Each unit will have multiple formative assessments and 1-2 summative assessments. (more info in HS Handbook)
Formative assessments are tools for learning. They are given to help you (and your teacher) see how effectively your learning is progressing, so that adjustments can be made. Formative assessments don't generally count toward your class grade except in rare cases where the summative work does not provide a definitive picture.
Summative assessments will be used to determine a final grade
Summative work will be categorized by three Assessment Objectives that are recorded separately in PowerSchool to track your progress in these areas:
Scientific Knowledge (SK) - Conceptual understanding, application, and explanation of scientific principles
Experimental Skills (ES) - Design, analysis and evaluation of scientific investigations
Computational Skills (CS) - Knowledge and use of Python programming to solve scientific challenges
Weighting of final grade
Your final grade for the course will be based on 4 categories of summative assessments, that correspond to the assessment objectives above.
TESTS on Biology & Environmental Science (SK=Scientific Knowledge) make up 50% of your final grade
LABS (ES=Experimental Skills) make up 15% of your final grade
CODING (CS=Computer Science) makes up 20% of your final grade
The FINAL EXAM (in May) will make up 15% of your final grade
How your grade is calculated
Each summative assessment you take adds points to the total you've earned in that particular assessment objective. E.g. since Scientific Knowledge (tests) is weighted at 50% of your course grade, your total percentage of points earned in that category count for 50% of your overall grade. (See an example here)
Course Grade
This is a full-year course, meaning you will end up with just one permanent overall grade at the end. The "report card" in December will only indicate your progress at that point, and will be replaced by your final mark in June. (see more on JIS HS Grading Principles & Practices here)
A* A grading scale will be used to translate between percentage scores and letter grades. The grading scale for this class is:
A* = 90 - 100%
A = 80 - 89%
B = 65 - 79%
C = 50 - 64%
D = 35 - 49%
F = 0 - 34%
Further details on the grade scale are available here.