About this Class

Grading Structure & Gradebook

Gradebook items in Home Access Center are often updated ahead of time so that students can know in advance what items will be recorded for a grade, and if they still have them in their possession, to turn them in to the teacher ASAP.

The Due Dates on Home Access Center are not regularly updated, so students should check Course Documents page on this website, and then scroll down to see a list of assignments.

Gradebook Symbols

The following symbols are used regularly to keep track of assignments in the gradebook:

X Excused: This assignment was excused. It does not hurt your grade average, but it does not help it either.

Z (temporary zero) This assignment was not turned in when grades were put in. It can be turned in for partial credit (see Due Dates).

Dash: This assignment was turned in after corrected papers were returned to the class (see Due Dates). It is calculated as a 50.

Blank: This assignment is waiting to be graded.

0 (permanent zero): This assignment was either too late to be graded, or significant misconduct is suspected with this assignment.

Strikethrough: This grade was dropped automatically. This is usually a mark for the lowest several “Daily Grades”.

Occasionally this mark appears for “Blank” assignments.

Check for Understanding (Daily Grades) 20%

Quizzes

All quizzes are open-note, which includes any notes, handouts, and solved examples, and completed homework questions

Online Assignments

Several online assignments on various topics will be required as part of the student’s daily grades.

In-Class Daily Work

Classwork such as warm-up questions, Plicker questions, or simple exploration exercises may also be taken as a daily grade.

Relevant Assessments (Laboratory Experiments and Explorations) 30%

Relevant Assessments are usually Laboratory Experiments or other explorations. Students are responsible for asking questions whenever they are confused about any part of the assessment. This is true for the instructions, procedures, and any assessment questions that need to be completed.

Summative Assessments (Tests & Projects) 50%

Tests

Students can retake one failing test grade per grading period according to district policy. Students will only be able to retake tests during tutorials the second Monday after taking the test. Students are encouraged to come one or more days before that to look over the test and ask questions about things that they missed or got incorrect.

The maximum possible grade on a retest is capped at a 70. If you make between 100 and 70, your test grade is a 70. If you make 0-70 on the retest your test grade will be whichever is higher: your original test grade or your retest grade.

Projects

Group projects are assigned every nine-weeks. Students are not forced to work with any other student, but students are encouraged to find partners. 80-90% of the project should be completed outside of class, and students should not expect to get in-class time to complete any project. Projects must be assembled either at home or during tutoring times, and reports must be completed at home, in the library, or during tutoring time.

Extra Credit and Rounding

No separate extra credit assignments will be offered. No rounding will be done for report cards or semester grades. There are many opportunities for extra credit during assignments, so students who want extra credit, need to be working at it throughout the semester

Due Dates

All in-class assignments are due two days after starting them in class unless otherwise stated. Assignments should be very close to completed on the same day that they are assigned, but in order to allow time to ask clarifying questions to the teacher, or to correct mistakes in calculations, extra time is granted.

In-Class assignments completed on the same day may receive a few points for being on-task (early bird bonus—EBB). Online assignments completed earlier than the due date are usually eligible for a curve.

In-class assignments turned in after graded papers are returned will be accepted, but only for half credit (50 out of 100).

All online assignments are due the date that they are due. There may be a grace period, so it’s best to submit them anyway, but otherwise they will be a “permanent zero” in the gradebook if they are late.

Tutoring

Asking questions are a key portion of learning. No on-topic question is a stupid question, and all questions are welcome. Students are encouraged to ask questions as soon as they know that they are confused about a topic.

Come early, come often.

In order to create a balance between work and family needs, I can only stay for the entire late-bus tutoring (2:45-4:45) on Mondays. I understand that other clubs and responsibilities can prevent students from coming on a specific day, so I am willing to stay until 3:10 Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Thursday.