Algebra 1-2 Honors Syllabus Instructor: Mrs. Kendra Beatty Room: 505 Voice Mail: (602) 445-8472 Website: http://www.dvusd.org/sf-beatty Description of Course Algebra 1-2 is based on the Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards and the Deer Valley Unified School District Curriculum. This course includes formal mathematical concepts, including linear equations, quadratic equations, exponential equations, and polynomial expressions, as well as the study of statistics and geometry from an algebraic perspective. Emphasis is placed on studying algebra in context through problem solving and real-life applications. This course will benefit the student by equipping them with the necessary skills and understanding for advanced math and science studies, and by preparing them for state testing. DETERMINING SEMESTER GRADE Grades will be based on the student s cumulative earned points and weighted by category: 55% Tests 20% Quizzes 5% Homework/Classwork 20% Final Exam Grading Scale A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79% D 60-69% F 0-59% Final course grades are computed as 80% equaling the coursework done throughout the semester and 20% equaling the final exam portion of the grade. Test Retakes You must take tests the day they are given. The only exception is if you miss the previous TWO days before the test. An absence the day before the test will not excuse you from the test. Test retakes are an earned privilege. In order to be eligible for a test retake, the following criteria must be understood/met: 1. All assignments have been completed and all work shown 2. Student completes test corrections 3. Attend tutoring 4. Retake test must be done outside of regular class time before the next unit assessment. 5. If you schedule a retake with me and do NOT show up, retakes will no longer be available to you. It makes no sense to allow a test retake if there was no attempt at learning prior to the test, nor would it be wise to retake a test without learning from the mistakes made the first time. Homework Assignments The purpose of daily homework is to give you practice on a newly learned concept as well as to review previously learned skills. Class time may be allotted for you to begin working on the assignment; however, you should expect to spend time outside of class to complete it. All homework assignments will be posted at the beginning of each week. If you are absent, you may complete assignments while absent. Homework is the practice for concepts being taught in class and is necessary to prepare for the tests and quizzes. Simply stated, if you do not do the homework, you will not do as well on your tests. Homework is not done for the teacher, but instead, for your learning. Late Work All assignments are expected on their assigned due dates. If you are absent on a due date, the work is expected on the day of your return. If you are on campus, but not in class, your work still must be handed in on time. If you are absent, you will have 1 day for each absence to complete work that was assigned while you were out. Late work will be accepted up to 5 days late, and will receive partial credit up to 25% off of the grade earned on the assignment.
Absences You are responsible for getting any notes or assignments you miss due to an absence. Lesson plans and homework assignments are posted online and in the classroom. Homework is your practice. If you are absent, you should complete the assignments you missed and go over them with me. If you don t complete assignments, it will affect your assessment grades. Do not make up work during class time. You must make up assessments missed due to an excused absence within one week of the original test date. In case of serious or extenuating circumstances, please contact me to make other arrangements. Classroom Expectations All rules and guidelines set forth in DVUSD Student Rights and Responsibilities document will be followed. Disrupting the learning environment in any way is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Keys to Success Complete all homework assignments; these are practice for the tests. Participate and engage in the classroom learning experiences. Take notes. You can refer back to notes when doing homework at home. Ask questions. The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked! Try all problems. It is surprising how much you can learn from mistakes! Study for all tests by reviewing notes and doing practice problems. Keep a positive attitude! Cell Phone/Electronic Device Classroom Policy Cell phones and technology are a large part of our world today. There are times that using cell phones/electronic devices are permitted during the school day and during class learning experiences at the discretion of the teacher. Cell phones/electronic devices are expected to be turned OFF upon entering the classroom and are expected to be placed in the students backpack. This includes ear-buds and head-phones. The only time a cell phone/electronic device should be out or in use is when the teacher has specifically stated that it may be used for educational purposes. If the cell phone policy is not followed, the following consequences may occur: 1) Verbal warning and documentation 2) Incident report and/or phone call to parent 3) Detention 4) Office referral CLASS MATERIALS All students are required to have the following materials to ensure success in my class. If obtaining these supplies is a problem, please contact me. Arizona law requires that public schools provide supplies required for academic success. This list represents optional, supplementary items which you may supply, at your discretion. Pencils 2 Dry erase markers Paper (loose leaf) 3 ring binder Spiral notebooks for notes TI-84 model Graphing Calculator (see attached letter) RECEIVING ADDITIONAL HELP Extra Help for homework and review is available weekly either before or after school. Hours will be posted each Monday for the entire week as it varies from week to week. Students are responsible for checking the schedule and making time to come in for extra help.
High School Course Requirements Please note the Algebra 1-2 Honors course and the Algebra 1-2 course are high school courses and follow the high school curriculum, grading and guidelines set forth in the Academic Planning Guide. The grade earned in an Algebra 1-2 Honors course will be calculated into your student s high school GPA and will impact their class rank. Enrolling your student in an honors or a non-honors course will have academic consequences that may include AIMS results, success in the subsequent high school courses, impact on high school GPA and impact on high school class ranking. Algebra 1-2 Honors: excerpts from the Academic Planning Guide Placement Changes Students who request an AP Course, IB course, or Honors course are accepted the rigor that comes with these advanced academic courses. Once students and parents agree to the requirements, they will be enrolled in an advanced academic course. No level changes will be considered for students in advanced academic classes before the 15 th day of class and after the 25the day of class. Only a teacher can recommend students for a placement change in an advanced academic class. The teacher will only consider students for a placement change whose effort is consistent with the expectation yet show limited success in the class. Withdrawal Any student (regular or (H), (AP), (IB)) who withdraws from a class after the first fifteen (15) days of the semester, but before the end of the tenth (10) week will receive a grade of WP or WF until the end of the semester. Student attends class until the end of the term. Requests for class withdrawals will not be processed after the tenth (10) week of the semester. WP or WF grades will be posted on a student s transcript but not factored into GPA or class ranking. Students who receive a WF will be ineligible for extra curricular and AIA participation. GPA INFORMATION Weighted Courses In selected subject areas, honor points will be assigned to grades in order to reflect the level of work and performance of the student. INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) HONORS (H) ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) COURSES are weighted. The following table indicates honor point equivalents. Please note: Transfer grades from another school district will be computed 1 point for either honors courses or regular courses. Grade Honor Points Grade Regular Points A 5 A 4 B 4 B 3 C 3 C 2 D 1 D 1 F 0 F 0 Note: Colleges and Universities may unweight grades. CLASS RANKING The following designated courses will be used when calculating the high school class ranking list: Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Eng. Language Arts Eng. Language Arts Eng. Language Arts Eng. Language Arts Math Math Math Math Science Science Science Science Social Studies Social Studies Social Studies If more than one class is taken in the same designated subject area during the same semester, the class with the highest grade will be used. If the grades are the same, the most advanced level class will be used. Only the designated classes taken during the freshman through senior years and approved DVUSD math classes taken in 7th and 8th grades will be used for class ranking. This proposal applies to class ranking only, not to individual GPA. The individual GPA will continue to include all classes on a student s transcript as currently processed. (It should be noted that the universities recalculate the individual GPA according to their own formula.) Qualifying classes from the designated subject areas will include non elective courses that meet the requirements for graduation.
August 2015 Dear Parent or Guardian, Welcome to the Deer Valley Unified School District for an exciting year in the high school mathematics classroom! Teachers and students will continue to explore not only the rigorous content of Arizona s College and Career Ready Standards but will also hone their problems solving skills with the Mathematical Practices. As a 21 st century learner, your child will gain more experience with technology in the mathematics classroom via interactive geometry software, spreadsheets and graphing calculators. We strongly suggest providing your child with a graphing calculator which would be sufficient for all four years of mathematics in the Deer Valley Unified School District. We recommend the TI-84 model. Students generally find their graphing calculators to be useful even beyond their four years of high school. We look forward to a fantastic year in mathematics with your child! Sincerely, Dr. Gayle Galligan Associate Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Adrienne Wooten, M.Ed Math Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Specialist
Algebra 1-2 Honors Student Name Class Period STUDENT: I have read the Course Syllabus for Algebra 1-2H for the 2018-2019 school year, and understand the expectations, as well as the consequences if such expectations are not followed. Student Signature: Date Student e-mail address: (Please Print Clearly) PARENT/GUARDIAN: I have read my child s Course Syllabus for Algebra 1-2H and understand the expectations, as well as the consequences if such expectations are not followed. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to check power schools and the school/class website for homework or upcoming assessments. Parent Signature: Date Parent e-mail address: (Please Print Clearly)