OPTIONAL

OPTIONAL

OPTIONAL

We will use the laptops almost EVERY day. They will be used to

• collect data,
• dissiminate assignments,
• access Schoology, and
• as a way to access our "textbook."

Every student is expected to have their laptop everyday.

I use“Remind.com” to send SMS text messages to cellphones and/or short e-mails. As a follower you can choose which you want to receive. Longer messages will still occur through email. Remind.com is like Twitter except you cannot reply to any messages I send. It is built for educators to facilitate short bursts of communication. I plan on using it to remind anyone that follows me about upcoming projects or tests and any changes to an assignment that can’t wait until class. I expect to send out about 10 messages for the entire year. Instructions on how to sign up to follow me are on the last page of this document.

Click here to sign up.

EVALUATION:

Grades will be based on performance on tests, quizzes, activities and labs. Each assessment will be worth a certain amount of points. Typically:

• Tests are worth 100 to 150 points
• Quizzes are worth 10 to 50 points( Quizzes are just smaller tests.)
• Activities/Lab are worth 10 to 80 points
• Homework Assignments are checked for effort but not completed. You will receive general feedback on all homework assignments.

Nine weeks' scores will be based on the percentage of possible points earned divided by the points offered.

CLASS PREPARATION GRADES

Homework grades are gone! They have been replaced with class preparation grades. A class preparation grade indicates a student’s readiness to learn. This is demonstrated by having the out-of-class assignments completed upon entering the classroom. This will show up as "collected" or "not collected." No grade value is connected to it. It is just for record keeping. Credit is given for attempting the assignment. What and “attempt” looks like is described to the students in every unit. Out-of-class assignments are assigned as a way of reviewing the day’s concepts, learning new content, or honing skills while getting mentally ready for the day's class.

When we start class, students will be broken up into small discussion groups. These groups will compare solutions to the class prep assignment and ask each other questions. Then we will will convene as a large class. I will go over any remaining questions and usually go over the most difficult or import problem without being asked too. It is important to have the work done when everybody else has finished it to be part of a constructive conversation. Also know this, nearly all the solutions, not just numerical answers, can be found online before the homework is assigned. The focus is on the process and identifying the concepts.

If you are working on a homework assignment for 45 minutes, STOP. If you have been struggling for 45 minutes then you are probably so frustrated that you can't learn any more. Let me know and we can talk about it.

MASTERY LEARNING

After taking a test, a student may take another test on the same topic. I will record the higher of the two grades. But, the right to take the mastery test has to be earned by completing an additional assignment from the unit. Depending on the unit’s difficulty, students are usually given a weekend to work on the assignment. Student’s who do not understand how to do the problems need to make an appointment with me during 8th period to get specific help.

This mastery assignment is checked for effort and completion and not absolute correctness. What “effort” looks like is discussed during every unit. Some notes, homework solutions, short videos highlighting the notes and/or problem solutions, and pretests are provided as on line resources. Students are to complete the mastery assignment on time. (This may mean seeing me during 8th period or before school starts for help.) The only way a due date extension is given, is if a parent or guardian writes a note explaining that the student was sick or was not able to work for other reasons. Late work, without a parent or guardian’s note, forfeits the right to take a mastery test. There will not be a mastery opportunity for assessments that are at the end of the semester. Students will be warned of this at the time of the last assignement.

The 4 minute YouTube video below is my description of how I do mastery learning.

GRADES:

The class will follow the school's grading scale. There are not 9 week or mid- term grades. The only grade is the final grade.

PRE-TEST GRADES:

Before each test, students are turn in a one sheet summary. This summary page is a separate 10-point grade from the test. Students who do not have the sheet ready before the test cannot turn it in late. He or she will receive 5 points for the summary. The purpose of the summary sheet to act as a review BEFORE taking the test.

CELLPHONES

More and more research is coming out showing how cellphones can be a distraction, especially to the learning process. We will discuss the multitasking myth and the need to disconnect from cellphones and other technologies on a regular basis. The school has come up with the following cellphone policy.

Students may possess a cellular telephone, smart phone, or other communication device on school property provided that the device remains off (or on silent) and out of sight during instructional time.  Personal devices may be used during non-instructional time such as lunches and bus rides, provided that the devices are used appropriately. 

When students do not use devices appropriately during instructional time, the following actions will be taken:

1. 1st violation - Teacher or staff member provides warning to the student to put device away.  Device should be put away and off desk and placed in pocket, bag or book-bag. 
2. 2nd violation- Teacher will provide student with a manila envelope that student will place cell phone in and close and leave on the student desk.(If we are in person.)
3. 3rd violation - If student removes cell phone from envelope prior to the end of class or is not willing to cooperate, teacher calls O for the front office and explains the need for someone to come to their classroom for a cell phone violation.  Staff will come to the classroom and escort student with device and all belongings to main office.  Teacher writes referral and provides it to security monitor or writes it and gives to the appropriate administrator by the end of the day. 
4. Student will meet with their administrator to discuss the issue and develop strategies for it not to occur in the future.  Admin will work with students and staff to monitor progress with cell phone use in the future.

GRADE PROGRESS:

I will contact the parents or guardians via email or phone if a student receives a failing grade on a test or major lab.

EXAM EXEMPTIONS:

No exams this year..

INCLEMENT WEATHER ( SNOW AND FLOOD DAYS "OFF" )

WIRELESS DEVICE POLICY:

• A ”wireless device” is anything that is capable of accessing the Internet. Such as, but not limited to, a laptop, laptop, iPad, iPod, iTouch, etcetera
• Only use wireless devices in class with the teacher’s specific permission.
• When asked to close your laptops/laptops, close them and put other wireless devices away. You do not need to shut them down -only put them to sleep.
• When allowed, wireless devices may only be used for work directly related to this class.
• Wireless devices are to remain closed or put away during all tests and quizzes unless otherwise permitted by the teacher.
• If the teacher walks around and you close your laptops or laptop when he/she walks by, it will be considered a sign that you are not using it for allowed purposes.

Anyone not agreeing to follow this policy must either not use a wireless device in class or accept that the wireless device will be recognized as a distraction and dealt with according to school policy.  This may include being prohibited from using device in the classroom for the rest of the semester or year.

MAKE UP  & MISSED WORK:

When a test has been missed, arrangements must be made within 2 days of returning to school to make up the missed work. The missed assignment must be made up within 2 weeks of returning to school. Failure to make up work will result in a zero for the assignment. An "incomplete" letter grade will be given for the 9 weeks to any student with an assignment not turned in by the end of a grading period. The student then has 2 weeks from the end of the grading period to turn in the assignment.
If a student misses an assignment due to an illness, then he or she will not be penalized if they return without completion of the assignment. The assignment will still need to be made up according to school policy. Missed homework assignments due to absences may be turned in one class after returning for credit. But students are not held responsible for homework assigned while absent due to illness.

HONOR CODE:

Students are to work independently, without any outside aide, on tests, quizzes, the research component of the project and "questions of the day." Student may work with others on homework, in class assignments, labs and activities.

ATTENDANCE:

The class will follow the school's attendance policy.

WEB SITE:

This class will have a web site, http://www.mrwaynesclass.com. Working on the web is expected. The web site will be a constant work in progress. The web site contains:

• Documents distributed in class in either web form or as a PDF document.
• Interactive, on-line, pretests developed by the teacher.
• Related topic links.
• Animations and some lecture notes from class.
• Tutorial links to other sites. (This web site will only contain links to legitimate, safe web sites. Once a student leaves the www.mrwaynesclass.com server, I cannot be responsible for the paths they "surf" beyond the initial link.)
• Some video tutorials on how to do more difficult problem types.