GRADING POLICY FOR MR.

BECKER’S EARTH SCIENCE CLASSES

Evaluation of student performance will be determined in accordance with standard school academic
policies indicated in the student handbook and in conjunction with the following grading schedule:

Quarter/Semester Evaluation:

In-class Activities/Laboratory Investigations/Notebooks.........…………….……….……...…….30%

Homework Assignments.…………..………………………….....……………...………….…….10%
Assessments (quizzes/tests/projects)………………….……..….……..………........….…..……..45%
Semester/Final Examination….…..…………..…...…….…….……….................……………….15%

Course Evaluation:

 Student progress report/quarter/semester/course grades will be computed with precision to the

tenth of a percentage point, with letter grades being awarded in accordance with the Amador
Valley High School grading policy. Any rounding-up of grades is purely at the discretion of the
teacher and will be considered for each student on a case-by-case basis based on the merits of
the student that have been demonstrated throughout the grading period.

POLICY FOR INCOMPLETE, LATE AND RESUBMITTED ASSIGNMENTS

Incomplete assignments will be evaluated as submitted, with zero credit awarded for non-attempted
or non-tabulated items. Late assignments will incur a penalty of one full letter grade (or 10% of the
total point value) for each school calendar day that the assignment is delayed. Partial credit will
be awarded for a homework assignment submitted up to one calendar week after its due date.
The teacher reserves the right to award zero credit for any assignments submitted after they have
been reviewed in class. On assignments for which students have been directed by the teacher to re-
do an assignment, the re-done assignment will be due no later than the next school calendar day
provided that they initially were submitted on-time (by the assignment due date). Resubmitted
assignments may have credit restored up to but not exceeding a final grade of 85% (‘B’).

In the case of excused (lawful) absences, one day of grace will be allowed for each day of absence.
Assignments may be provided in advance of a lawful absence if requested by the student or
parent/guardian at least one week in advance of the absence and approved by the Amador Valley
High School administration. Submission of advance/make-up work is required upon the return of
the student to school unless extenuating circumstances have occurred and have been appropriately
documented.

 Successive unattempted and/or incomplete assignments may result in parental/guardian

notifications and/or referral of the student to appropriate school personnel

 No grace period for assigned work will be allowed for unexcused (unlawful) absences

(continued)
CHARACTERISTICS IMPACTING UPON THE EVALUATION OF ASSIGNMENTS

Characteristics impacting the scoring and evaluation of student performance include, but are not limited to,
the following factors:

 ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT: Class discussions, laboratory activities, and both regular and special
assignments provide several opportunities for active student involvement in the learning process

 COMPREHENSION: Understanding the nature of an assignment becomes evident to the teacher when
the student can directly convey clear and unambiguous responses

 COMPREHENSIVENESS: Thorough and specific responses to the objectives of an assignment assure

the teacher that students have a complete understanding of the assignment

 CREATIVITY: Use of the thought process to generate unique perspectives and/or reasonable solutions
to questions/problems demonstrates the ability of a student to think independently

 ORGANIZATION: Use of formats which demonstrate logical and continuous reasoning are indicative
of use of advance planning and careful thinking by the student

 PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE: Legibility, use of proper language, and aesthetics (neatness, effective
use of appropriate visuals, proper use of titles/labels/headings) enhance the readability of any work effort

 WORK QUALITY: both accuracy (correctness) and precision (consistency) are essential components of
every successful scientific work effort

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR SUCCESS IN EARTH SCIENCE CLASS

 ring binder with dividers and pockets

 looseleaf paper
 graph paper
 unlined paper
 post-it notes
 solar calculator
 non-smearing eraser
 colored pencils

(Optional supplies: portable hole puncher, portable pencil sharpener)

THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS

 On-time and regular attendance of class

 Active daily participation in class activities and discussions
 Consistent effort on in-class and homework assignments
 A quiet place for uninterrupted study to enhance concentration
 Perpetual preparation for in-class evaluations
 Seeking help from the teacher promptly and whenever needed
 A good night’s sleep each evening
 Lots of patience, practice and persistence!
ASSIGNMENT EVALUATION CODES: In addition to standard
numerical scoring for assignments, it may be appropriate for some
assignments to be evaluated using the following system:

+ "Plus" corresponds to 100%(+/-) numerical grade; indicates extensive

effort/time devoted to assignment, or exceptionally superior understanding
of the assignment

+ "Check Plus" corresponds to 90%(+/-) numerical grade; indicates

substantial effort/time devoted to the assignment, or significant
understanding of the assignment

 "Check" corresponds to 80%(+/-) numerical grade; indicates above

average effort/time devoted to an assignment, or moderate understanding
of the assignment

- "Check Minus" corresponds to 70%(+/-) numerical grade; indicates

average effort/time devoted to an assignment, or nominal understanding of
the assignment

= "Check Minus-Minus" corresponds to 60%(+/-) numerical grade;

indicates minimal effort/time devoted to an assignment, or negligible
understanding of the assignment

½ "Half" indicates an additional five percent (5%) numerical credit

added to a grade; usually implemented when assignment quality is
between two standard "check" grades

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ASSIGNMENT EVALUATION FEEDBACK SYMBOL CODES:
"ANS" => Answer Not Substantiated

"BS" => Blind Substitution (missing equation or formula)

"IAC" => Incorrect Angle Calculation

"ICF" => Incorrect Conversion Factor

"IMA" => Incorrect or Missing Answer

"IMF" => Improper Format or Incomplete/Missing Factor

"IMU" => Incorrect or Missing Units

"INC" => Incomplete or insufficiently attempted assignment (zero credit awarded until completed)

"IWS" => Insufficient Work Shown

"LATE!" => Assignment submitted after its due date; ten percent (10%) daily penalty imposed
until assignment was submitted (excluding excused absences)

"MSW" => Missing Substitution Work

"NC" => No Credit awarded on assignment (usually due to assignment being excessively late or
already having been reviewed in class)

"NENC" => No Equations = No Credit (all calculations must be justified)

"NG" => No Grade awarded on assignment (usually due to extenuating circumstances and/or by
administrative or parental request)

“NRP” => No Reasoning Provided

"QNA" => Question Not Answered

"QNW" => Question (or problem) Needs to be Written-out

"RCM" => Re-Check Mathematical calculations

"RCR" => Re-Check Reading

"RD" => Re-Do item

"RDA" => Re-Do Assignment

"RSAC" => Re-Submit for Additional Credit; all resubmissions must be submitted
NO LATER THAN THE FOLLOWING DAY to earn additional credit

Revised-PB- 8/9//2022