The semester is broken into three 6-Week grading terms. Each term is worth 25% of the course grade, and the Final Exam is the remaining 25%.
Here's the breakdown:
T1/T4: 25%
T2/T5: 25%
T3/T6: 25%
E1: 25%
Final Grade Breakdown:
A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = 59 and below
Daily / Homework - 20%
Smaller assignments due in 1 class period or the following day.
Activators (averaged together for 1 grade each grading period)
Most will be graded on 0 (missing), 50-100 scale unless otherwise noted [See below for a detailed rubric]
Most assignments (for example, ones we go over together) will be graded on completion; others will be graded for accuracy.
Extra Credit Opportunities points
Category Average counts as an additional Test Grade each 6 weeks.
Formative: 40%
Quizzes; Small projects (completed in a day or two)
Smaller writing assignments
Rubrics / expectations / guidelines will be provided from the start of any project or writing assignment.
Summative - 40%
Tests; Larger projects (completed over the course of many days)
Bigger writing assignments / research projects
Exam Prep (averaged together as one grade and curved)
Commonlit (averaged together as one grade and curved -- detailed constructed response scoring rubric and curve formula are provided below)
Quill (Individualized Grammar Study)
Rubrics / expectations / guidelines will be provided from the start of any project or writing assignment.
Students are expected to keep up with their grades via the Infinite Campus portal.
I grade things as quickly as possible. Mind you, I am only one person. So, the turnaround time between turning in and grading can vary.
Grades will be updated in Infinite Campus every Thursday.
Progress Reports will be issued periodically.
Extra Credit Opportunities will count as an additional Daily Grade each 6 weeks. The Extra Credit Opportunity grade will be worth 0 points, and any points you earn throughout the grading period will be added to this assignment grade. I will update it periodically.
Extra Credit Opportunities are built into assignments throughout the semester. Therefore, the best way to earn extra credit is to do the initial credit. Beyond that, any extra credit will be just that - EXTRA.
Additional Extra Credit Opportunities will not be extended if any regular assignments are missing except in extenuating circumstances on an individual basis.
As a general rule, Daily/Homework Grades should be completed the day assigned, or finished for homework and turned in at the start of the next class period. For a student who is present in class, Daily/Homework Grades will NOT be accepted late except under extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
Late work for Formative and Summative assessments will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. There will be a 10-point deduction for late Formative and Summative assessments, and they will not be accepted after two weeks past the due date
Note: late work will be graded with the urgency in which it was submitted. (In other words, the longer you take to turn in, the longer I take to grade).
In accordance with HCS Board Policy, makeup work for absences will be accepted. Makeup work should be completed within 3 days of returning from an absence. (3 days for each day absent, up to 2 weeks for an extended absence).
Makeup work will be placed in the makeup work drawer for your class period. When you return from an absence, simply check the drawer for assignment with your name written on them.
In order to stay on top of assignments and grades, students will complete a Weekly Wrap-Up Form. This form asks students to reflect on their class performance, participation, effort, and attendance, and encourages them to set goals for the next week.
There is also a section for students to request to submit missing assignments from the week for grading.
Each Weekly Wrap-Up form is worth an Extra Credit Opportunity of up to 20 points.
HCS Board Policy #4310 (“Integrity and Civility”) prohibits plagiarism and cheating.
The PHS Student Handbook states that any student who engages in or attempts to engage in plagiarism or falsification shall be subject to disciplinary action.
Cheating - the actual giving or receiving of any unauthorized assistance or the actual giving or receiving of an unfair advantage on any form of academic work
Plagiarism - the copying of the language, structure, idea, and/or thought of another and representing it as one’s own original work.
Falsification - the verbal or written statement of any untruth
Any student caught cheating, plagiarising, or falsifying information will be subject to the following consequences:
1st Offense: Warning; Guidance and Administration made aware; student will be allowed to re-submit the assignment for a maximum grade of a 60.
2nd Offense and Beyond: Office Referral; Parent/Guardian Contact; 0 on the assignment, and student will not be allowed to re-submit
The use of generative AI writing tools (such as ChatGPT, GrammarlyGO, GPT-3, GPT-4, BERT, or others) is prohibited in this class unless specified in an assignment or approved by me. Assignments for the course have been designed to help you develop as a writer without the use of these technologies. You will generate ideas, read, revise, and write on your own and/or in consultation with peers or me, and you will not use AI at any stage of your writing process unless specified in an assignment or approved by me. You are the author of your work for the course and authorship means you take responsibility for your words and claims. Any use of AI technologies in your work that are not specified in an assignment or approved by me will be considered an academic integrity violation and addressed accordingly.
Assignments can and will be run through AI detectors. Any assignment flagged as using AI on two or more detectors will result in an automatic 0 for the assignment.
Sometimes it may be necessary to gauge your understanding of a topic or skill in the moment. In order to do so, I will have you indicate the number corresponding with your understanding:
I don’t understand this yet
I am starting to understand but need more practice and assistance
I can do this on my own without help
I feel very confident and could teach someone about it
Activators should be completed within the first five minutes of class. You should not wait on me! Each Activator will consist of a passage (of varying lengths) with a question. Responses to each activator are in 3 parts: 1) Identifying the Key Words in in the question; 2) selecting the best answer choice; and 3) explaining the answer choice you chose and supporting evidence.
Activators are worth 5 points each with the possibility of 1 extra credit point. You will receive 1 point for identifying the key word, 1 point extra credit for identifying the best answer choice, and up to 4 points for your explanation:
0: you either left the assignment completely blank, or your response has nothing to do with the prompt.
1: your response is minimal (one word or one sentence response) and barely addresses the prompt
2: your response provides a basic understanding of the prompt, but it is only surface level and provides little to no insight; offers little to no evidence from the text
3: your response provides an adequate understanding of the prompt, and you provide adequate textual evidence in your response
4: your response provides a thorough understanding of the prompt, provides relevant textual evidence and explains the significance of the evidence used in connection with the prompt
Note: Activators will add up throughout the 6 weeks period for one Daily Grade.
0 (Missing): Assignment missing / not turned in.
50 (Incomplete): Assignment turned in. Mostly incomplete. Mostly inaccurate. Demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the topic/task. Remediation needed.
60 (Minimal): Assignment turned in. Assignment completed but with minimal effort. Slightly accurate but with major errors. Demonstrates a slight understanding of the topic/task. Remediation Needed.
70 (Developing): Assignment turned in. Assignment completed with some effort. Somewhat accurate but with a few errors. Demonstrates a developing understanding of the topic/task.
80 (Moderate): Assignment turned in. Assignment completed with moderate proficiency. Mostly accurate with a few slight errors. Demonstrates a moderate understanding of the topic/task.
90 (Proficient): Assignment turned in. Assignment completed with proficiency. Accurate with no noticeable errors. Demonstrates a proficient understanding of the topic/task. Assignment provides exemplary work effort.
100 (Exemplary): Assignment turned in. Demonstrates an exemplary understanding of the topic/task as well as exemplary work effort.
I understand that my daily journals for English I are academic journals and that the language and content of my journal entries should be professional. I will write school appropriate entries. I understand that inappropriate content could result in a zero for my grade and/or disciplinary action.
Assignments written in class must be made and attached to the assignment immediately before starting work on them. I reserve the right to assign a grade of zero for any work turned in that was not immediately created and attached to the assignment. Turn in written work as a Google document only - not as a pdf or Word document. Be sure to officially turn in your work.
Constructed response items in Commonlit are scored on a 0-4 basis. For the sake of clarity, here is what I will use to assign a score to your responses when I grade them. Your response will be graded for accuracy, completeness, and thoroughness.
0: you either left the assignment completely blank, or your response has nothing to do with the prompt.
1: your response is minimal (one word or one sentence response) and barely addresses the prompt
2: your response provides a basic understanding of the prompt, but it is only surface level and provides little to no insight; offers little to no evidence from the text
3: your response provides an adequate understanding of the prompt, and you provide adequate textual evidence in your response
4: your response provides a thorough understanding of the prompt, provides relevant textual evidence and explains the significance of the evidence used in connection with the prompt
Note: I will take the average of CommonLit assignments for each grading period as 1 Formative grade; I will curve the average by using the following formula: (√x) * 10.5. This formula allows for built-in extra credit of up to 5 points!