PreCalculus Grading (Spring 2017)

Assessments...............................80%
Assignments..............................20%

Standards of Mathematical Practice

One of the best things to come out of the effort to create the Common Core curriculum has been the development of the Standards of Mathematical Practice. It is a list of the goals common to all math classes, from Kindergarten to Calculus. Careful reading reveals that the list is a checklist valuable in more fields than math. Students who have adopted these practices from an early age are likely to find themselves better at critical thinking and problem solving – two skills at the heart of many of the most valuable human endeavors.

Infinite Campus

The introduction of Infinite Campus as an automated grade book has created some confusion about who issues grades and how they are calculated. As a computer program, Infinite Campus is able to create a weighted average of numerical values entered by the teacher, then translate those numbers into a letter value according to an inflexible metric. Some people have mistakenly interpreted that to mean that Infinite Campus now assigns grades to students. In fact, however, it is the teacher in each class that is legally responsible for assigning grades.

I assign grades three times in each semester -- a Progress Report grade after the 10th and 15th weeks, and a Transcript grade at the end of the semester. Although I may post updated information about how each student is doing throughout the semester, the letter grade on Infinite Campus will not change until the next Progress Report.

Throughout the semester, I intend to send letters home with students about their progress between Progress Reports. Thus, it will be possible to see if a student is improving, but there will be no letter grade attached to the progress until it is time for the next report.

Objectives

Throughout the semester, students will be taking tests and quizzes as part of the assessment of their progress. The questions on those tests and quizzes will be designed to show whether students have achieved proficiency in specific tasks related to the objectives listed at the beginning of each section of the textbook. Results of those assessments will be recorded on Infinite Campus. There will be no "extra credit" assignments.

Focus on Learning

Students will be given multiple opportunities to show that they have achieved their objectives – in quizzes, tests, or repeated culminating exams. The goal is to ensure that the students who have learned are allowed to progress to the next class, and those who have not are required to repeat.

The focus should not be on collecting points. All too often, students rush to deliver late projects and homework, or they beg for something to do for "extra credit." In this class, there is no "extra credit"; there is only one course of action: learn what you do not know, and then demonstrate your knowledge.

The traditional grading scale average will be used as one indication of students' progress on assessments. The goal, however, will not be to measure how quickly a student learns, but how much a student learns and retains. Therefore, assessments given shortly after the initial instruction of material will not be weighted as heavily as those given towards the end of the semester.

Ultimately, the weighted average of assessments and assignments during the semester will provide a guide toward the final grade, but it is only one of the factors that will be used.

Homework

Assignments will be available here.

The purpose of homework is to help students learn by practicing what they have been taught. The Khan Academy and IXL.com (both online) create individual programs for each student, adapting as the student answers each question. A student who is proficient at the skill being practiced will finish quickly. For students who need help, the programs provide hints designed to clarify whatever the student did not understand.

Students are asked to spend 15 minutes per day, six days per week, on average on the Khan Academy/IXL.com assignments. Students who find themselves frustrated by a problem set should stop working on it and come in for help.

The online portion of homework scores will reflect both the time spent online and the results the student achieves. If a student can finish all the assignments in fewer than 15 minutes/day, there will be no penalty for spending less time online. Conversely, a student who has legitimately spent an average of 15 minutes/day working on the assignments will be given full credit for the homework.

When including both Khan Academy and written assignments, students can expect about one hour of homework for each class period. There are many resources available on campus, including the Study Center, math teacher office hours, and the instructor -- who is available to help students during most Nutrition, Lunch, and 7th Periods.