Click below to download The Standards and Grading Policies.
18-19_the_science_standards__grading_policies.pdf |
Frequently Asked Questions
How will I be graded in this class?
You will be assessed on the ten standards. You will earn a level between 0 and 4. You will earn points for the levels you achieve and that will be used to calculate your course grade. You will not earn or lose points for behaviors like timely work submission, completion, or participation.
How will I know what to do to reach a proficient level (3)?
You should look in the Standards Handbook to find strategies for each standard. You will learn about these strategies during class and have a chance to practice them before you are assessed the first time.
How will I know what to do to reach mastery level (4)?
Mastering concepts or skills means that you are so proficient with them that you can apply them above and beyond the expectations of the course. Your work must be excellent and meet the level for description. The level 4 description for each standard can give you an idea of what to aim for but it cannot tell you specifically what to do -- that requires you to innovate!
How will I know what grade I earned on an assignment?
You will get a single score for each assignment which will be determined with a rubric. The standards being assessed will be on the rubric that you will be given when the assignment is assigned. Your score can be found by averaging your levels for the assignment and looking at the Standards to Score Chart. Your teacher will decide whether the assignment is worth up to 10, 20 or 40 points depending on the work involved in completing it. These points are used by Veracross to calculate your course grade. You will always get feedback on an assignment before your points appear in Veracross but you can calculate it yourself using the chart.
What if I am not happy with my grade?
You can revise and resubmit any assignment up through the end of the following unit. You can do this as many times as you'd like within the time frame! Make sure to use the appropriate form, which can be found on OneNote or in your classroom.
How will I know what I am going to be assessed on?
Your teacher will give you a rubric with the standards and levels that are to be assessed before the activity, project, or quiz. She will give you a list of guiding questions and tasks to structure your work and if the L-2 standard (apply terms, facts, and concepts) is going to be assessed, your teacher will also give you a concept inventory.
Why are the standards and levels the same for each grade level?
The standards describe the ten skills that scientists use in their work. The levels are descriptions of the process of learning and growth required to reach grade-level proficiency of those skills. As you advance from one grade to the next your teacher will help you to learn and apply more complex strategies. Successfully applying these strategies will mean that you are working towards grade-level proficiency. Although the standards and levels are described the same way for all grade levels, the expectations for demonstrating proficiency changes from grade to grade. You can reference the Standards Handbook for more specific explanations of these expectations.
Where can I find all of the forms and handbooks that you talked about?
All of the information that was talked about is available in the shared OneNote notebook set up by your teacher. You can also see hard copies of these documents in the binder in your classroom labeled Standards Handbook. If your parents would like to see any of the documents, they can look in your OneNote or email your teacher directly.