Grading Policies
Assignments and Assessments
Biology requires many different types of assignments and assessments for students to reach mastery level understanding of the subject matter:
Grading System
Labs, projects, etc. will be based on points (see above). For example, a quiz with 10 questions may be worth 10 points. In order to “pass” the assignment, you would need to get 7 out of the 10 questions correct (70%). Labs and projects are worth considerably more points.
Total points earned on graded assignments will determine the student’s final grade using the grading scale adopted by AAEC:
Homework
Homework is a valuable learning activity. Among the many benefits are:
In some cases, the homework assigned may be to complete certain tasks that are necessary in preparation for the next day’s lesson/activity/lab. If this type of homework in not completed, you will be required to do the work before you may participate in class that day.
Independent Research Project (IRP)
All honors biology students are required to complete an independent scientific research project over the course of the year in biology. As with all projects, this is an ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENT and must be completed to earn course credit in biology. The project will be broken up over the course of the fall and spring semesters:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Book Project
All honors biology students are required to complete a book project related to the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The book project will be completed over the course of the year in biology. As with all projects, this is an ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENT and must be completed to earn course credit in biology. The project will be broken up over the course of the fall and spring semesters as follows (and is subject to change):
Essential Assignment Policy
As shown above, certain assignments in biology are considered essential. This means that they have the highest priority and are the most important assignments in showing your mastery of biology and therefore earning credits in biology toward graduation. ALL ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO PASS BIOLOGY AND EARN YOUR CREDITS. There are no exceptions to this rule. You will not receive a zero for missing essential assignments – instead, they will remain in Synergy as incomplete. You will only receive zeros for missing assignments that are not considered essential. If you have any missing essential assignments when grades close for progress reports, you will receive an I on your progress report indicating an Incomplete and a message saying that you have missing assignments. If you have any missing essential assignments at the close of the semester, you will receive an F on your report card indicating that you have failed the class. THIS POLICY REMAINS IN EFFECT DESPITE WHAT YOUR CURRENT CLASS AVERAGE IS. For example, you may have an average of 84% in biology, but if you have missing essential assignments, your grade is void and you will receive an I or an F. It’s very important that you pay close attention to this policy. You may be offered an incomplete contract or an invitation to summer school depending on your individual situation, but this is not guaranteed.
Late Assignments and Retakes
All assignments are to be submitted on time. It is your responsibility to manage your time and keep track of upcoming due dates. If an assignment is submitted late, you will NOT receive a late penalty, however turning in assignments late puts you at serious risk of falling behind. Please see below for details regarding the policy for graded assignments.
Biology requires many different types of assignments and assessments for students to reach mastery level understanding of the subject matter:
- Composition book – this will be assessed based on students’ level of detail, neatness, in-depth reflection, and overall organization. Students will receive a grade for the notebook out of 100 points for each unit. It will also be reflected on and used as a tool for learning. Notebooks not turned in earn a score of 50%.
- Homework – short assignments will be given some evenings during the week. Homework will be checked, but not graded (please see note below). Students who put time and effort into completing their homework will be given more consideration in determining final grades.
- In-class/Think CERCA/Misc. assignments – these will be collected at the end of class or completed online. They are worth a various number of points, depending on the complexity of the assignment.
- Labs – the goal is 10 labs total (5 for each semester), but it depends on time – worth 50 points each. Lab grades will be assessed based on formal, written lab reports. You will be required to submit rough drafts of your lab reports. Although rough drafts are not graded, you will lose points on your final score if they are not completed. ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENT
- Quizzes – administered at least once in each unit to assess student understanding – worth a maximum of 20 points each. There may also be short quizzes at the beginning of some class periods based on the previous night’s homework. These quizzes will be worth 5 points each.
- Tests – administered at the end of each unit – worth 50 points each. Students will also take a final exam for each semester – the final exam is worth 15% of the semester grade, so the number of points for the semester will determine the number of points for the final exam. In addition, STUDENTS MUST EARN A PASSING AVERAGE ON ALL TESTS COMBINED, INCLUDING THE FINAL EXAM (70% AVERAGE) TO EARN COURSE CREDIT. ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENT
- Projects – at least 1 major project will be assigned each semester, in addition to the Independent Research Project (IRP) and book project described below; this may be an individual or group project – points for projects are to be determined. ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENT
- Galileo – students will take 4 Galileo tests (pre-test, 2 benchmarks, and a post-test) throughout the year. These tests are not for a grade and will be used as a formative assessment only.
Grading System
Labs, projects, etc. will be based on points (see above). For example, a quiz with 10 questions may be worth 10 points. In order to “pass” the assignment, you would need to get 7 out of the 10 questions correct (70%). Labs and projects are worth considerably more points.
Total points earned on graded assignments will determine the student’s final grade using the grading scale adopted by AAEC:
- 90-100% = A
- 80-89% = B
- 70-79% = C
- Below 70% = F
- Incomplete = I
Homework
Homework is a valuable learning activity. Among the many benefits are:
- Skill reinforcement
- The development of self-discipline, responsibility, and wise use of time
- The opportunity for parents to become involved in and aware of what their children are learning
- Most importantly, a chance to think more deeply about the material and make connections
In some cases, the homework assigned may be to complete certain tasks that are necessary in preparation for the next day’s lesson/activity/lab. If this type of homework in not completed, you will be required to do the work before you may participate in class that day.
Independent Research Project (IRP)
All honors biology students are required to complete an independent scientific research project over the course of the year in biology. As with all projects, this is an ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENT and must be completed to earn course credit in biology. The project will be broken up over the course of the fall and spring semesters:
- Fall semester: students will decide on a project, complete a project proposal, and collect data using a lab notebook
- Spring semester: students will write a research paper and complete a visual display for possible entry into the AAEC District Science Fair
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Book Project
All honors biology students are required to complete a book project related to the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The book project will be completed over the course of the year in biology. As with all projects, this is an ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENT and must be completed to earn course credit in biology. The project will be broken up over the course of the fall and spring semesters as follows (and is subject to change):
- Fall semester: students will read articles related to the book and answer questions, participate in a debate related to the book, begin reading the book, and participate in class discussions and other small assignments related to the book.
- Spring semester: students will finish the book, participate in class discussions and other small assignments related to the book, and will write a final essay or complete an approved, alternative final project based on the concepts from the book.
Essential Assignment Policy
As shown above, certain assignments in biology are considered essential. This means that they have the highest priority and are the most important assignments in showing your mastery of biology and therefore earning credits in biology toward graduation. ALL ESSENTIAL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO PASS BIOLOGY AND EARN YOUR CREDITS. There are no exceptions to this rule. You will not receive a zero for missing essential assignments – instead, they will remain in Synergy as incomplete. You will only receive zeros for missing assignments that are not considered essential. If you have any missing essential assignments when grades close for progress reports, you will receive an I on your progress report indicating an Incomplete and a message saying that you have missing assignments. If you have any missing essential assignments at the close of the semester, you will receive an F on your report card indicating that you have failed the class. THIS POLICY REMAINS IN EFFECT DESPITE WHAT YOUR CURRENT CLASS AVERAGE IS. For example, you may have an average of 84% in biology, but if you have missing essential assignments, your grade is void and you will receive an I or an F. It’s very important that you pay close attention to this policy. You may be offered an incomplete contract or an invitation to summer school depending on your individual situation, but this is not guaranteed.
Late Assignments and Retakes
All assignments are to be submitted on time. It is your responsibility to manage your time and keep track of upcoming due dates. If an assignment is submitted late, you will NOT receive a late penalty, however turning in assignments late puts you at serious risk of falling behind. Please see below for details regarding the policy for graded assignments.
- Notebooks – they will usually be graded in class at the end of the unit. If you do not turn in your notebook in a timely manner, your grade in Synergy will reflect 50%. It’s also important that you keep your notebook updated at all times to receive the best grade possible.
- Labs – since Biology is a laboratory course, it’s imperative that all lab work is completed. Missing lab work will receive an incomplete until the lab is completed. You have until the final due date to turn in rough drafts for your lab report. Once the final due date passes, you will no longer be allowed to turn in rough drafts and will have points deducted from your final lab report grade. You have the opportunity to rewrite lab reports for a better score.
- Quizzes – if a student misses a quiz on the scheduled day, there may be an alternate day to take the quiz in class or you may schedule to make up the quiz on your own time. If a quiz is never taken, the grade for the corresponding section of the unit test will be used as the quiz score. There will not be retakes for low quiz scores – please study and be prepared!
- Tests – if a student misses a test on the scheduled day, there may be an alternate day to take the test in class or you may schedule to make up the test on your own time. Retakes will be offered for low test scores after school the week following the test. In order to retake a test, you must turn in your completed study guide. Then you will schedule a time for the retake. Please be aware that the retake version of the test is usually more difficult, consisting of mostly short answer responses. Your best test score will be entered into Synergy. I will also go back and look at quiz scores for the unit – if you have improved on sections of the test including the retake, then your quiz scores will be raised as well.
- Projects – these are considered essential in demonstrating your learning for the course. Missing projects will receive an incomplete until they are turned in.