It was wonderful to meet so many parents during our Open House Tuesday evening. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come visit our classroom and say "hello." Teenagers may not express it, but I know they appreciate your interest and investment in their education. There is no deadline on my Parent Homework Assignment, but your child may put pressure on you to in a million words or less, tell me about your child sooner rather than later, as they will receive a free homework coupon as soon as I receive it. You are welcome to email it to me or send in a hard copy with your child. I gain so much valuable insight from seeing your children through your eyes. I really appreciate your willingness to share in this way!
As I enter grades on Community Portal today, I thought it would be helpful to give you a run down of how grades will work in Foundations of Science.
Grading Categories
Our grades are weighted using three categories: Major (50%), minor (30%), and other (20%). This is what each category entails in our class:
Gradebook Codes
I use the following two symbols as my main place-holders for students with missing assignments.
Please keep in mind that with so few grades so far this marking period, your child's grade may be disproportionately skewed in certain categories. As I work to grade and enter their Schoology assignments and Phase 1 of their project this weekend and in the first part of next week, they will gradually start to accumulate more points.
I hope you and your children get to rest and relax this weekend. As always, if there is anything you need from me, just let me know. I look forward to reading your homework assignments!
As I enter grades on Community Portal today, I thought it would be helpful to give you a run down of how grades will work in Foundations of Science.
Grading Categories
Our grades are weighted using three categories: Major (50%), minor (30%), and other (20%). This is what each category entails in our class:
- Major grades (worth 50%) include, as the name would suggest, assessments that are large in terms of importance and the amount of time they take to complete. Common Unit Assessments (big tests at the end of a unit of study) as well as large quizzes (about individual sections), lengthier written work (essays or lab reports), and our marking period projects fall under this category. This means that each phase of our Journal Article Project (Phase 1 is worth 25 points and due tonight at midnight) is Major. 25 points here is worth more than 25 points in the other two categories.
- Minor grades (worth 30%) tend to be smaller quizzes, lab work, smaller writing assignments, and other activities that I collect grade for correctness.
- Other grades (worth 20%) mainly include homework and classwork that I grade for completion and effort. Reading Quizzes (checking for understanding following assigned reading from the book) are typically worth 5 or 10 points in this category. I always let students use any notes that they took while reading. If your child does not have 100% in the "other" category, it is because he or she is not doing homework, not completing classwork, or turning in assignments late!
Gradebook Codes
I use the following two symbols as my main place-holders for students with missing assignments.
- NS stands for Not Submitted or, as I tell the kids, Not Seen. This code means that, for instance, a student was absent the day of a homework check, and I still have not seen that assignment. These NS assignments are highlighted in red on my computer screen, which serves as an alert for me to follow up with that student. These NS assignments count like zeroes toward the student's grade until they are submitted - which I have found serves as an additional motivator to students and parents to get missing assignments turned in! It is the student's responsibility to check with me and turn in NS assignments as soon as possible. I will not allow students to simply take zeroes in my class!
- EX means Excused. This code means that, for instance, a student was absent the day of an activity that could only be done in class at that time, so I have excused them from completing the assignment. I also use this code when I give students the option of completing additional practice worksheets or review materials. Assignments that have been excused do not count for or against a student, and they are not required to make up or turn in those assignments. In our grading program, having an "EX" is like having a 0 out of 0.
Please keep in mind that with so few grades so far this marking period, your child's grade may be disproportionately skewed in certain categories. As I work to grade and enter their Schoology assignments and Phase 1 of their project this weekend and in the first part of next week, they will gradually start to accumulate more points.
I hope you and your children get to rest and relax this weekend. As always, if there is anything you need from me, just let me know. I look forward to reading your homework assignments!