Classroom Academic Policy

Homework & Grading Policy

All work will be given out at school and time will be given to start the assignment. Anything unfinished becomes homework and is for the purpose of reinforcing, practicing, and applying the skills and strategies taught in class. It may not be perfect each time. By missing problems I know where students need more help. Students will bring their work home in a folder when/if they have homework pages to be done. I never intend homework to just be busy work, so I rarely give more than 10-15 problems to work on. If you feel your child has too much homework each night, let’s work together to get to the bottom of the issue.

What’s Expected?

Students are expected to complete their classwork, which may need to be finalized at home, and turn in assignments on time. At the beginning of the year students will be taught how to properly fill out their assignment book to communicate with you what they are responsible for. I will check the assignment books for a parent signature each day. If your child struggles with a problem or assignment, please write me a note or email.

Neatness

Students will be expected to do their personal best on all schoolwork. Thoroughness and attention to detail are important in any work done at school or on the job, and I believe developing pride in a completed paper at this age is important.

Grading

Two types of grading may be used:

Points-Work completed independently as a new task, test, or project.

Work will be given a point score with the number of correct answers written above the number of possible points. The score will be a fraction. For example you may see: 8/15, 10/10, 4/7, etc. When entered in PowerSchool Grades the points earned will be recorded. This gives an easy adjustment for shorter assignments to have less weight than longer assignments which are worth more points.

Completion Grades-will be used for some homework and other work completed with assistance from a partner, in-class cooperative activity, or skills previously taught.

√+ (mastery)

√ (approaching mastery)

√- (needs time to master)

* Assessments which require independent use of student skills will determine the majority of your child’s grade. Homework and class participation contribute about 40%, and assessments about 60%.

*Not all problems on homework may be graded. Depending on the situation, I can get an idea of a child’s understanding by grading just 5-10 problems. ALL problems on tests and quizzes will be graded.

Corrections- On some homework and tests, there may be the opportunity to earn more credit by correcting answers. This gives students a chance to learn from mistakes. I generally give ½ credit back on questions answered correctly on the 2nd try.

Monitoring Grades

As assignments are turned in and graded, I do my best to get grades in the next day. Points are put into the gradebook on PowerSchool, which you can monitor by logging into your PowerSchool Parent account. Please keep in mind the number of assignments in a given subject area may account for a low score, but by the end of the quarter there will be a fair amount of assignments to judge the student’s true understanding. If you have concerns, please let me know.

Grades on the report card will be the standard A-F

A- 90-100%

B- 80-89%

C- 70-79%

D- 60-69%

F- <60

Late Homework

Since we are working on responsibility, late homework is always a concern. Students will have $10 deducted from their accounts each day the work is late. Students will also stay in during recess at study hall until the work is completed. I do realize that sometimes we simply forget things or there are extenuating circumstances. These situations will be handled on a case by case basis.

Absences

Unfortunately, there may be times throughout the year when your child might need to be absent. Please follow TSC procedures when reporting an absence by calling the school.

Your child’s health is very important to me, so I do not expect your child to do missed work when they are ill. We will make arrangements to make up any missed work when they are feeling better. If your child is planning on missing several days, please let me know in advance and I can arrange for you to have your child’s work.

Please remember that attendance is crucial! Everyday new material is introduced.

During your child’s time in 4th and 5th grade, I hope that he/she will learn to become a good citizen, an active life-long learner, and gain the love for learning. Realizing that mistakes are okay and are a learning opportunity is very important for further development. Our attitude and behavior greatly affect these goals. Thank you for encouraging these guidelines and skills at home.