(4 points per day)

Student assessment is a continuous process.  Each day, students receive a grade based on their performance in the classroom.  A possible 4 points are awarded each day.  To receive full credit, students must meet the following criteria:

On time

Students are expected to be on time to class.  This means students are already working on the opening activity when class time begins.

Prepared

Students are expected to be prepared for class.  Prepared students have all necessary supplies (paper, pencil, textbook, etc.) and are ready to discuss any homework assignment.

On task

Students are expected to remain engaged in all classroom activities throughout the class period. 

Appropriate behavior

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that supports a positive learning environment.    

Note:  Unexcused absences (including suspensions) automatically result in a score of zero for the day.  Excused absences are not assigned a grade. 

(5 points per day)

All students will be given a homework assignment during each day's class.  Homework assignments are checked for completeness and accuracy during the following day's class.  Generally, students who make an honest effort to complete all problems receive 5 points for each assignment, although some assignments may also be graded for accuracy.  Partially completed assignments may receive partial scores based on the proportion of the assignment that was completed.  Also, any assignment with a high proportion of errors, with little or no work shown, or otherwise indicative of a substandard effort on the part of the student may receive fewer or no points.  Homework that is improperly formatted or demonstrates a significant procedural error may be marked 'R' or 'redo,' in which case students are expected to turn in a corrected assignment within three school days.  Late homework assignments may be turned in within three days after the due date for a maximum award of 3 points credit. 

(typically 25-30 points per week)

Quizzes are generally short and informal, taking only a few minutes of class time.  Students should be prepared for a quiz over any material covered and at any time.  Generally, five to ten quizzes will be given in any unit, with each quiz is valued at 5 to 15 points.  If a student is absent for a quiz, the unit test grade will be used proportionally to calculate the student's score on the quiz (with decimals rounded up to the next whole number).

(75 points for a 14-day unit, plus 50 points per trimester for the notebook)

Projects are extended assignments that are to completed over the course of several days.  Most projects require a significant amount of working time on the part of the students, both in class and at home, and may require some time for reflection as well.  Students who wait until the last day to try to complete a project generally are not able to demonstrate mastery of the concepts involved, and thus tend to receive much lower scores.  A scoring rubric will be given with each project, with points assigned proportional to the length of the unit.

Maintenance of a notebook of opening activities also counts as a project grade each trimester.

(100 points for a 14-day unit)

Tests generally require the use of an entire class period to assess whether students have mastered the concepts presented in the most recent unit.  Tests are formatted in accordance with state testing guidelines, with both multiple-choice and open-response items.  A typical test would have twelve multiple-choice questions worth five points each and one open-response item worth forty points.

It is expected that  every student demonstrate mastery of the concepts being taught.  Students who score below a 65% on any test must demonstrate mastery of the material (in some way) in order to receive a passing grade for the current grading period.  Generally this means completely reworking the entire exam, taking a make-up exam, doing an alternate assessment, or some combination of these.

When tests are returned to students, students may earn five test points by correcting all problems fully, having the test (with corrected work) signed by a parent/guardian, and bringing the signed corrected test to me within three school days.

Points assigned may be adjusted proportionally for units of differing lengths:  units of 5-9 days will have a 50-point test; units of 10-17 days will have a 100-point test; and units of 18-25 days will have a 150-point test.