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Math Course 1 & Math Course 1 Honors:Classroom Policies and Expectations
Content & Materials
- Math Textbook: California Math Course 1 - McGraw-Hill Publishing
- Math Online: Clever Login
- Common Core state standards can be found at:
California Department of Education - See Recommended Supply List
OrganizationStudents will be required to be organized. All work must be saved in an organized manner for the entire semester. Math work will be completed in pencil only (no pen) and follow the procedure explained in class. Failure to do so may result in no credit for an assignment. MLA basic guidelines will be used for notebook paper formatting. See guidelines below:
In the top left corner of the paper, include...- First and last name
- Teacher's name
- Subject/period
- Date
Notes and Daily PracticeMath Notes will be completed daily in a notebook (notes journal). If your child falls behind in class or is absent, digital versions of the math notes are available on Google Classroom. All notes should be completed in pencil with as much detail as possible. Students are responsible for completing all notes due to an absence or falling behind in class. Class notes may be used for some exams throughout the school year.
Daily Practice (classwork and homework) is an integral part of your child’s education and will be assigned in class and expected to be started in class and completed at home on a daily basis. In life, you only get better with practice. Math practice will help improve skills and is a great lesson in responsibility. In Math, all daily practice from the math book will be completed in pencil, with all work shown in a different math notebook (math practice journal). There may be random checks of the daily math practice. When the math practice is checked, each math assignment may be worth a designated amount of points. While the majority of the math assignments are due the next day, there may be mini-projects or packets which will require more time to complete.
It is the individual student’s responsibility (with help from a parent) to manage their time in a manner which allows for the completion of the math assignment. The daily math practice should take no longer than about 30 minutes (without distractions). It may be possible that your child will bring home, from time to time, unfinished math assignments or math assignments that need to be redone. If an assignment is checked and is missing by the end of the school day, it may receive a "0". Extra help is available during Advisory and before school, Monday - Thursday 8:00 - 8:30am.
Exams (Entrance Tickets, Quizzes, Tests and Test Retakes)Entrance Tickets will be completed in the math notes journal, to begin the class period following the day a new lesson was taught. These entrance tickets may or may not be graded. An Entrance Ticket is a formative assessment to help your child evaluate how well they are understanding the daily lessons and math assignments. If your child is finding the math lessons and math assignments to be challenging, it is their responsibility to seek extra help from a friend, parent, tutor, or me. Extra help is available during Advisory and before school Monday - Thursday 8:00 - 8:30am.
Quizzes may be given at any time without advance notice. Quiz scores range from 20-50 points. The math notes journal may be used for all math quizzes. There are no retakes available for quizzes.
Math Tests will be given at the end of each unit. All unit test dates will be announced at least two days prior to each test. A practice test may be given the day before each unit test. Math unit tests are worth 100 points. Math notes may not be used for unit tests. There are retakes available for unit tests only.
Test Retakes are available all school year for unit tests only. During each semester, your child will have an opportunity to complete one Test Retake for every unit test. Test retakes dates will be posted in class as well as on Google Classroom. In order to retake a unit test, your child must complete a test reflection form for each unit test to be retaken. Test Retakes will NOT be available during Advisory. After the Test Retake is completed and scored, your child will receive the higher of the two unit test grades for that unit test. There are no retakes given for quizzes.
Grading- Daily Math Practice / Assignments (random checks)- 2-4 points per assignment
- Exams-
Entrance Tickets (daily)- Formative Assessment- No points
Mid-Chapter Quizzes- Summative Assessment- 20-50 points
Unit Tests- Summative Assessment- 100 points - Class Participation- effort grade
*All math notes, math practice, and exams will be completed in PENCIL. As part of a student’s learning experience, highlighters and colored pens may be used to emphasize important information. Always write the math problems and SHOW ALL WORK IN PENCIL. Points and grades will be based on completion, quality of work, and accuracy.
*In all math assignments where points are awarded, the total points will be converted into percentages. All grades are earned by the student. No extra credit projects will be assigned, but there may be other minimal extra credit opportunities. Generally, the grading breakdown is as follows:
98%-100% A+ 88%-89% B+ 78%-79% C+ 68%-69% D+ 59% and Below F
92%-97% A 82%-87% B 72%-77% C 62%-67% D
90%-91% A- 80%-81% B- 70%-71% C- 60%-61% D-
Attendance and Late ArrivalsRegular attendance and promptness is critical in any endeavor. Students have about 9,000 minutes of learning time in each class per school year. That equates to a little more than six 24-hour days per class. You cannot replace the value of in-class learning time. All exams and practice assignments are due upon returning from an absence. The only exception will be those assignments given during that absence. The absence assignments will be due two days after a student’s return unless designed to be completed over several days. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO INQUIRE ABOUT ANY AND ALL MISSED MATH ASSIGNMENTS AND MAKE THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS FOR ALL EXAM MAKE-UPS. If exams are not made up within a week of return (or an arrangement made between the student and teacher), the student may receive a “0” on that exam.
Class Expectations- Be Prepared- materials on desk and seated ready to learn when the bell rings
- Be an Active Learner- ask and answer questions
- Pay Attention
- No Food or Drinks (water bottles ok)
All of the students in our classroom are entitled to a positive learning environment that promotes high self-esteem and a lot of happiness. To facilitate this, our classroom community will follow these simple Core Expectations:
RESPECT YOURSELF
RESPECT EACH OTHER
RESPECT OUR CLASSROOM
By following these simple guidelines, your child will gain an understanding of the behaviors, which will encourage personal success, both academically and socially. For a more detailed explanation of the school expectations, please see the 2022-2023 Parent/Student Handbook.
I will be using the following Progressive Discipline Plan:
- Warning
- 2nd Warning and parent notification
- After school detention and parent notification
- Classroom suspension
CitizenshipCitizenship grades are measured by a student’s ability and willingness to follow our Core Expectations. These schoolwide expectations may be similar to your own family expectations. Citizenship Rubric
Tips for Math Success
*Keep your notes up-to-date.
*Practice, practice, practice your math without skipping steps and show your work.
*Study, study, study your math notes by doing practice problems, not just reading your math notes journal.
*Use the online resources for extra help. Clever Login and Khan Academy
*As math gets harder, it's more challenging to rely on mental math and life experiences for success.
*Follow The Directions!
*Check your work and each answer to be sure it makes sense. Say to yourself "Is this logical" or "Is this reasonable?"
*Ask questions or ask for help.Suggestions for Parents
Do not assume that your child is completing their math assignments. Middle school is a totally different environment. Students have to balance changing classes and different teachers with different personalities and brand new social-emotional issues. Nightly, ask to see your child’s Agenda and see their completed (ALL WORK SHOWN IN PENCIL) math practice. Also, please monitor your child’s grades often online through the PowerSchool Parent portal. I would also like all students to monitor their own grades online as well. Active participation from the beginning will eliminate surprises later. I will post the daily assignments (practice) on my class website.
**I recommend having a separate filing system at home for all assignments and an organized email communication file for each of your child's classes. All work should be filed away and kept for the semester and possibly the entire school year. If assignments and emails are saved, then proof of all assignment scores and communication are available to you and your child in case a mistake is found on PowerSchool.Revised 7/13/2023