Precalculus Syllabus

What Works 1. Respect. Please respect people. Everyone has something valuable to add to our
conversation. 2. Please be on time. If not a gnome will walk out from underneath my desk and stab you in the shin with a plastic spoon. It wont hurt, but its really annoying so dont be late. 3. Be prepared: bring your math binder, writing utensils, paper, your brain, and enthusiasm to class every day. 4. Participate and have fun!

Organization and Supplies

Bring a notebook or binder devoted to precalculus and all its glory, a sweet graphing calculator, and pencils, not pens. P-E-N-C-I-L-S. The gnome under the desk does not like pens, so either bring pencils or shin guards. Every student needs a graphing calculator. If you cannot obtain a calculator, you may rent one from the school for a fee that is refunded upon return of the calculator. Please see Mr. Frank for a rental form. But be careful when passing by his desk.

Homework
Homework is for your benefit in order to practice, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. That is all I have to say on the matter.

Absent: Students who are unexcused absent should check the class blog for missed notes, assignments, etc. All students are expected to register for the blog. Please be ethical and mature when posting on the blog. Grading Policy Ok this is going to be weird. But here are the basics. 90% of your grade will be based on the standards for the course, and 10% is homework. Each standard will be based on a 4 point scale. Each standard will be assessed at a minimum of two times. Your score will work on a decaying average. Your most current grade counts for 65% of your score, and the remaining 35% is from your previous scores. Here is an example with 2,3 or 4 assessments.
Standard 1 Standard 2 Standard 3 1st 1 2 3 2nd 3 3 4 3rd 4 3 4th 1 = 3*.65 + 1*.35 = 2.3 = 4*.65 + .35(3*.65 + 2*.35) = 3.5275 = 1*.65 + .35(3*.65 + .35(4*.65 + 3*.35)) = 3.07

Reassessments: You can reassess each standard as many times as you would like, but you must fill out an application for reassessment online 48 hours prior to the reassessment date. I will decide based on your application whether you are ready for the reassessment, and if not I will let you know what you need to do to show me you are ready to reassess. You must also have hard evidence of effort to master the objective. For example, quiz corrections, worked out homework problems, you came in for extra tutoring, you explained the concept to me, etc. If you use the word retake instead of reassess your application will automatically be denied.
Extra Help

I am available for help in room E 213 from 6:45AM 7:15AM Monday Friday, and from 2:20 3:00 Monday through Thursday. I will also be available during lunch. If I am not in my room during lunch please look for me in the math office, I know I seem pretty invincible, but I actually need food to survive as well .
All students and parents should have access to our online grade system, Edline, at http://www.edline.net. Grades will be posted regularly.