A student's overall math grade is made up from the following categories: daily work, DoIGetIt? Tickets (entrance/exit tickets), Khan Academy (online review), team tests, and individual tests. See below for explanations of each of these categories and tips for improvement.
Daily Work
-You should expect to have math homework every night.
-Time frame: Most assignments should take between 20 to 30 minutes. If you reach 30 min and have not finished, stop working and have a parent sign off on the top of the page.
-Grading: Answer keys for most homework will be provided the next day in class for you to grade your work and get feedback. Each day’s work (teamwork and homework combined) will be scored out of ten points based on effort, work shown, and corrections made in class. As such, your grade for daily work is truly an effort grade and should be a high A average.
*Procedures - To be accepted, all work must…
-Be completed in your notability document.
-Include a completed closure box for the lesson.
*Mechanics - To earn full credit, you must…
-Show all work, following the directions.
-Circle, box, or underline your answers.
-Attempt every question. You can always try something, such as a picture or diagram. Use the online hints! If you truly can’t figure out anything to try, you much write a question that you have specific to the problem.
*Reflections - As you grade homework, using a different color from your work, you must…
-Identify mistakes & make corrections – on work and answers.
-Write a final grade at the top (fraction is fine) and a written plan for learning if grade is under 50%.
-Ask questions!!! Talk to your teammates and ask for help. If no one in your team understands, asks the teacher.
-Late Work: I expect you to make every effort to complete homework on time. If an assignment is not completed when it is due, do your best to finish it as quickly as possible. Ten percent of the grade (one letter grade) will be deducted for each day an assignment is late.
Absent Work: If absent, complete the classwork portion of the lesson taught that day (if possible) instead of the HW assigned. When you return to school, complete a Closure Box as well. Completing the classwork and Closure Box will earn you full points for that day’s work. (Note: If the classwork is impossible to do individually for whatever reason, go ahead and do the homework as assigned.)
DoIGetIt? (DIGI) Tickets:
DoIGetIt? (DIGI) tickets will most often have 2 questions. The first question is for formative assessment only, to provide you with feedback and help me identify students in need of extra help. As such, a grade will be recorded in the gradebook for record keeping purposes, but this grade will NOT affect your overall grade.The second question will revisit a topic previously assessed as a first question and WILL count towards the grade. The hope is that the DIGI #2 average will be higher than the DIGI #1 average.
Tips:If the DIGI #2 grades aren't higher than the DIGI #1 grades, here are 3 tips to consider:
1) Be sure you are reading the notes I write on the “DoIGetIt?-Take #1” topics. You know the take 1 topics will show up as take 2 topics on the next DIGI? ticket.
2) Remember that you can use notes/previous DIGI tickets while working on a DIGI.
3) Be sure to come see me for help if you ever see “0/5 See me for help.” I raise the grade when you come get help, and you’ll better learn the material!
Khan Academy:
Khan Academy assignments are online assignments used to review for tests. There are typically several topics that are assigned the day of the team test and due the day of the test. These are graded by the computer, and these grades are entered into Powerschool. Students are allowed/encouraged to redo any topics if needed.
Tips:If your Khan Academy category grade is lower than your other categories, here are 3 tips to consider.
1) Be sure to start the Khan on the day they are first assigned. You usually have 3-4 days to work on them. If you leave them until the night before the test, you may end up rushing and not doing your best.
2) Use the online hints and videos! Redo the assignment if you aren’t happy with the grade.
3) If you struggle with a topic, come in and get some help. I’ll gladly raise the Khan grade, but more importantly, you’ll understand the concept better!
Team Tests:
Team Tests will consist of “team-worthy” questions to be completed as a team in class, with each team member completing their own copy. After the first day of working, I will give a team “pre-grade,” and then teams will have a second opportunity to work on the test, finishing and fixing work. Team members should agree on answers and check to be sure that each member is recording satisfactory work on their own sheet. For final grading, one question from each team member’s test will contribute to an overall shared team grade.
Individual Tests:
Individual Tests will be given at the end of each chapter. Roughly half of the questions will cover the current chapter’s content, and half will cover previous content, focusing on the essential standards taught earlier in the year. There will be two separate grade categories in the gradebook, one for "New Material (Formative)" and one for "Review Material (Summative)." In addition, there will be a question or two written at an Honors level for Math 8 classes and a High Honors level for the Algebra I classes.
Tips: If your "Test-New Material" grades are low, here are 4 tips to consider.
1) Pay attention to how you are doing on the DIGI tickets. Come get help or ask questions as needed. Keep and study from your DIGI tickets.
2) Really pay attention to how you are doing as you grade your HW. If you realize you are making mistakes, ask a team member or me for help.
3) Study by reviewing your Closure Boxes and DIGI tickets. Do extra practice problems for the topics you struggled with on the closure HW assignment.
4) Come for a review session during the days before the test
Tips: If your "Test-Review Material" grades are low, here are 3 tips to consider.
1) When making corrections on a test, keep those corrections somewhere where you can review them prior to the next test. Don’t just toss them once they are done.
2) Find extra practice problems for those topics using the online parent guide (https://cpm.org/cc3-additional-resources#parentguide) or doing a google search for “Practice Worksheet for…” There are tons of great resources out there.
3) In the days before the test, in addition to practicing/reviewing the current chapter, be sure to look over the test correction from the previous chapter. Seek help if needed.