 69%-60%     

F = 59% and lower

If questions should arise about a grade, students should ask before or after class or see me during office hours.  I will post grades as quickly as I can on Infinite Campus.  I will round up to closest integer when making final marks.

GRADING CATEGORIES

Testing = 55% 

Lab Reports = 30%     

Classwork/HW = 15% 

REMEDIATION OF PERFORMANCE ON ASSESSMENTS:

If you receive a below-average or a failing grade on a test, students are given a chance to perform test corrections and may bring their grade up a single letter-grade, at a maximum of a 74%. (Example: A test of a 53% can be raised up to a 63% score with instructor-approved work.) Test corrections must be performed in class only, and each of the questions must be fully written out on notebook paper with a satisfactory completion of questions missed on the original exam. The instructor reserves the full right to restore or deny credit based on student performance. Test corrections cannot be performed on the final exam.

REGARDING ASSIGNMENTS & TESTING

• 1. You should expect to actively work and participate every day you attend. 

     • All work will be submitted online to google classroom. Students are to sign their name on the form to verify it is their work submitted. A digital portfolio of your work will be created throughout the semester. Students must keep the hard copy of their work organized in their notebook for notebook checks and audits of student progress.

     • Infinite Campus will show your grade in the course. Work you turn in on google classroom will be graded on google classroom, and those scores will be added to the overall total in Infinite Campus. 

     • Answer keys are often posted on the google classroom for your aid, but the entirety of the written work is expected for credit on all assignments. If you are still unsure about how to complete an assignment, it is your responsibility to get extra help ASAP!  Chemistry builds on itself; you must keep up with the material for success.

     • Late work that is submitted to google classroom requires an email to the instructor to request grading. Please include your name, period, and the assignment number you wish to have graded. Late work can take between 1-5 business to update typically.

  2. Your assignments and materials are posted to the Google Classroom each class. It is your responsibility to get all make-up work.  There is a Google Calendar with the topics of study and important testing dates.  

  3. Late work is accepted by the instructor. Late work penalties will begin at 10% and will increase 10% each additional week it is late to a maximum of 50% penalty. Students must email me if they want late work graded to notify me that the work is ready, please include the assignment number and description in the email correspondence. Students who have requested extensions or spoken to the instructor about special circumstances will be exempted from the standard late penalties.

  4. Work missed due to an excused absence can be made up for full credit; you have two days to make up the work for every day missed. For unexcused absences, the work can be made up for a maximum of 50% credit of your earned grade within two days of the absence.

  5. If you are suspended, missed work can be made up for full credit. You have two days for each day missed. It is your responsibility to get the make-up work posted to google classroom (GC).

  6. Extensions (extra-time) on assigned work may be granted if an email request is sent by 11:59 PM the day before a test or an assignment is due. This is for specific circumstances or emergencies that we encounter in life and I will generally honor the request and count work on time without penalty.

  7. Laboratory is an essential component of the course and lab summaries, write-ups, and reports will be incorporated into the semester grade. Labs are a substantial portion of the grade total. Students are required to makeup labs in a timely manner as materials and equipment will be put away within a week of the lab exercise. I can work with students with absences from sports and other extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis to provide accessible learning.

  8. Students with documented special needs, conditions, and or accommodations will be provided a suitable learning environment. Students and families are encouraged to privately speak with me so we can determine the best method of providing you with the necessary requirements for you to succeed in the class and lab. I will always honor and provide accommodations for students' needs and ensure a rich opportunity to learn.

  9. Infinite campus (IC) assignments correspond with dates from the Google Classroom for ease of finding materials. “Blank marks” in the IC are not yet graded, “M” or a "0" (zero score) is an assignment that you have not turned in but still may turn in. Please email the teacher if you would like to have a late assignment graded once it is turned in.

Regarding Testing:

• 10. A missed test or quiz due to an excused absence will be administered the day you return unless extenuating circumstances exist. If extenuating circumstances occur, please email me to provide basic explanations so that conversations are kept private regarding your personal business. I will grant postponements or exemptions for proper circumstances, such as family emergencies.

  11. Unexcused absences will result the failure of the exam. A student may perform test corrections in order to earn a 60% as the maximum score.

  12. If a student is absent the day prior to a test or quiz, the student will take the test on the scheduled day. Classes prior to testing are reserved for catching up and studying for the exam and no new information will be covered. Absent students can access all the review materials on google classroom and are expected to prepare for the exam. 

  13. If a student is absent two consecutive classes prior to the exam, the student will test the second class after their return. This will allow for the student to learn the missed material and then study for the exam.

  14. If a student refuses to take an exam, the score will be a zero. An opportunity to perform test corrections with a maximum score of 60% can be earned.

LATE WORK SUBMISSIONS ON GOOGLE CLASSROOM

Late Work Submission Policy: After you submit your late work to your google classroom (GC) account, please email the teacher at  jbehrmann@lps.k12.co.us and include in the title of the email "LATE WORK". Please include the assignment(s) number(s) and name(s), and your class period in the email. Once I receive the email, it may take up to 5-business days to update the scores.  

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Sharing ideas and helping each other is encouraged when learning or practicing.  HOWEVER, final answers on graded work such as labs, homework, online assignments, quizzes, and tests should be COMPLETELY ON YOUR OWN.  

When solving problems you must show all of your work for credit; in free response questions you must properly explain and demonstrate understanding of the question without ambiguity.  

Cheating will NOT be tolerated and will result in a zero for all students involved along with an academic referral to the administration and additional discipline. I will reserve judgement in the determination if an event is considered a violation of the cheating policy or whether the work may be accepted for credit.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) on submitted work is generally unacceptable, and will likely be a cheating infraction. The use of AI to practice, learn, and obtain feedback is probably acceptable. Humans have a remarkable sense of fairness and judgement, which allows independent jurors to conclude the morality of a circumstance. To simply this process, I will be the Judge-"Judy"-and-Executioner on the use of AI on the submitted work, which I am likely to say is cheating. It is best to learn with your amazing brain than it is with a weird AI program that has hallucination problems.