This year in Algebra 2 we'll be working more to provide opportunities to see how math is important in the modern world. We intentionally include more data-oriented topics and problems into the curriculum. These days, math isn’t just applied in the traditional careers of finance, science, and engineering; the ability to deal with data is increasingly important in more and more settings.
I feel I should also explain the grading system I (along with a group of other teachers) am piloting for PHS, as we strive to find a more equitable, informative measure of what skills our students are learning. This year in my Algebra 2 courses, assessments will be scored on a 0-4 scale. These numbers don't directly correlate with the letter grades A-F. Rather, they reflect different levels of competency for each of our content objectives.
A score of 0 represents either that the student does not meet expectations for the unit or that there is insufficient evidence to evaluate.
A score of 1 indicates that the student is approaching minimum expectations.
A score of 2 indicates that the student partially meets expectations.
A score of 3 indicates that the student meets the expectations.
A score of 4 indicates that the student exceeds expectations for that particular content objective.
Half-points may be awarded where appropriate. The overall score of 0-4 will be translated to percentages and letter grades at the end of the semester.
Importantly, homework completion and participation will be documented in the gradebook but will not be included in a student's overall grade. Grades are compiled based on assessments (tests, quizzes, and projects) ONLY. Most assessments will be open for retakes throughout the semester! If a student does poorly on any test, they may take it again (a second version) for a grade replacement. This policy aligns with our philosophy of learning through mistakes. And sometimes past concepts "click" while studying new content - that's a great time to go back and retake that past test. However: students should not go into any test with the intention of retaking it at a later date: studying for retakes while keeping up with current work could prove to be a heavy load.
Please see our course syllabus (on the Classwork page of our Google Classroom) for more details.