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Common Questions |
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| Absences/Make Ups | Gradebook Abbreviations | Instruction | Student Support |
| Assignments/Homework | Grading | ||
My child was absent when an assignment was due. Can he/she still turn it in? Yes. Any homework that was assigned on the last attended day will be due the first day of their return. For example, if a student is in school on Tuesday, absent on Wednesday and returns on Thursday, the Tuesday night homework is due on Thursday. Since the student missed Wednesday's lesson, he/she will need to make up that nights homework on Thursday for credit on Friday.
If a student misses two or more days, the missed assignments will be due one week from the students return. For example: a student is absent on Wednesday the 1st, Thursday the 2nd, Friday the 3rd, and Monday the 6th, then returns to school on Tuesday the 7th. The homework that was assigned between Wednesday through Monday the previous week will be due the following week of the return, so, Tuesday the 14th.
How does my child make up a quiz or test?
STUDENT SCHEDULED: The student needs to approach me and schedule it. Quizzes can be taken during lunch if it can be finished in time, otherwise, all make-ups need to be scheduled for after school.
TEACHER SCHEDULED: It will be noted on the homework board and website at least one week in advance and is generally done before progress reports and report cards. It will generally be on a Thursday and/or Friday, after school, and it will be for ALL periods.
What if my child cannot make it for the scheduled make up? He/She needs to see me BEFORE the make up date. We will work out a time either during lunch, during 5th period, or another day after school.
Under what circumstances are makeup tests allowed?
· ABSENCE: The student must come on the day of the scheduled make up.
o Make up exams will NOT be coordinated through the parents
§ This limits the possibility of confusion/misunderstanding
§ Ultimately, make ups are the student’s responsibility.
· LOW SCORE: Low scores cannot be made up. We continually test on concepts several times throughout the year. If your child understands a concept 'after' a test was given, he/she will have ample opportunity to show that knowledge in a later test. Experience has shown that if students don't study for the first test on the premise they can just make it up later, they continue in that mode of procrastination and then never return to "fix" that low score. Also, if a student is allowed to make up the test over and over, they are not showing understanding of a concept, they are learning how to pass a test for the sake of passing it.
Scoring MATH:
Tests: 60% of overall grade
Reflects your child's capability of the concept taught and practiced in class, then tested on in class with zero assistance.
Quizzes: 20%
Reflects your child's capability of the concept in class, based on concepts recently taught, then tested on in class with zero to minimal guidance as needed.
Classwork: 10% of overall grade
This score should be no lower than a B average, but more reflective of an A. It is VERY teacher guided and we do MANY of the problems together for practice
and clarification.
Content: 10% of overall grade
Projects, Power Points, videos, etc...
Homework: 0% of overall grade
This does not "directly" impact the student's overall grade, but there is a definite correlation between a homework grade and the overall grade. This is more of a RESPONSIBILITY grade than anything.
If your child is missing a couple of assignments or got a few low scores, encourage him/her to work a bit harder, but those few entries will not impact the
overall grade enough to cause low test scores or a failing GPA. There are no red flags of concern.
However, if you note a pattern of missing, incomplete, or low assignments, then that is a red flag and cause for concern. Your child is not putting forth the
appropriate amount of effort and responsibility needed to succeed in the class and this WILL DIRECTLY impact their overall grade.
EXTRA CREDIT: There will not be any extra credit. The scores your child receives is a reflection of their understanding and mastery of the concepts based on the standards.
On the grades, my child has a "Z" or "0." What does that mean? Your child was either absent or did not do/turn in the assignment. These are counted as 0% and if the assignment is in a weighted category, the 0% scores are affecting the overall grade negatively. Absences & Missings are logged at 0% for a few reasons. First, it notifies the parents and students that work was assigned and until it is turned in, the grade is negatively affected. If the assignments were NOT inputted as a zero, it would be the same as if the assignment never existed. Thus, the parents generally won't see the missed work, the grade won't be impacted and thus a "false" grade would be the result. The student might, hypothetically, be at an A, but since he/she would have missed the instruction and practice of several key concepts, when he/she takes the test, he/she won't know the material, do poorly, and all of a sudden the grade is drastically dropped and families don't understand why. The zero score should encourage the student to make up the work in a timely fashion and it informs the parents that work was assigned.
My said he/she turned in or showed you the assignments but you have it marked as "missing." Can you please fix that? Possibly, but not likely.
· NOT COLLECTED
o Most of the time, I walk around the room and check off those who did the work and those who did not.
o If a student does not have their assignment out, then a zero is entered. After I check off the class, I personally ask those that show zeros.
o If those students TELL me they did not have it and or did not do it, then the zero remains. IF he/she does not have it, I cannot give them credit. So by them showing it to you "after" the fact, only means they did it between the time it was due and the time they showed it to you.
· COLLECTED ASSIGNMENTS
o On the assignments I collect you will always see a mark or a score indicating I saw it. These will range from a check mark, CR (credit), INC (incomplete), NC (no credit), 0 (zero), or a score over the possible number of points.
o If the grade book shows the assignment is missing but you have the assignment AND I have marked it, please have your child "hand deliver" it to me so the grade can be entered.
OTHERWISE: If it's marked as missing, your child did NOT turn it in and/or did NOT show it to me.
LATE WORK WILL IS NOT ACCEPTED.
"NO NAMES" will NOT be accepted or scored.
What do the marks on my child's paper mean?
· NOT COLLECTED
o I do not make any marks on papers I do not collect.
· COLLECTED ASSIGNMENTS
o On the assignments I collect, you will always have a mark indicating I saw it.
> check mark: work was done and satisfactory (credit given; the assignment is not being "scored" for accuracy)
> CR - credit
> INC - incomplete
> NC - no credit (student either repeatedly did not do the assignment, or, repeatedly did not follow directions)
> 0 -zero
> or a score over the possible number of points.
o If the grade book is different than what your child’s paper shows, have your child bring me the assignment and I will fix the grade book
How can I best help my child? Stay informed. Many students count on their parents not being "in the loop" and the less you know, the less they are held accountable. Here are some tips to help with middle school (and lifelong) success:
Will you phone me if my child is doing poorly or misses assignments? Not necessarily. The numbers of students to teacher is far too high so unfortunately that "personal" contact with every parent is impossible.
What I CAN do, however, is:
· Continuously and regularly update grades online: At least once a week, the gradebook will be updated. I will make comments on some assignment that will serve as communication to both you and your child. These notes might be follow ups, explanations, reminders, etc...but may offer insight on that particular assignment or test.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD'S GRADES FREQUENTLY.
This is the best and most efficient form of communication I can give you for how your child is doing.
· Quickly respond to e-mails: You will find that emails are answered within 24 hours, with most answered that same school day. If you do not hear from me within 24 hours, please try again - there is a spam folder with the district and I have recovered a few parent emails that have automatically been sent there.
· Make myself available for conferences: if there is something that is of concern which you would like to discuss in person, please contact me, briefly share your thoughts, and we can schedule a meeting. Although I have made myself available in the past when parents have stopped by, the outcomes, although reached, may not have been as productive as it could have been with preplanning on both parts. Being able to adequately respond to potential concerns allows all involved to reach a positive and practical solution.
If I need to schedule a conference with the teacher do I call the school counselor? No. Meetings are arranged through the teacher mainly because the counselors do not keep track of our schedules. You can contact me either through email (most efficient), or by phone at 699-0080, ext. 3509.
Will ALL lessons be done on Power Point (PPT)? No, but instruction/practice will usually involve some form of technology. PPT allows instruction to flow quickly and in an organized fashion. Problems are pre-worked and organized so that they can be opened with just a click of a button. The students "see" how numbers and representations work together, colors can be contrasted, and for the visual learner, aside from an interactive pad and Student Response System, it's one of the best tools I've seen. When technology is appropriately incorporated into instruction, learning is increased. There are many types of learners and all of those students need to be reached so instructional strategies are varied.
How can I verify or check that my child correctly wrote the assigned homework? The classroom website. Homework for the week is generally posted on the website anywhere between the previous Friday to about 5pm the following Monday of the week assigned.
How much time should my child spend on math homework? If your child is putting forth focused attention then homework should take no more than 45 minutes. If your child is struggling and just cannot remember how to do the concepts, they need to access the provided resources to get the help they need, but at minimum, put down what they think the steps/solutions are so I can see if/where they are stumbling, and write out what's confusing them. If they leave the page or problem blank, I will assume they never looked at it and they won't receive any credit.
What if the homework problems are too easy? GREAT! That probably tells you that your child paid attention in class and was able to pick up the lesson with ease. This will not always happen with every student on every concept. Math concepts build on each other, intertwine, and progressively grow in complexity. The students need to see and understand the connections for true learning to happen. After they show me a full understanding of the concepts, in class, he/she will be given appropriate challenge/extension activities. However, when we get into another concept, the process starts over unless they have exhibited conceptual understanding.
Do you accept late work? No, unless a parent has contacted me regarding a family emergency that prohibited the student from completing the work. In Math, students will not progress unless it is practiced. Therefore, your child is highly encouraged to get all work in, on time, if he/she does not wish to have a negative consequence such as a failing grade.
My child always received A's, was on the honor roll, and has always been really strong in math...so,
1) ...shouldn't he/she be moved up? First, define how you are using the term 'easy'. Is it easy for you, or are you assuming it is easy for your child? (This is a VERY common and easy mistake to make as parents). Next, look at your child's CST scores from the precious grade. Before school begins, Administration looks at these scores AND their math grade, and if need be, they look at the history of the student. If ALL scores are high enough (either a perfect 600 or the high 580s) then the student will more than likely be moved up automatically.
If your child did not get moved, then he/she missed enough on the CST's to warrant 7th grade math. The last thing we want to do as educators is put a child in an environment where he/she will either struggle too much, and/or fail. 7th grade builds on the foundation laid in 6th grade; it is the 'abstract' transition.
If I haven't answered your question - PLEASE EMAIL IT TO ME! I just might post it...