Syllabus

Being honest about the work you submit is not only important in this class, but in life overall. People work hard to create things and to use another person's ideas/work without giving them credit is not only dishonest but it is also considered intellectual theft (you are stealing another's hard work). 

• At college or university, you will be kicked out of school for plagiarizing. 

• In the real world, you will be fired and/or sued for stealing another person's intellectual property. 

The moral of the story: 

Just don't do it - you will get caught and the consequences are serious.

I understand sometimes assignments are challenging and you may require extra support, but that is what I am here for, to support you. 

Please come to office hours or email me to ask for help before you ever resort to cheating.

Any forms of plagiarism, including but not limited to, copying, paraphrasing, using AI technology, or external sources will NOT be tolerated. 

First Offense - Your parents/guardians will be emailed to inform them of the occurrence. You will then be required to meet with me to discuss how to avoid plagiarism in the future before being allowed to submit an honest example of your learning for credit.

Second Offense & Beyond - You will receive an automatic zero on the assignment, will be unable to make it up, and you will be referred to the principal for disciplinary action.

Trust me - I will know if you used Google, ChatGPT, or anything in between and I consider it incredibly disrespectful. So please, again, just don't do it.

If you would like more information on what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, watch this video. 

Grades will be earned based on points accumulated throughout each quarter by completing projects/writing assignments, classwork/homework assignments, and assessments.

Live session/asynchronous assignments may have different due dates, so students need to follow assignments closely.

I recommend using "Google Calendar" and Google Classroom's "To-Do" list to keep track of assignments in our class.

Grade percentages are based on total points throughout a quarter.
Semester grades are a total of points accumulated throughout the semester.

A 3.50 - 4.00             B 2.80 - 3.40

C 2.00 - 2.70             D 1.10 - 1.90

F 0.00 - 1.00

Classwork & Homework (10%)

Any assignments that we complete during our "live" class will be considered classwork and will fall into this category. Everything will be submitted via Google Classroom.

Homework will be any assignments assigned asynchronously (not live). These will also be submitted via Google Classroom.

Attendance & Participation (10%)

Class “participation” will be graded through students' participation in synchronous NearPods, Padlets, PearDecks, discussion boards etc., in our LIVE sessions, and/or reflection activities/exit tickets for each individual lesson or unit of study.

To receive full credit, students must participate during online collaboration time (breakout rooms, Google Meets chat, etc.).

Students with excused absences will have their participation grade for that day marked as N/A, which will not count toward their course grade. If the absence is not excused by the attendance office, the student will not receive credit for attendance/participation assignments not completed during class. 

Students who cannot participate in classroom assignments because they are logging onto the Google Meet with a cell phone cannot make up the participation points for credit. For this reason, students should use their school-issued Chromebook and WiFi hotspot for class attendance. If a student cannot access a school-issued device, they should contact the school at (951) 778-5300.

Projects & Activities (40%)

Students will complete various projects and activities over the course of the semester/school year. These will include socratic seminars, which will require the students to unmute their microphones to participate in a class discussion on a topic, a Soapbox project, where students will create a presentation on a topic they are passionate about, and smaller writing projects/assignments within the various units. We will also utilize Flipgrid for speaking assignments.

Assessments (40%)

Assessments will be assigned throughout the semester, typically at the end of each unit. These may include creative projects, writing assignments, etc.

I offer office hours (Schedule an Appointment link) according to the Riverside Virtual School schedule:

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (3:00 - 3:30 PM)

• Wednesday (9:20 - 11:20 AM)

If you need to meet with me outside of these times, please reach out via email.

Per RUSD Board Policy 6158: Independent Study: "Because excessive leniency in the duration of independent study assignments may result in a student falling behind peers and increase the risk of dropping out of school, independent study assignments shall be completed no more than one week after being assigned for all grade levels and types of program." 

Therefore, assignments will CLOSE for submission ONE week (7 days) after being assigned, with the exception of attendance/participation assignments, which need to be completed in class (see policy below).

The only exception to this late work policy applies to students who have legal accommodations: If you have a 504 Plan and/or an IEP that provides extra time accommodations, those will be respected. If the assignment has closed on Google Classroom, but you are allowed extra time on your 504 Plan or IEP, all you need to do is leave me a private comment on the assignment you need extra time on once you complete it by your individual extended time deadline (this will depend on your 504/IEP).

If the assignment has not been completed by the deadline, a score of "0" will be entered into Aeries. 

Per the 2023-2024 Riverside Virtual School Study Learning Agreement: "As a condition of continued enrollment, students must attend and participate in synchronous instruction according to the established RVS bell schedule which may be viewed here: rvs.riversideunified.org."

Therefore, Attendance/Participation assignments, such as the Question of the Day (QOTD), MUST be completed IN CLASS and CANNOT be made up for credit. They need to be submitted BEFORE the end of class to be graded. Even if it is just one minute late, it is late and you will not earn credit. 

You must be logged into our Google Meet for the entire class session to earn credit for attendance/participation assignments. If you leave class early without a valid, excused absence, you will not receive credit for the attendance/participation assignments for that day. 

If you are absent, you need to have your absence excused with the RVS Attendance office. After it has been excused, you must leave me a private comment on the attendance/participation assignments so that I can excuse them in Aeries. If your absence is not excused, you will not earn credit.

Blank assignments submitted will receive a score of 0, will be unable to be made up, and parents/guardians will be contacted.

Per the 2023-2024 Riverside Virtual School Study Learning Agreement: "As a condition of continued enrollment, students must attend and participate in synchronous instruction according to the established RVS bell schedule which may be viewed here: rvs.riversideunified.org."

Per RUSD Board Policy 6158  - Independent Study: "The district shall document each student’s participation in live interaction and synchronous instruction pursuant to Education Code 51747 on each school day, as applicable, in whole or in part, for which live interaction or synchronous instruction is provided as part of the independent study program.  A student who does not participate in scheduled live interaction or synchronous instruction shall be documented as non-participatory for that school day.  (Education Code 51747.5)."

If you are absent, you must do three things:

1. If you have a valid reason for being absent, have your parent/guardian excuse your absence with the RVS Attendance office by filling out this Google Form.

2. Watch our class recording from that day and complete any in-class assignments you missed.

3. Still have questions? Schedule time to meet with me during office hours.  

If your absence is not excused and/or if you were logged into our Google Meet class but not present (away from the computer, silent, inactive) you will be marked absent from class (non-participatory) and you will not be able to make up attendance/participation assignments for credit.

Students will participate in live, synchronous activities and will be expected to stay in the Google Meet for the duration of the class, as instructed by the teacher.

All assignments will be completed online via Google Classroom.

Students may contact the teacher via email - jchaoui@riversideunified.org 

The teacher will not respond to emails received after school hours, on weekends, and/or during holidays/breaks until the following school day.

The teacher reserves a 24-hour reply time for emails during weekdays and a 48-hour reply time to emails received on weekends.

Parent/Guardians will contact the teacher if they have any questions or concerns via email.

Parents/Guardians understand the teacher will only read parent/guardian emails until the end of the school day and the teacher will not respond to emails received after school hours, on weekends, and/or during holidays/breaks until the following school day.

The teacher reserves a 24-hour reply time for emails during weekdays and a 48-hour reply time to emails received on weekends.

Students will not be able to engage in breakout rooms or complete Google Forms if they are joining the LIVE session on their cell phones. 

It is expected that students will use a school-provided Chromebook device and WiFi hotspot to complete class activities and assignments.

Students MUST use a school-provided Chromebook for in-class assessments. 

Suggested equipment: Earbuds/headphones compatible with a Chromebook.

History isn't always pretty and at times, course curriculum, which originates from the CA State Standards, CA State Framework, and other bills such as the FAIR Act, could be considered sensitive. The goal of including sensitive topics in academic settings is to foster critical thinking and learning in an unbiased way. We will have open discussion in class, make sure every voice is heard, and always encourage respectful dialogue. 

That being said, I understand these topics will impact each student differently and I want to ensure all members in our community feel safe and supported.

If your child has any questions about a topic, I am here to support them. 

I encourage you to open a dialogue with your student about topics they may feel uncomfortable discussing in class and communicate to me any concerns you may have ahead of time.

If you would like your child to participate in alternative activities when we do discuss sensitive topics in class, please contact me as soon as possible so that we may discuss accommodations.

Please reach out to me if you would like more details or would like to discuss this further.

I highly encourage students, parents, and guardians to review the RUSD board policies as well as the California Education Code regarding independent study programs. Policy 6158 as well as Regulation 6158 are attached and linked below, along with the Riverside Virtual School Learning Agreement for the 2023-2024 school year.

If you have any questions regarding these policies, please feel free to email me at jchaoui@riversideunified.org. 

Rather than asking questions at the beginning or the end of class, come to office hours after school. 

Recognize that in our Google Meet classroom environment, everyone can hear and see everything. 

Please keep this in mind when discussing sensitive topics, such as your grade.

In addition, I will NOT respond to requests from counselors for information regarding assignments, grades, and/or progress in my class. 

If you have a question and/or need to talk to me about something personal going on, YOU need to make the effort to talk to me during office hours. 

Standards-based grading (SBG) is an intentional way for students, teachers, and parents/guardians to track a student's progress and achievements in a course, while also motivating them to reach their highest potential. It is based on students' mastery of a subject as dictated by the standards created by the state of California. These challenging standards are rigorous, consistent, and transparent. They encourage students to think more deeply to work towards meaningful understanding that can be applied to other aspects of their lives.

There are many factors that are not within our circle of control - whether it be multiple classes with a large workload, juggling a job and school at the same time, babysitting siblings at home while trying to participate in class, or simply just the roller-coaster of life. Regardless of these factors, however, all of the diverse individuals at the Riverside Virtual School (RVS) share a common goal of preparing our students for success: graduating and leaving RVS as confident, healthy, ambitious young adults. 

For these reasons, I always encourage my students to maintain a growth mindset. Many shy away from attempting new challenges from fear of "sounding dumb" or "making mistakes," but the reality is that that is what school is all about making mistakes and learning from them. I always tell my students that if they are not making mistakes, they are doing it wrong. They should ask questions, try their best to achieve understanding, and ask for help when they want to take their learning to the next level. That is my expectation for ALL students and I know that they are more than capable of achieving success if they put the effort into doing so.

Educators have developed a new system to help students develop a growth mindset, persistent attitude, and overall love of learning. The new system is a grading practice called Standards-Based Grading (SBG) and the most recent research shows that it is more effective, accurate, and motivating for students of all ages.

This grading practice aims to provide everyone with accurate information regarding student achievement. This is done through essential standards, summative assessments, providing full credit for what students have learned, repurposed homework, and reassessment. Overall, SBG grades students solely on the mastery of their content area. 

What can you expect?

The new grading scale will range from four to a zero. I use a general 4 pt grading rubric, which is linked here for your reference and can also be found below. This provides a more detailed break down of each score and what is needed to achieve that score. SBG provides students with ample opportunity to master the standard. Students have the opportunity to join office hours, receive detailed feedback on an assignment, and resubmit their work with the potential of earning a higher score.

Google Classroom/Google Calendar

All classwork and homework will be submitted via Google Classroom.

I highly recommend downloading the app on your phone, as it will remind you of due dates and deadlines.

Peardeck

We will use Peardeck for presentations in class. If you are absent from class, you will have to complete the Peardeck presentation on your own using the link posted on Google Classroom. 

I have been told the cell phone app sometimes works better than the computer, so I would suggest downloading it.

EdPuzzle

We will frequently use edpuzzle to watch informational videos & movies.

Students have said the cell phone app is more reliable than the computer.

Kahoot!

Kahoot! is a great resource for review. Prior to exams, I will provide a link to a student-paced Kahoot! on the Google Classroom that students can use to review important material. 

I would suggest downloading the cell phone app for this resource as well. 

Padlet

Padlet is an interactive whiteboard where students can post, reply to each other, and "like" each others' posts. 

We will use Padlet throughout the year. 

I recommend signing in with your Google account so that your posts will always have your name on them - that is how you earn credit!

Flip

Flip allows students to record short videos that allow them to practice their speaking skills, respond to questions orally, and develop their ideas in a unique way. 

Videos will NOT be posted publicly and will only be viewed by the instructor. 

Links to Flip assignments will be posted on the Google Classroom.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and Cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result in a "0" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Discipline Office for further action.

It is assumed that students will adhere to the academic policies of Riverside Unified School District and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity.

In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright-protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download, or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these are required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identifiable/sensitive information.

If you have any concerns about this, please contact your teacher.