Grade Proportions:
Tests and Quizzes
Two-fifths of each student's grade is determined by tests and occasional quizzes. If a student is absent for a test, they are responsible for arranging a mutually convenient appointment with Mr. Petto to take it during one of the following periods: {2, 4, 7} or after school. Students must take all tests to receive a passing grade, regardless of the reason missing the test. Students may qualify and retake tests, with a 5% reduction in attainable points each time the test is reattempted. For example, one assigned qualification to retake a test might be to completely correct the original test.
Homework & Projects
Two-fifths percent of each student's grade is determined by project work and homework; assigned work that might be started in class but is primarily completed outside class. These will be penalized 5% for each day that they are late. No late homework or project work will be accepted during the last seven days of any quarter. For an excused absence (excused before return-to class), this work is due the day following their return-to-class. If it is turned in on the day-of-return, the student will receive 10% scoring bonus.
Participation
Twenty percent of each student's grade is determined by warmup work, classwork, participation, work in online course components, and the like. If a student is absent for any class for any reason, they should do the make-up work from each unit’s schedule for each missing day. For an excused absence (excused before return-to class), this work is due the day following their return-to-class. (If it is turned in on the day-of-return, they will receive 10% scoring bonus.) Warmup work is not required from students on days when they have an authorized absence.
Additional Work
Students may request and receive assignments for additional work assignments. These are not available to students who disregard normal assignments. This additional work may be used to replace low scores in the assignment and participation categories. No amount of additional work can be used to change a poor test score. The only way to improve a poor test score is to qualify and retake the test.
Other Grading Matters
Bellwork scoring
Problem #1 copied completely, along with correct & complete solution: +60%
Solution has been seriously attempted (#2) with supporting work shown: +20%
Solution (#2) is correct and supporting work is shown: +20%
Homework & Classwork scoring
Work turned in (on-time, with name, date due, period): +30%
Work is substantially complete: +30%
Sample score on randomly-selected problem(s): up to +40%
If any student turns in late work (that is any work submitted after its scheduled due-date for any reason) they should note the reason at the top of the first page, alongside their name, the scheduled due-date, and class period. For example, “I'm turning this in two days late because of my excused absence on those days.” A classroom form is available for this purpose.
If any student believes that statistical scoring has underestimated their performance on a particular assignment, they can review that assignment with me and request rescoring.
Work should be completed using a pencil
All warmup work, classwork, homework, quiz and testwork, must be completed using a pencil. Any work that is submitted in pen will be penalized 10%.
Projects and Problems-of-the-Week
A rubric is used for scoring problems of the week. Scoring rubrics for projects generally accompany the assignment.
Extra credit scoring
Extra-credit may be earned two ways. (1) Extra-credit opportunities may be announced in class from time-to-time. In many cases these are also posted online, posted in our classroom, or noted in the slides from a particular day's class. (2) An extra credit point is occasionally awarded when a student makes an extraordinary contribution to our class, particularly when it is something that helps others learn & understand.
Extra credit points, if sufficient, are allocated after each quarter closes to replace one or more of the lowest homework or participation scores with a perfect score. Extra-credit points can have no effect on projects, quizzes, or test scores. Up to 25 points of extra-credit scoring may be earned in any quarter. No extra-credit will be counted for any student who has an unserved detention at the end of the quarter.
Demerit scoring
If a student is disruptive to the class, and distracts other students, they will be given one or more demerit points, which are in effect the opposite of extra credit points. They can be thought of as negative extra-credit. These can result in a reduced grade for the quarter.
