Grading Criteria

All assignments are worth a pre-determined number of points. You earn points based on the completion, quality, and accuracy of your work. PlusPortals will be updated on a regular basis. Your grade will be determined by a variety of factors throughout the year, including the following:

Assessments (such as the ones identified below) make up 80-90% of your quarter grade:

• Labs and lab reports
• Research papers, including proper citation
• Quizzes/tests
  • You must finish a quiz or test on the day you start it - no exceptions!
• Projects and presentations - group and individual

The remaining 10-20% of your quarter grade is determined by the following:

• Homework (see policy below)
• Class participation (see guidelines below)

Additionally, Mid-year and Final Exams are each worth 10% of your final grade; (each quarter is 20%)

Homework Policy

Homework is assigned to help you prepare for the next class and/or review and apply information from the previous class. Completing homework helps you understand the material and become a more critical thinker. All homework assignments should be completed to the best of your ability. Homework assignments must be completed before class starts in order to earn full credit. The only homework assignments that will be accepted late for full credit are video or textbook notes; content notes must be completed and shown to the teacher before the unit test to receive credit.

Assignments that are collected (such as lab reports, papers, or projects) will be accepted late (up to one week), but there is a 10% penalty each day that the assignment is late. For example, if an assignment is worth 40 points and due on Tuesday, the student can earn up to 36 points if turned in on Wednesday but only 32 points if turned in on Thursday.

Class Participation

As mentioned above, class participation is an important part of your grade. The following acts as a guideline for how students earn class participation grades:

An A student...

• regularly initiates discussions
• is familiar with the course work and is prepared to raise questions and engage with other students during discussions
• does not monopolize class time or talk for the sake of talking
• shows respect and thoughtfulness in all interactions
• does not rely on the teacher to set the agenda for discussion but is able to be a self-starter

A B student...

• participates regularly and productively in discussions
• is prepared and willing to engage with others in a respectful manner

A C student...

• participates occasionally in discussions
• is prepared for class but does not indicate that much thought has been given to the coursework

A D student...

• contributes infrequently in discussions
• does not show preparation in coursework
• demonstrates a disrespectful attitude in the classroom

An F student...

• does not attend classes or shows extreme disrespect to classmates or the teacher