Grading Policies
In general, the first thing that parents should understand about their child's math grade is that the majority of the grade is based on their understanding of the material. Effort and a positive attitude are vital in the learning process, but the final grade will be primarily based on how well they master the material. It is not uncommon to see a hardworking student receive a B or a C based on simply struggling on a particular concept. That being said, here is how grades are broken down:
Formative Assignments-These assignments are given every few days and are worth 20% of a child's grade. Much of this grade is effort based. Typically, graded daily assignments are only given after the child has had a chance to work with the concepts a bit already, as I think it is important to give students a chance to "get their feet wet", try (and sometimes fail), get questions answered, make some mistakes, and so forth before they are being graded. Along this line, most graded assignments allow students to check (and fix) their answers before submitting, so a low grade will often be a result of choosing to not fix errors. We always go over daily assignments in class the following day to give them the chance to get these questions answered.
Summative Assignments-Summative assignments are generally our tests are worth 80% of the child's grade. They are the prime factor in determining the final grade. Students will always have a chance to re-take, make corrections, etc. (varies based on the test) in order to improve their understanding of the material.
Test Retake Policy-I believe firmly that students should have the opportunity to retake tests in order to show mastery of skills. Like is full of opportunities for do-overs for adults (SATs, driver's tests, etc.), so why should middle-school students be any different? However, it is important to realize that students must first demonstrate that they have in fact learned from their mistakes and are prepared to be successful. Therefore, students are required to fill out a "Retest Request" form before being allowed to retake a test. This will guarantee that they have put the time and effort into being successful as opposed to another simply making another attempt to "make better guesses." This process also makes sure they have to reflect upon what happened the first time around.
Learning how to to be a good student/test taker is an important skill, and I hope this form helps in that process.
Test Retake Form
Extra Credit-Students may complete Odyssey lessons for extra-credit. Typically, four passed quizzes equates to 1 point. (Or, another way to think about it would be one grade increase on a test). Some students may also have Odyssey assigned to them based on other factors, which does not count towards extra-credit, though they are always free to go above and beyond what is assigned if they wish to demonstrate more learning.
The EAMS grading scale can be found here.
Formative Assignments-These assignments are given every few days and are worth 20% of a child's grade. Much of this grade is effort based. Typically, graded daily assignments are only given after the child has had a chance to work with the concepts a bit already, as I think it is important to give students a chance to "get their feet wet", try (and sometimes fail), get questions answered, make some mistakes, and so forth before they are being graded. Along this line, most graded assignments allow students to check (and fix) their answers before submitting, so a low grade will often be a result of choosing to not fix errors. We always go over daily assignments in class the following day to give them the chance to get these questions answered.
Summative Assignments-Summative assignments are generally our tests are worth 80% of the child's grade. They are the prime factor in determining the final grade. Students will always have a chance to re-take, make corrections, etc. (varies based on the test) in order to improve their understanding of the material.
Test Retake Policy-I believe firmly that students should have the opportunity to retake tests in order to show mastery of skills. Like is full of opportunities for do-overs for adults (SATs, driver's tests, etc.), so why should middle-school students be any different? However, it is important to realize that students must first demonstrate that they have in fact learned from their mistakes and are prepared to be successful. Therefore, students are required to fill out a "Retest Request" form before being allowed to retake a test. This will guarantee that they have put the time and effort into being successful as opposed to another simply making another attempt to "make better guesses." This process also makes sure they have to reflect upon what happened the first time around.
Learning how to to be a good student/test taker is an important skill, and I hope this form helps in that process.
Test Retake Form
Extra Credit-Students may complete Odyssey lessons for extra-credit. Typically, four passed quizzes equates to 1 point. (Or, another way to think about it would be one grade increase on a test). Some students may also have Odyssey assigned to them based on other factors, which does not count towards extra-credit, though they are always free to go above and beyond what is assigned if they wish to demonstrate more learning.
The EAMS grading scale can be found here.