Mr. Dorff's PreCalculus Website

PreCalculus B:....Home....Videos....Objectives....Grading....Homework....Policies..
These are the classroom policies for PreCalculus B (Spring 2017). If you have any questions, ASK.
  1. On-Time Performance
  2. Academic Dishonesty
  3. Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices
  4. Class Room Behavior
  5. Written Homework
  6. Online Assignments
  7. Make-up & Late Assignment Policy
  8. Binder
  9. Money in the Classroom
  10. Required Materials

On-Time Performance

When the bell begins to ring, students should be in their seats, quietly working on whatever assignment has been posted (or prepared to start working, if no assignment is on the board).

Necessary items -- notebooks, pencils, paper, etc. -- should already be removed from backpacks, which should be stored under seats, not in aisles.

Students who are not in their seats when the bell begins to ring will be marked late for the purposes of class participation grades. The more often a student is late, the higher the penalty for each offense. School policy permits a teacher to assign a failing grade to a student has been late too often.

Students who are not in the room when the bell begins to ring will be listed as "late" on the attendance roster and will be sent to the Attendance Office to obtain a pass to class and/or assigned some number of days of detention by the instructor .
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Academic Dishonesty

Cheating will not be tolerated. Students are expected to do their own work -- homework, class work, and assessments. When working in teams, students are still responsible for their own work-product and for making sure they understand the material.

Students are responsible for protecting the security of their homework and test answers, ensuring that other students do not have an opportunity to copy from them. Allowing another student to copy your answers is cheating and will be punished, just as copying is punished.

Students caught cheating on assessments will, at a minimum, receive a zero on that assessment, be referred to the Dean's Office, and receive detention.

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Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices

Unless otherwise instructed, students should make sure that all electronic devices are "on silent" and put away throughout the class -- from bell to bell.

Cell phones that can be seen or heard will be confiscated and turned over to the Dean's Office, except that cell phones that are turned off (not silent, not sleeping) may or may not be confiscated.

Failure to turn over a cell phone upon request will be punished with detention and a reduction in grade (in addition to whatever penalty is imposed by the Dean's Office).
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Class Room Behavior

Math is not a spectator sport. Students are expected to come to class prepared to participate, both physically (with all the appropriate supplies) and mentally (with the right attitude). Class participation grades will be based on performance -- staying on task, cooperating with classmates, putting in effort, and being quiet when asked.

Inappropriate behavior in class will result in a reduced grade. If the behavior is also disruptive in any way, the offending student will be referred to the Dean's Office and the parents will be notified. Continuing disruptive behavior will result in a failing grade.

Students who are disruptive DURING class will be assigned detention at the END of class, not when the disruption is taking place.

Class is not over until the bell rings and the students are dismissed by the instructor. Students are expected to make the most of class time. Packing up early and gathering at the door are not appropriate behaviors.

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Written Homework

The purpose of homework is to provide students with an opportunity to practice what they have learned, to see what they remember from class, and to identify concepts they still do not understand.

Homework must be legible. Problems must be submitted in order, with all work shown. Name, date, and assignment number must be written at the top of each page. Page fragments will not be accepted, and perforated margins on pages should be removed.

Late/incomplete homework will not receive full credit.

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Online Assignments

Online assignments (e.g., IXL.com, KhanAcademy.org, etc.) provide each student with practice problems particularly suited to that student's level. Students are expected to spend 15 minutes per day, 6 days per week (on average) working on the assigned problem sets. If a student completes the assignment in less time, the student should move on to a more personally challenging topic. Students who are putting in the time but having trouble completing the tasks should seek additional help as soon as possible.
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Make-up & Late Assignment Policy

The instructor reserves the right to reject late work. There will be no opportunity to make-up
missed quizzes. Students who miss an "individual chapter test" will receive a zero for that test.
Make-ups will be available only to students who have cleared all their absences with the
Attendance Office. To receive full credit on the make-up exam, a student who has been absent for a test must report to the instructor on the day the student returns to school, even if math class is not scheduled for that day.

Opening Exercises and Class Work points cannot be made up.
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Binder

Students are required to maintain a three-ring binder, which must be brought to every class.

Each of the tabbed sections should contain all of the designated items from the entire semester, properly inserted, in order, with the most recent items at the front of the section.

Each page should have the student's name and the origination date written in the upper right hand corner.

The binder should also contain an ample supply of loose-leaf lined paper and graph paper.

Binders may be inspected at any time and will be graded on organization, completeness, and neatness.

Students are required to keep all graded work in their binders. In the event of a question about grades it is the student's responsibility to provide evidence (e.g., a copy of a previous test) that a grade should be changed.

The binder should be a minimum of 1-1/2 inches thick and contain at least five tabs, labeled
Homework,
Class Work,
Resource Pages,
Graded Work,
Paper Supply (lined and graphed).

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Money in the Classroom

A student's money should never be visible in the classroom. Business transactions have no place in a math class, and there will be plenty of time after class for students who want to inventory their cash.

A student who displays money during class will receive detention and will lose classroom participation points. Perhaps more seriously, the student also risks having the money confiscated.
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Required Materials

Any job is easier when you have the proper tools.

For math class, the basic necessities are pencil and paper. You might find it helpful to have different colored pens or pencils and a variety of kinds of paper (e.g., graph, tracing, lined, unlined).

Students should have access to a graphing calculator [that is not a cell phone] during class time. Some test questions will allow students to use calculators, while others will not.

Students who do not bring the appropriate materials to class will lose classroom participation points. The more often the student comes unprepared, the more points will be deducted.
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