Grading Policy

• Work will be turned in by placing the file(s) in an electronic ‘Dropbox’ located on the school computer system.  Some assignments will be turned in online or by using the school email account.
• All files turned in for credit MUST have an identical copy of the file saved in the student’s home directory.  
• Assignments are graded from the file that is turned in to the drop-box only. 
• Work not turned in properly, or without a corresponding, identical saved file in the home directory may not be graded.
• All work is due the last day the assignment appears on the calendar.  Athletic and Extracurricular grade monitoring will be drawn from the calendar due dates.  Missing work will be counted as zero until it is turned in. 
• Missing work may be turned in for credit up to three class days after the due date for full credit (exception for end of unit/level as stated below).  After this extra time, zeros for the missing work will become permanent. 
• All work for a particular unit/level, must be turned in no later than one class day after the last day scheduled for the unit.  No exceptions to this deadline policy will be made without prior arrangement with Ms. Pangman.

Grades will be based on the following areas:
For each unit:

Lessons – Most lessons are found in the online eBooks associated with the class, and are designed to teach the vocabulary, concepts and skills of a that chapter.  Additional content may come from teacher developed lesson materials to supplement the textbook material. Points will be awarded for completion of the lessons (~5 pts each).

Chapter Review Activities – After each chapter, several review activities will be assigned, to practice specific skills addressed in the Chapter lessons. Each will count 10-15 points.

Chapter Lab Activities – After the chapter review activities, Labs will be assigned, to demonstrate the skills learned in the Chapter lessons. Each will count 20-40 points.

Review Worksheets/Quizzes – One or more online Worksheet/Quiz activities will follow each Chapter. In these worksheets, students will answer questions to demonstrate understanding of concepts and vocabulary terms.  Most of these may be taken as many times the the student chooses, to improve understanding and scores.  Each will count 10-50 points, depending on the amount of content included. 

Reflection Questions – After each lesson level, students will respond to and open-ended question by email to the teacher, in order to explain what they have learned with examples for using the content and skills.  This writing assingment is in support of the SMHS SWAG writing initiative, and will follow this format. These assignments are worth 15 points.

Test/Project Activities – After each unit of study, students will complete a Project, and online Training and an online Exam .  Tests provide the opportunity for students to articulate their knowledge and appropriate application of the skills they have acquired. 
Projects require students to demonstrate all the skills they have learned in a unit by creating one or more object files in order to solve a real-world type problem.  Tests are worth 50-100 points, and Projects are worth 80-120 points.

• Grades are calculated by dividing the number of points earned by the total points possible.  For example, if a student earns 18 points of a possible 20 points, the grade would be 18/20 or 90%.  Adding up individual grades, a student who earns a total of 398 points out of a possible 450 would earn a grade of 396/450, or 88%, a B+.
• In order to complete the required work in the time allotted, it is recommended that students stay “on schedule”.  Seminar time, as well as lab time after school may be necessary to complete work, especially if a student is absent.
• Students and parents may access online an assignment calendar, including recommended due dates for assignments, final due dates for each section, as well as links to assignments showing complete assignment activities and expectations.
• While all assignments are available online, many may actually be completed on a properly equipped computer outside of school.  Use of the internet would be required, and in some classes, software may be available so students may work outside of lab time.