Grades

Disclaimer: You may notice that your grades during the first two weeks are lower than you
might expect. This is simply because the fewer grades we have in the book, the more a low
score might skew your grade. As we add more quiz grades and do extra tests, those grades will
go up.

Breakdown

Grades will be taken in three different ways, and weighted accordingly:

(Classwork P oints Earned )/(Classwork P oints Available) * 15 %

+
(N otebook P oints Earned)/(N otebook P oints Available) * 15 %

+
(T est P oints Earned)/(T ests P oints Available) * 70 %

= Total Grade

Quizzes and Tests (Twice a Week) – 70%

We will quiz over the big ideas from each chapter as the chapter progresses. Each “big idea,”
which I call an “objective” quiz will be worth 10 points and given its own entry in eSchool under
“Tests.” I call them tests because I want students to take them seriously, but most “tests” over
an objective about a page long. A test with multiple objectives could be 3 to 4 pages long.
Some tests will cover more than one objective in the same question.

The tests will contain a few “easier” problems, which should be basic vocab or problem-solving,
and then one “harder” problem, which may contain multiple steps, connections to other
concepts, or ask you to apply what you know in a new context.

We will quiz over each objective multiple times. Students who make a better score on a later
quiz will be awarded the new total points, and no student’s score on an objective can go down.
For example we may quiz over “Writing Equations” from Unit 1 on Monday. When the quizzes
are returned and discussed by the class, we will have an ​extra test​ over “Writing Equations”
again on Thursday. This will usually be shorter and only focused on the parts that most students
got wrong (probably a question similar to the harder problems). If you do better, you get the new
grade, if not, your grade stays the same.

Test Grading Scale

I will be grading “holistically,” meaning I may not give one particular point for each problem part
solved, but will give a grade based on the level of understanding shown. No student who takes
a quiz will earn under a 5/10. Here is the breakdown:

5​ – Minimum or below: No understanding but some work shown

6​ – Basic understanding: Some understanding shown but contains significant errors,
especially on harder questions
8​ – Near Mastery: Easier questions answered correctly, some incorrect work on harder
problems
10​ – Full understanding: No errors on harder questions

I chose this scale so as to simplify the grades as much as possible and to make the turnaround
on quizzes faster.

If a student feels a grade is too low or was given in error, I am always open to having that
discussion and always willing to admit a mistake in grading. Often what I may perceive as an
error may actually be a different but correct way of looking at the problem.

If you have a question about your particular grade on a quiz, please e-mail or see me
one-on-one as soon as possible. It’s the quickest and easiest way to fix any errors or
help you get on track.

I will ​not​ discuss your grade in relation to a classmate’s grade. Grades are private. (Don’t
ask why you got a 6 and your neighbor got an 8.)

Journals, Binders, Special Projects (Every Few Weeks) – 15%

Journal

Part of mastering any subject is being able to think not only about how to do the problems but
how it all fits together. To facilitate being able to think along these lines I want you to keep a
journal.
For the journal, I recommend a composition notebook or spiral notebook. Each day you will be
asked to do some sort of reflection in the journal, and keep a log of what we did that day. I will
check these every two weeks for completion. Each journal assignment should be clearly dated
and in chronological order.

You may also wish to write down your own notes or scratch work. Many students liked to jot
down their data in their journals before transferring it to the lab reports.

Homework (Daily) – 15%

I have designed this course so that the bulk of the learning is done in class, so I expect you to
give a serious amount of effort when you are here. In return, your homework should be relatively
simple and not take you more than 20-30 minutes each day.

Each day you will have classwork that will include one or more of the following:
3-5 review questions
Lab reporting
Problems that your group is responsible for presenting the next day
Journal reflections
Finishing classwork
Individualized review

Finished work will be awarded 10 points. Incomplete work will be awarded 5, and work not
turned in will be awarded 0 points. If you are absent, I will mark your grade as a 0 until the work
is turned in.

Make Up Work
I will try to make the best possible use of our class periods by using it for activities that
work well only when the class is together. Because of that, missing class for any reason
(​including sports or illness*​) can stall your progress in understanding physics. Still, almost
everyone will occasionally miss a physics class.

Help! I missed a physics class! What should I do?!

1.​ ​Check with me (or check e-School) to see what materials you missed and when I
want it due. Our school has a “two days” policy, where you must turn in missed work 2
days from when you get back. (If you were gone monday and back on Tuesday, it’s due
on Thursday.) If you missed a lab, please contact me to see how you can make it up.
2.​ ​Check in with a classmate who was in class, but ​please ​do ​not ​“get notes” from
anyone. Instead, sit down and talk with your friend about what happened in class, then
leave him or her and work through the problems you missed on your own.
 3.​ ​Meet back up with your friend and check your solutions to the problems you just did.
Please, do ​not simply ​look at anyone else’s work (because it will hinder your own
development of understanding); instead, ask to discuss the problems with a friend.
4.​ ​If you are confused or need more help, bring that work to show me so that we can
talk about it together.

Past students have told me that it takes up to three times as long to fully make up the
understanding you would have gained during a missed class.** That is, you should plan to
spend up to 4 hours catching up on a missed period (obviously, I wouldn’t expect you to spend
that time all at once!).

*Please do come to class, even unprepared, if you are reasonably able to do so. Please do ​not
come to class if doing so would impair your health or recovery or if you are ill with something
contagious.
**While it is definitely a pain when it occasionally happens, it should make you feel good about
what you are accomplishing in class on a daily basis.

Student-Initiated Extra Quizzes

If you need to take an extra quiz over a topic, I will be happy to work that out with you. The best
way to get started is to send me an e-mail at ​paulwolf@haashall.org​ with the following:

● The objective you want to quiz over

● What you have done to improve your understanding (such as going over the test,
working extra problems on your own)
● A time that you can re-take the quiz

If you need individual help ​before​ taking an extra quiz, I am available to meet one-on-one.

I don’t give extra quizzes right after these help sessions, as I’d like you to have time to practice
on your own before taking the extra quiz.

Effort

The use of individual assessments to demonstrate mastery on learning objectives means that
you will need to keep track of your progress and sustain your effort to learn physics. ​There
are no shortcuts to mastery. ​Mastery of physics (or any serious endeavor) comes from
consistent and sustained work. Simply put, you cannot expect to master any subject or skill by
refusing to practice for days on end.
 The bright side to this need for sustained effort is that ​sustained effort always works​!
You will make progress if you stick to the work. The use of learning objectives, and the
scoring only of your mastery of these objectives, is designed to make immediately clear the
skills and knowledge that need your focus. How your progress translates into a final grade
might be unclear to you right now, but we will make sure everyone understands how the
mastery of objectives will result in a final grade. ​The key is for​ ​you to focus on
understanding physics, not on the single grade. ​If you do this, you will be happy with the
outcome, and you will feel fantastic for having achieved a level of understanding of physics
that few in our world attain.

“WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GET AN A?”

Discuss with the people at your table, given my scoring guidelines, what do you need
grade-wise to make an A in this class?