Grading Policy

My grading policy is explained below...

 If you have any questions regarding grades please feel free to contact me!

Attendance/Participation:20%                                                                                                      

Homework: 10%                                                                                                                        

Weekly quizzes: 10%                                                                                                               

Unit exams: 25%

Lab write-ups: 25%

Projects: 10%

Class Attendance/ Participation: Both attendance and participation in class are extremely important. While there will be outside reading that must be finished before class, the discussions and activities that will be completed inside the classroom will serve to elevate the level of understanding of the subjects being studied. With this being said, attendance and participation will be worth 20% of the overall grade for the marking period.

Homework: Homework assignments will be assigned almost every night. They are to be completed and brought to class the next day, unless stated otherwise. These assignments will serve as addition reinforcement of the material covered in class. If the assignment is not completed by the date specified, you will have two days after the due date to hand in the assignment. If still not completed two days after the original due date credit will start to be taken off (10% credit will be removed every additional day that the assignment is not completed). While homework assignments do have a specific purpose in this class they do not completely assess your knowledge, therefore, all homework assignments will constitute 10% of your overall grade.

Weekly quizzes: Mini quizzes will be given every Friday, unless stated otherwise. These quizzes will serve to assess your knowledge as we progress through units. By assessing you every week, we will be able to grasp those concepts that are being mastered and those that may need extra instruction. All quizzes given throughout the marking period will be averaged and will constitute 10% of your overall grade.

Unit exams: At the end of every unit there will be a unit test. This test will serve as a means to assess your overall knowledge of the material that was covered during the unit. You will be given notification of the test approximately a week before the test will be given. This should give you ample time to manage your studying. All unit exams that are given within the marking period will be averaged and will count as 25% of your total grade.

Lab write-ups: With this being a science class, one of the most important aspects is your ability to perform certain skills that we are discussing during the "lecture" section of the course. With this being said, lab activities and their write-ups are going to count as 25% of your overall grade. It is my belief that these activities are the most appropriate way to assess your knowledge of certain skills and concepts. Also, I believe that all science courses must be hands on learning. By completing these activities you will be able to experience biology first hand.

Projects: Throughout the course you will be assigned a number of assignments that must be completed outside of the classroom. Depending on the assignment, these may be completed individually, with a partner, or in a group setting. Just as lab activities allow you to experience Biology first hand, so do these assignments. With this being said, projects will be graded by following a rubric (given when assignment is first assigned) and will be averaged to make up 10% of your overall grade.

*It is your responsability to get work that you miss due to illness or other excuses the day you return to school*