Syllabus

Syllabus: Math Models and AQR

Mrs. Stoddard – Room A 116

Email: ystoddard@dentonisd.org

(972) 347-7700 Ext: 7762

Classroom Expectations / Procedures

1. 1. 1. Be on time and prepared to learn with a positive attitude.

      2. Be respectful to your peers, to the rules, and to our materials.

      3. It is okay to make mistakes, that is how we all learn!

      4. Communicate! If you want help, if you are having a tough day, or if you need anything.

      5. Always listen for instructions and follow along during class.

Supplies

• • Notebook

  • Pencils

  • Headphones with aux-connection for Chromebooks

Calculators

We use the TI 84 Plus CE calculators from Texas Instruments: we have a classroom set of calculators for use during practice work and tests. Students will not have access to these outside of class. Although it is rare that a student may need some of the advanced features, it may be a good idea to have a calculator for home use that has some of the functions. Most of these functions, such as SIN, COS, and TAN functions, can be found on smartphone calculators.

All classroom calculators are numbered, and since we occasionally adjust our seating chart, calculators will be assigned to each student matching the numbered seat they are currently sitting in. Each student is responsible for turning in his or her assigned calculator by the end of class, and students will not be allowed to leave until all are turned in. If for some reason, a calculator is missing and not returned by the end of any given period, that student will be accountable to find or replace that calculator. THEY ARE EXPENSIVE!

Canvas

Students will be using Canvas throughout the year to turn in assignments. This will be a helpful resource when a student has been absent. Each student is expected to be in the properly assigned Canvas, and parents are also invited through their student to monitor progress. Ask your student how to join.

Grading Procedures and Expectations

Students will be assessed throughout their learning process, and grades will be given in three ways:

1. Formative Assessments: These are made up of in-class practice or paperwork, which are not weighted in the overall average. Students and parents will still see a code in the grade book for these assignments, given on a scale from 0 to 4, based on the following rubric:

0 - not turned in, or totally incomplete

1 - less than 50% complete, with little to no understanding of the concepts

2 - less than 70% complete, with understanding of some concepts

3 - Complete, with understanding of most concepts

4 - Complete, showing mastery of concepts

Although these assignments will be weighted as 0% and do not affect their overall average, it is important that students complete them to enhance their learning. Also, students who have not completed these assignments prior to the end-of unit test will not be eligible to reassess.

2. Minor Summative Assessments: These are typically mid-unit quizzes or practice assignments given after instruction, or can be part of an end-of-unit exam covering readiness standards.

3. Major Summative Assessments: These are typically exams or projects that cover major standards, given at the end of a unit to test the students' understanding of the material. These grades will range from 0 to 100, with no minimum point value given.

A student's overall quarterly average will consist of only Major and Minor assessments, weighted using the following calculations:

• 60% Major Grades (Tests/Projects)

• 40% Minor Grades

During any nine-week grading period, students and parents can expect that at least 9 summative grades will be given, and as part of a standards-based assessment policy, some assessments may count as more than one grade. For example, an end of unit exam will most likely consist of a combination of both major and minor grades. With this in mind, it is common for multiple grades to be entered at once, rather than on a weekly basis. We try to update grades within two days of any assessment, but there may be weeks in which a summative grade is not entered.

Testing Procedures

Denton ISD has developed common assessments for all schools, given at the end of each unit of study. Although it is our desire to provide as much practice as possible during our class, it is our expectation that students prepare for these assessments outside of school, as well. Students are expected to complete all assigned homework, and we will make an online review available for each unit. Many times, I will assign problems from the review as homework, but there will be additional practice, too.

On the day of an end-of-unit assessment, students will be required to turn in phones to a designated area near my desk in order to receive their test. This will help to cut down on the possibility of cheating, and will help to remove any distractions. Once all tests are completed, students will be able to use their device.

Exams and quizzes are timed, and will be graded as-is once time has expired, unless there is paperwork to support extra time. Students will have one full class period (exceptions for 1st and 5th period) to complete end-of-unit exams. Minor quizzes will be short, and should be completed within 20-30 minutes, depending on the difficulty.

Re-Assessments

Any student that has not demonstrated mastery on a Major assessment may reassess, however, "mastery" is now defined as scoring a 90 or above. Thus, any student that has scored a 90 will not be eligible to retest. For those who scored less than 90, students MUST prove additional learning has taken place prior to the re-assessment, and MUST have completed ALL formative (homework and practice) assignments by the day of the initial assessment to be eligible. Student will receive 4 school days from the return of the initial assessment grade to complete any additional learning and re-assessment. There is only ONE opportunity to reassess.

Since most of our unit exams are divided into multiple sections, students may only need to reassess certain sections of the test. For example, a student may show mastery in one major topic on a multi-section test, but may have struggled in another section. The student will not be expected to reassess the full test, but may reassess only the section that was not mastered.

The reassessment requirements in Math Models and AQR are as follows:

• Students may reassess only major grade assessments, if they scored below 90. In some cases, a minor grade during the course of a unit may be replaced with the section grade on the end of unit test covering the same topic.

• The student must have completed all homework and practice assignments PRIOR to the initial test day.

• The student must complete reassessment work covering the sections on the test that need to be reassessed. This reassessment work will be shared with your student through Canvas.

• Students MUST complete the reassessment within 4 days of receiving their initial grade.

• After reassessment, the higher score of the two assessments (initial and reassessment) will be recorded, with a maximum score of 90.

Absences / Missing Assignments

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed and if there are any handouts that were given that day. All class notes or lesson slides will be shared with you via Canvas, but please see me in tutorials for a recap of what you missed. Our curriculum moves at a rapid pace, so each day's lesson is always important.

Students will not be exempt from taking an end-of-unit exam for an absence on the normal test day, unless the absence occurred one class day prior to the day of the exam, or multiple class days were missed during the unit. Of course, exceptions will be made for any extenuating circumstances, and these situations will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

If a summative assessment (test or quiz) is given on the day your student is absent, or your student did not take the test for any reason on the initial assessment day, the student will be required to attend tutorials to complete the assessment. The assessment will be deemed "missing" until completed. The expectations and procedures for missing assignments are as follows:

• A designation of MSG (missing) will be assigned in the grade book, which calculates as a ZERO toward the current overall average. This will trigger an automatic reminder email to student and parent.

• The student MUST attend at least one tutorial session to complete the assessment.

• The assessment must be completed within 5 school days.

• If any assessment is still missing after 5 days, the student will be referred to an administrator, and may be assigned consequences, including after-school detention or Saturday school.

• No missing assignment will be accepted after the end of the current grading period.

Cheating

Cheating has been a problem for us in the math classroom, and we take this very seriously. With this in mind, we have developed some safeguards to help prevent students from doing so. Unfortunately, it still happens occasionally, and if a student is caught cheating, there will be consequences administered as such:

• Student will receive a ZERO on the initial assessment, and will be required to take the reassessment within 4 days to receive their grade. There will be no reassessment opportunity thereafter.

• Parents will be notified.

• The students administrator will also be notified, who may document the case on the students permanent record. This record will follow the student through high school, which could affect a student's chances of getting into his or her preferred college.

Please encourage your student to be as prepared as possible for assessments, to avoid the temptation of using someone else's work. Giving information or test answers to others is also considered cheating, and the same consequences will apply to those that provide the information, as well.

Technology

Braswell is a BYOD campus; this means that students will be given the opportunity to use their device for educational purposes, if the lesson or activity allows. Use of technology in the classroom is entirely up to the teacher. At Braswell we will be using technology as a resource for learning, however non-academic use of technology will result loss of privileges, parent contact, seizure of device, etc. To make the technology use in class clear, I will be using a stoplight system.

Red light: No devices in use.

Yellow light: Use only when directed to use your device.

Green light: Whole class using devices for academic work.

If you are expecting an important text or phone call, please let me know. At no time will students be allowed to be on their devices during a lesson. Headphones will also not be allowed during class discussion or lessons. If students are able to use their personal headphones, only ONE earbud is allowed at any time in school.

This year, we will have the use of 15 chromebooks for our classroom, and will incorporate the use of those as much as possible. Students using these devices for anything not related to our classwork may lose this privilege for the entire grading period or semester.

As stated earlier, ALL PHONES WILL BE TURNED IN ON TEST DAYS. This is non-negotiable. On test days, the students will be expected to turn in phones to a designated location while testing, to cut down on distractions and the potential of cheating. Once the test has been completed, the student may retrieve the phone, but must remain quiet while others are testing. Any student caught with a phone during a test will automatically receive a ZERO for that assessment, and will be required to take the reassessment within the following 4 school days.