Academic Policies for Honors English 9/10 (Spring 2017)

Grading

Individual assignment grades are based on how well the student meets or exceeds the California State Standards for English. Each assignment will be assessed based on a rubric of proficiency with the grade equivalents as follows:

A=90-100% Advanced—Superior work that exemplifies the very best achievement.

B=80-89% Proficient---Work that achieves mastery. The work may not be free of errors, but all of the core skills and concepts are mastered.

C=70-79% Basic—Work at this level exhibits less than mastery, but does show a general understanding of the concepts, or has completed the assignment with minimal proficiency.

D=60-69% Below Basic---This work is generally is a degraded “C” with more errors, and a less-than-minimal level of proficiency.

F=50-59% Far Below Basic*---This designation is reserved for work that is less than half complete or is seriously deficient in essential skills and exhibits little or no proficiency.

*Work not turned in receives 50 points, as I have come to believe that a zero is a mathematically inaccurate representation of the level of failure assigned to work not turned in. For a fuller discussion of the rationale behind this counter-intuitive notion, please see “The Case Against the Zero” by Douglas B. Reeves (Phi Delta Kappa, December 2004)

Assignments are weighted by category in the following manner:

Essays = 40%

Classwork/Homework = 10%

Quizzes = 10%

Presentations/Exams = 20%

Semester Final = 20%

Homework

Ordinarily, students receive between 30 and 45 minutes of homework. All handwritten work must be completed in blue or black ink on white 8.5 x 11" college-ruled notebook paper that has no torn edges with a title centered on the top and the student’s name, date and period printed in the upper right-hand corner. Students are also encouraged to type their homework. In order to qualify for an A on any outside class assignment, the work must be typed.

Work done in the SpringBoard text can be either in ink or pencil and should be done neatly. A title page must be included with the student’s name, date and period in the upper right-hand corner with the title of the homework centered at the top.

Homework that is not done according to this format will not be accepted and recorded as an F.

Late Work and Absences

Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class and will be collected at the tardy bell; late work will be accepted as one grade down per day late. Illnesses and other extraordinary circumstances are dealt with on a case-by-case basis with the overall policy being to give the student every opportunity to make up the missed work without falling further behind. My policy regarding approved field trips is that the work due the day of the fieldtrip must be turned inthe day of the field trip before leaving the school. Emailing assignments to me is acceptable provided an appropriate time stamp appears in the email.

Any subsequent assignments missed due to a multi-day field trip will be due at the next class meeting upon returning to school. Obviously, extended family vacations during the school year are not acceptable reasons to be absent, and no accommodation will be provided; the student simply misses the work and the grade goes down.

Essay Revision

Students receiving a mark lower than a B on an essay assignment are encouraged to revise the essay for a higher grade. In order to take advantage of this, the following criteria must be met:

  1. The work must have been turned in on time (or an approved delay).
  2. The essay must have received a grade below a B (B-) qualifies.
  3. Before revising, a conference with the teacher must be held.
  4. The revision deadline is normally one week from the conference but may be adjusted as needed.

Plagiarism/Cheating

Trust is the foundation of education. The violation of trust between student and teacher weakens the academic community and is penalized harshly. Honor is a matter of character as well as academic merit; therefore,students are to do their own work on all assignments, unless I specifically designate the work as a group project. Obviously, receiving help while taking an exam or quiz is not acceptable as is using another’s words or ideas without proper attribution (plagiarism). Penalties for breach of this honor code vary according to the circumstances, but the very least that will happen is that the student will receive an F for the work he/she cheated on/plagiarized. There is no exception to this rule. A list of students who cheat is kept on file and will be consulted before any college recommendation letters are written. It is the policy of the Magnet to not write college recommendations for any student caught cheating/plagiarizing a third time.

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Name of Student______Period ___

I have read the Academic Policies for Honors English 9/10 and have discussed these with my son/daughter.(please sign)

X______

Parent or Legal Guardian