KMS Phone: 676-4886 Ext. 4721

GRADING POLICY: The grade you earn will be based upon the subsequent criteria:

50% Exams A 93%-100% C 73%-76%

25% Homework/Projects A- 90%-92% C- 70%-72%

5% Group Tests B+ 87%-89% D+ 67%-69%

10% Pop Quizzes B 83%-86% D 63%-66%

10% Participation B- 80%-82% D- 60%-62%

C+ 77%-79% F 0%-59%

The grading scale for report cards will be based on the above point system. Rounding to the nearest tenth will be used when determining the letter grade. Computer printouts will be issued after unit exams and do require a parent or guardian signature. This is worth one homework assignment grade. If parents are not seeing printouts, please contact me!

EXAMS: Tests will be given after each unit, covering most concepts during a unit. The majority of information on an exam will be from previous units, as math is a continual building of material and knowledge. Students often inquire about retakes. There are no retakes, since the group test we take a few days before the individual test contains the same concepts. The group test is returned at least one day before the individual test so that students have additional time to study and then show mastery of the concepts on the individual test.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS: Homework is due at the beginning of class and each is worth 10 points. Full credit cannot be earned for finishing homework in class. Full credit is awarded when all problems have been attempted, all work is shown, the work has been corrected, it is legible, neatly organized, a score is in the top right corner and the work is completed in pencil. Each student is responsible for grading his or her own assignment and clearly labeling a score of how many problems were missed at the top of the paper. When one of the above is missing, 9 points will be earned. If two requirements are missing, 8 points will be earned. Partial credit can be given for partial completion of the assignment. Students should do all assigned problems prior to the test, even missed assignments where points were not earned.

GROUP TESTS: Prior to each unit exam, students will take a group test together. The collaborative work will be the score for the group. If any single group member is not assisting with the group problem solving process, their individual grade can be penalized by 5% per incident. Any student that earns a higher grade individually will have that score replace the group score. Like the individual exam, most of the material on the test will be review from earlier units or math courses.

POP QUIZZES/QUIZZES: These quizzes will be given regularly and usually unannounced. The concepts they will cover will be directly from recent homework assignments or cover basic concept skills from previous courses. At the end of the semester, the two lowest quizzes, will be dropped. There are no make up opportunities due to absences. These will be considered one of the dropped scores. There are no retake opportunities on pop quizzes.

FINAL EXAM: There will be a final exam given at the end of each semester. Because, math is a building topic and basic skills needed for new concepts will of course be necessary; therefore, final exams can include math skills from prior semesters and previous classes.

PARTICIPATION: Part of your grade is based on how well you use your classroom time. Be on time and ready to work when the bell rings. It is always expected that each individual participate in a positive manner. Anyone behaving in such a way as to interfere with the teaching process will lose participation points. If a second offense occurs within the same class period, the student will be sent to the administration office. Lack of participation (on task) affects the atmosphere of the entire class.

SUPPLIES: All students must come to class with pencils, paper (a notebook that can be turned in), and a scientific calculator (a sufficient calculator can be found for about $6). We will be graphing regularly, so the best notebook to use is a quadrule composition book – the pages are graph paper. Each student should have a ruler, protractor, compass, colored pencils and a scientific calculator available at home for homework assignments.

LATE WORK: Late work will only be accepted for extenuating circumstances and carries a burden of partial credit. (See below regarding excused absences.)

WARM UPS: Be seated and working by the time the bell rings. If you are not, you will be marked tardy and lose participation points. Warm ups can be problems on the overhead or assigned problems that begin your class work or homework for the day. Warm ups are not optional as they often lead into the learning objective for the day. Notebooks will be collected periodically throughout the semester and a point grade will be awarded for the warm ups contained in the notebook.

ABSENCES: All absent work must be turned in within one week, seven days, upon return. This includes a test or quiz that was missed. Work can only be made up if an excused absence was involved. When a student is absent, it becomes his/her responsibility to find out what was missed. To find out what was missed from an absence, you can talk to a group member. Another option is to check my webpage calendar. As a last resort, e-mail me – I can let you know what you missed, but realize it may take time to respond as I’m working on currently due work.

CLASSROOM RULES: All school rules will be enforced within the classroom. This includes the district’s attendance policy. There is no gum, no food and no drinks. Water is acceptable in a container with a lid to prevent spills. Also, use of electronic devices is forbidden! In fact, using any electronic devices in class, such as CD players, a pager or a cell phone will result in immediate confiscation. I will turn it over to an administrator according to school policy.

EXTRA CREDIT: Extra credit is only assigned by the teacher and offered to the entire class. There are very few instances in which an individual can earn extra credit. Special requests for extra credit cannot be met. Students should be completing work as it is assigned in order to be successful on future assignments and tests.

PLAGIARISM POLICY: Copying someone else’s work will not be tolerated and will result in a zero for the assignment or test. A referral will be written and submitted to an administrator. This includes those who copied and those who allowed the copying. Don’t do it, it is simply not worth it!

FINAL THOUGHTS: Returning the last page of this packet, signed by both the student and his/her parents/guardians is worth one homework assignment. Please keep these first pages in your notebook for future reference.

Parents, please feel free to call me at anytime if questions arise.

I am really looking forward to working with an excellent group of students this year at Kulshan. As a team, we can work together to provide a quality education for your student. As the saying goes, It Takes a Village to raise kids!

Thanks,

Mr. Zimmerman

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