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Classroom Policies and Explanations
Contents:Science students grades are based on two main criteria.
50% Tests and Quizzes
50% Lab and Exercises
All other grades are divided into these two categories depending on which one they support.
For instance, Vocabulary would go in Tests because knowing the chapter vocabulary will help you on the exam.
These are given out in the middle of the quarter and they can be very skewed when there are very few grades to report. If I have conducted only 2 small labs, then 50% of your grade may be based on these small labs and your lab grade could effect your final grade way out of proportion to your test and quiz grades.
So if your grade looks surprisingly bad or good, check it against the itemized class progress report that I give all my students. This will be a better picture of how you are doing regardless of you grade. Most grades at progress report time are skewed one way or another and will even out when more assignments get averaged in to the final score.
The unofficial progress reports are progress reports I create to help the students get organized and I do not expect students to show them to their parents. Often, the work is not recorded on Parent Assist until we complete this process:
This process insures that the grades are correct and fair. Please do not get bent out of shape until after we go through these steps. See Lost or Missing Work for more information
Note: When I pass back the graded work, all late work becomes worth much less due to the sad fact that some students use the completed work to copy from.
Late lab work will be worth 25% less points unless an alternate date was agreed upon before it was due.
Homework handed in after I have passed them back or have corrected them in class, are not worth anything, or significantly less due to the sad fact that some students use the completed work to copy from.
Some late work may have the contents orally quizzed before being accepted.
Poor student organizational skills are not my problem and I will not automatically assume any responsibility for missing work. Keep an organized notebook.
That being said, I always have a few students that maintain they turned in some work and in 99.99% of these cases, the students usually finds it in their notebooks, their lab partner’s notebook or they turned it in to another class’s box and it is found when I grade the other class. If you place your work on my desk, then it is often not graded until after I grade everything else in the class folders. Don't do it--put it in the class box. Once your paper gets in the correct class box, it will not get lost.
When the rare work goes 'missing', the most common situation occurs when a student hands in a lab or worksheet that is incomplete or obviously incorrect and I immediatly hand it back to them to complete. They only remember that they handed it in, but not that I gave it back to them to correct or finish. It is usually in their notebook.
Do your part:
Still, it is easier to blame the teacher first--I can confidently say that I can count cases of me losing a student’s work on one hand, with no cases in recent memory.
I repeat: Poor student organizational skills are not my problem and I will not automatically assume any responsibility for missing work.
My policy is that I will not give a grade for work I do not have.
If a student maintains with some degree of believability that they did the work, and after everything has been searched, I may offer them the option of redoing the work if I deem it of great value, or exempting them of it so it will not count against them.
If it turns out that I was responsible for any missing work (extremely unlikely), I have no problem changing grades for the better, even after the grading period ends. I strive to be very fair. If I made the mistake I will fix it.
Minor Quizzes 5-10 points Major Quizzes +- 25-35 points, Comprehensive Quarter exams 70-100 points
A quarter may have up to 5 major quiz grades, 1 large comprehensive quarter exam and numerous minor quizzes.
I will allow students the opportunity to make up 2 major quiz grades. Sometimes we just get caught unprepared. Students will have to make arrangements with me to make up a quiz. I will not automatically have students make up a quiz because of a poor grade.
Minor Quizzes and Comprehensive Quarter Exams and Finals will not be eligible for retest and there will be no makeup of any major quizzes after the grading period ends.
Making up a major quiz:
It must be done quickly. No retest will be given later than the following week after you learn your score. The makeup quiz or test may be more difficult.
The student must see me during extra help to correct their old quiz in written form. After they study it, they may have to successfully answer questions on these corrected test items. If that is satisfactory, they may take a retest.
Score: Your final score for that quiz will be the score you receive on your make up quiz. It will not be the best score or an average score, but the last score you receive, so study for the retest.
If you are in the classroom at the time of the test, you take the test. No exceptions.
Those coming back from a long absence will have the opportunity to make up the test. I feel that it is beneficial for students to see what the test is covering to aid in their studying.
A single day absence is usually not grounds for being offered a retest. Most tests are advertised a week or more in advance and cover week long topics.
Your science books should be at home in order to always have access to your text book for studying purposes. We have a class set when we use our books in school and you can borrow a book for study halls any time you want.
I expect you to read each chapter we work on. If you don't have any assigned homework, you can always be reading the current chapter. Reading confusing passages in the chapter more than once is good practice.
I also have Guided Reading CDs in MP3 format for each chapter in the 9th grade textbook. If a student wants to borrow it, they are welcome. Copy the files to your MP3 player and open your book. It follows the text exactly. This can help a reluctant reader or kick start a study session. I think I can also make a regular audio cd if it is needed.
I have an open extra credit policy but it is often more beneficial to make up quizzes and rewrite poorly done labs. Don't expect extra credit to make up for not doing your work.
I do not assign extra credit, you must pick a topic related to what we are studying and check it out with me for approval. (No extra credit unless you get it approved.)
Relative value of extra credit projects:
I am looking for you to go beyond your text book. Extra credit value will be based on the work and care you put into your topic. Do not expect it to raise your classroom grade more than one letter grade. Usually it is much less.
I consider it your responsibility to get caught up. I will not do this for you or chase you down. I can help, but it is your ultimately your own responsibility.
There is no good way to make up for not being in class, but you can do the following to make the absence less damaging to your progress in class.
While you are out
When you get back
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