Academic Physics Parent


Grading Procedures


Grading will be done on a percentage system with each graded assignment providing a specific number of points towards each category. A 65 % minimum average is needed to pass. Your grade will be comprised of:

  • 65% Tests / Quizzes / Chapter outlines
  • 15% Labs / Lab Quizzes
  • 20% WebAssign / Homework / Class Assignments

Assignments may include: Tests
  • comprised of Problems, Concepts, Interpretation of lab, Understanding of relationships of equations
  • All tests must be completed in the time provided. No extra time will be given unless previous permission has been granted.
  • If you are absent the day before a test and new information is presented for the test you are given 1 day to make up the test. If you are absent the day before a test and no new information is presented you are still required to take the test.
  • If absent it must be made up promptly upon return or you will receive a zero. This means you may need to come during a study, lunch, before, or after school. It is your responsibility to schedule your makeup with Dr. Croom between 7:25 and 7:40 on the day you would like to make up the test.
  • Repeated absences on the day of tests may lead to the following consequences:
    • Forfeit of extra credit opportunities
    • You may be also given another version of the test where a given problem written in multiple choice format is replaced by an open-ended problem, where all work must be shown - the replacement problem may or may not be equivalent in complexity
    • students being required to make up the test at the end of the quarter. During the last two weeks of the quarter, the instructor will open a window for make ups to take place. It is the responsibility of the student to find a time within this window to come and make up the test. If the student does not find a time to come and take it, they will have to take it during the class period.
  • Tests and homework follow the late schedule listed above under their specific heading.

Formal Labs Must be typed and must follow lab report format outlined below.
  • There will be a deduction of points for every day late
  • After 3 days the lab becomes a ZERO
  • Mini-Labs (Informal Labs) will also be performed and will weighted appropriately compared to Formal Labs
Reading Quizzes
  • Will be based on assigned readings.
  • All quizzes must be completed in the time provided. No extra time will be given unless previous permission has been granted.

Spot, homework, and announced Quizzes
  • Being absent the day before a quiz does not provide exception from the quiz. E-mail your instructor, call a friend, read your chapter, practice your problems, determine what you missed.
  • All quizzes must be completed in the time provided. No extra time will be given unless previous permission has been granted.

Homework
  • Homework assignments may or may not be graded. Graded homework will count as a quiz grade. Students are expected to always come to class with their homework complete.
  • Late homework WILL NOT be accepted
  • Partial completed homework will be considered incomplete
Example of a full credit homework problem:

Problem:          A car goes from 5m/s to 25m/s in 3s,
                        what is the acceleration of the car?

example problem
Class Participation
  • Will be considered for borderline grades
  • Students who miss more than 4 days of class total after the first quarter, 6 days total after the second quarter, 8 days after the third quarter, and 10 days after the fourth quarter will not be eligible for participation recognition

Extra Credit
  • Extra Credit if assigned will be given to the entire class. Extra credit assignments are not to be worked on in class and will be required to be handed in on the given day. No partial credit is given for extra credit.
  • Some test may have extra credit on them. Extra credits on test can vary from extra reading assignment, recent news events, problems, or opinion statements.

End of year Research Paper
  • Research papers will involve the research of a physics topics and the creation of a presentation to demonstrate the learned concepts. Research papers will be graded like a test.

End of year Presentations
  • Presentations will be graded according to a rubric handed-out before the beginning of the project. All areas discussed in the rubric need to be covered

Final Exam
  • There will be cumulative final exam in this class.

Unprepared for Class
  • Students coming to class unprepared based on the rules above lose 5 points from their test point total for each occurrence. Coming to class unprepared include but are not limited to not having your pencil or pen, notebook, textbook, or handouts.

Absenteeism and Grades
  • Due to the nature of physics student attendance in class is required. Students who miss classes, miss integral parts of the course that cannot be replicated on paper or in a small group setting. As the number of days students are absent increases, their overall grade in the course will decrease from missed quiz and test questions, and from poor lab performance. Students need to make every effort to be in class every day to prevent their grades from decreasing.
  • If a student misses over 15 days of class during the year, the student will see a reduction in their quarter class grade by 1 point for each additional day they miss.
  • Any assignment you miss because of absence is your responsibility to make up. If after a week the assignment is still outstanding it becomes a zero. This may require you to spend some time after school making up labs and projects.
Additional Information
  • Leaving the classroom in the middle of a test, quiz, or other formal assignment is discouraged. Take care of all personal issues before entering the classroom. A consistent pattern of leaving during an assignment will be viewed as giving the test taker unfair advantage and points may be deducted. Follow the rules provided for the SATs found at http://www.collegeboard.com/html/sat_terms_conditions.html
  • Proficiency in word processing and spreadsheet skills will be an ongoing process.  Formal lab reports and certain assignments will require a certain proficiency using the Microsoft Office 2007 or later package, Google Sheet, and Google Docs which are readily available to all students on the NPSD Internet.  Specifically, we will be using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel throughout the semester.
  • It is the responsibility of the student to keep track of his/her grades. Dr. Croom will not give grades out during the semester. All grades will be posted on the school's online grading program for you to check. If you question your nine weeks average, you must be able to prove your grades so keep your assignments.

Final Course Grade will be determined by the following system.  
22.5%    of each quarters average
10%      Final Exam Score